Too much flow?
Printed From: Utah Reefs
Category: Specialized Discussion
Forum Name: DIY
Forum Description: Do it Yourself
URL: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=36357
Printed Date: July 22 2026 at 4:14pm
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Topic: Too much flow?
Posted By: Luckedout
Subject: Too much flow?
Date Posted: November 09 2009 at 8:16pm
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I think I have way too much flow on my tank. I have an Iwaki pump that pumps 1200gph on my 54 gallon corner. I have to keep it turned down because even with 2 drain pipes I start to flood the tank. I also think it killed my clown fish that I put in the tank. He looked like he was having a hard time swimming. I assumed that he would find a calmer spot in the tank, but he was gone the next morning. I think he might of become too worn out. Is that possible or am I just mistaken? My corals seem to be fine, but I imagine they like the heavy flow, but I'd like to keep fish in it one day too. Can I have too much flow in my tank? I was thinking about buying a pump with less flow, would that be a good idea? THanks! ------------- -Ben 90g Mixed reef www.body-balancechiropractic.com |
Replies:
Posted By: john hill
Date Posted: November 09 2009 at 8:24pm
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i have always had lots of flow in my tanks
in my 225 i had1500 return
3000 closed loop and two korila4s
and still wanted more flow ------------- out with the large and in with the nano |
Posted By: CapnMorgan
Date Posted: November 09 2009 at 8:46pm
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I push about 1800gph through my 65 and everything seems perfectly fine. ------------- Steve http://utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=40637&PID=356246" rel="nofollow - My Old 180G Mixed Reef Currently: 120G Wavefront Mixed 29G Seahorse & Softies Running ReefAngel Plus x2 435-8 |
Posted By: Luckedout
Date Posted: November 09 2009 at 8:57pm
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I have a 1" and 3/4" drains on it, but they don't seem to keep up. Anything I can do to improve the drainage? It's a corner so it only has the 1 overflow with both of my pre-drilled holes draining.
------------- -Ben 90g Mixed reef www.body-balancechiropractic.com |
Posted By: Jeffs_little_ocean
Date Posted: November 09 2009 at 9:03pm
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I really doubt your clown became too worn out. Fish can always find a calm spot in the rocks. |
Posted By: Luckedout
Date Posted: November 09 2009 at 11:56pm
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Well, I wish I knew what killed him then. I put him in fairly late at night, then went to check on him the next day in the afternoon and he was a goner. :-(
------------- -Ben 90g Mixed reef www.body-balancechiropractic.com |
Posted By: CapnMorgan
Date Posted: November 10 2009 at 12:33am
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did you acclimate him? if so how? ------------- Steve http://utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=40637&PID=356246" rel="nofollow - My Old 180G Mixed Reef Currently: 120G Wavefront Mixed 29G Seahorse & Softies Running ReefAngel Plus x2 435-8 |
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: November 10 2009 at 4:28am
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The ocean is very turbulent and healthy fish can handle it. The cleanup crew, which includes Bristleworms, devoured the little body after it died. The death was probably natural. Do you know how many clownfish died on their way from the ocean just so you could have that one? Or was it captive raised? If I want two clownfish I always order 3-4 because of the usual mortality rate.Something that really helps is to know all you can about adding new fish. Here is a link: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=34014 - http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=34014 ------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member 
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Posted By: thefu
Date Posted: November 10 2009 at 10:10am
I have a 1100gph return pump on a single sea swirl and a koralia magnum5 (1600gph) and I still am going to add more flow...adding a MP20 and set up a sweet whirlpool in the tank  That will be nearly 5000gph if I leave in the Koralia...which I am will decide once I get the MP20 in. Jake Adams this weekend convinced me that I cannot have too much flow outside of blowing the flesh off my LPS and that laminar flow (in a gyre preferably) is fine when placed at the top of the tank and the corals and rocks below will create the interference and change up the directions of the flow.If you have more stony corals, you will benefit by excessive flow, otherwise it is a bit wasted but I doubt it killed the clownfish...more likely is environmental stress.
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Posted By: dew2loud1
Date Posted: November 10 2009 at 11:45am
| Focus on in tank flow, not high return flow from your sump. I'd turn the return pump down and add a couple koralia's. High flow through the sump is not beneficial. You can easily do only 300 gph flow through to your sump and supplement with internal powerheads which are much easier to focus and provide much wider flow patterns. |
Posted By: thefu
Date Posted: November 10 2009 at 11:48am
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Doesn't the amount of flow through your sump also dictate how much water gets mechanically filtered and skimmed during a day? With my 1100gph I don't see any issues in my sump or refugium. Am I missing something?
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Posted By: Luckedout
Date Posted: November 10 2009 at 11:49am
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That was my thought. Maybe have less flow through the return pump and get a couple of koralia's to circulate the tank better.
------------- -Ben 90g Mixed reef www.body-balancechiropractic.com |
Posted By: dew2loud1
Date Posted: November 10 2009 at 11:56am
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It really all depends on how your sump is set up with bubble traps etc,
also ideal flow through a refugium is less than 300 gph. In a
setup like this where the drains are an issue i'd much rather play it
safe. Generally is a bit cheaper to have a smaller return pump and run koralias which only use 6-15 watts rather than a large return pump. That being said i have 4000 gph going though my sump, but is also six feet long and holds over 200 gallons. |
Posted By: thefu
Date Posted: November 10 2009 at 12:55pm
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so turnover in your sump is 20x hour. Mine is about 40x. My Chaeto grows well, the tank looks good... it has three compartments, one for the skimmer/carbon/sock, then the refuge, then a bubble trap, then the return compartment. Well, I guess there are many ways from A->B. I agree that maybe a pump half the size I have might be better simply from a power consumption perspective.
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Posted By: chk4tix
Date Posted: November 10 2009 at 2:10pm
This is how I have always believed you should do it. With my system my return is only about 600-700gph in my 120g. The slower flow allows the pods to reproduce quickly and also lets the skimmer filter more water before it moves out of the sump and back to the main tank. The flow in the main tank is provided by 4 - K4's which is around 4800gph + the returns ------------- Original Crappy Reef Club Member #2 |
dew2loud1 wrote:Posted By: BobC63
Date Posted: November 10 2009 at 7:40pm
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Fu -
Actually, the rated capacities of your skimmer and mechanical filtration will determine how much water gets treated, not the sump gph flow.
If you have a skimmer that can skim (for example) 100g of water per hour, it will skim that same 100g / hr no matter how fast or slow water is passing through the sump.
So, if your sump flow gph is alot less than 100g / hr, then some of the water gets skimmed twice before getting pumped out of the sump and back into the display.
But, if your sump flow gph is way above 100 g / hr, then some of the water never gets skimmed before it gets pumped back in to the display.
Same thing if you run a canister or media reactor off the sump.
IMO, the ideal would be to try to match your sump gph with your skimmer gph so that most or all the water that flows into the sump gets skimmed before it returns to the display rather than being bypassed because your return pump gph is 10X higher than your skimmer pump gph. Plus, (in general) if you use "in-display" or even closed loop pumps for gph you tend to get more gph per watt of electricity used, since the in-display / CL pumps don't have to overcome the several feet of head pressure that a return pumps does...
------------- - My Current Tank: 50g Starfire Cube Reef * Marine & Reef tanks since 1977 * |
Posted By: thefu
Date Posted: November 10 2009 at 7:52pm
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Bob, the amount of crap removed from my filter sock IS directly proportional to how much water runs over it. You may have a point with the skimmer though...but it will all get skimmed eventually at the skimmers rate. |
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: November 11 2009 at 8:10am
It seems to me that any speed of flow through the refugium does wonders for a reef display. I've seen it all work. I started a new thread because the thoughts just started flowing...as usual 
http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=36396 - http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=36396 ------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member
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Posted By: BobC63
Date Posted: November 11 2009 at 4:09pm
OK, Terence you got me on the filter sock part
 I thought you were referring to a carbon reactor or canister when you spoke of "mechanical filtration"
------------- - My Current Tank: 50g Starfire Cube Reef * Marine & Reef tanks since 1977 * |