How Much Flow?

[1234-fishy-freind]

How much flow should a reef tank with corals have?
Could you please tell me in liters per hour and gallons per hour.

thanks

 

[JenCliBee]

How much flow should a reef tank with corals have?
Could you please tell me in liters per hour and gallons per hour.

thanks

some 1 correct me if im wrong but i think its 20x the tank water volume but i think more would be better

 

[Crazy fishes]

The bare minimum is 10x which I have but most like a little more say 20x as suggested above.

Regards

 

[1234-fishy-freind]

My tank is about 100gallons.

Does this mean I need about 2000 gallons per hour of flow?

Does the water from the return pump in my sump also add to the amount of flow I already have?


thanks

 

[Crazy fishes]

My tank is about 100gallons.

Does this mean I need about 2000 gallons per hour of flow?

Does the water from the return pump in my sump also add to the amount of flow I already have?


thanks

Of course. The return for the sump is producing flow but how much not sure. What is the pressure head at the return? 2000 gallons is correct for 20x flow, but break it down over several outputs like several powerheads or circulation pumps directed differently.

Regards

 

[1234-fishy-freind]

I already have a few powerheads in my tank but 2 of them dont work and need removing.
Without looking at one of each make, (there are 2 makes in the tank), I cant remeber what their output is.
I will check them tomorrow.
I will also take the return pump out and have a look at that. The water has to go up about 2 ft, how much would that affect the output?

I also have a spare 3000lph powerhead lying around so if it turns out I do need more flow, I will put that in on one of the sides at the back so it flows behind the rock the full length of the tank and then the rest can be moved to the front pointing into the rockwork.

 

[SkiFletch]

2' will probably diminish your output of the return pump ~20-30%

Look into propeller type powerheads like Hydor Koralia or Tunze Stream (nanostream too) pumps. These move LOTS of water for very little electricity and have significant durability compared to impeller type pumps like those used for return pumps

 

[1234-fishy-freind]

Ok thanks.

Just out of interest, whats the difference between a propeller and an impeller?

 

[SkiFletch]

Propeller pumps have tapered vanes, a lot like what you'd see on the screw of a boat motor; they pull water from behind and push it forward. Impellers have straight fins and are encased in a covering. They pull water in from the front and push it out the sides. Without explaining the fluid dynamics involved, Propeller types (Hydor Koralia, Tunze Stream/Nanostream, and to an extent Seio Superflow) produce very high flows with no back pressure, and very little energy. Impeller type pumps (Eheim, Oceanrunner, Aqua Medic, etc) produce lower flows, CAN operate with back pressure, but use significantly more energy