Can anyone recommend a powerhead configuration for a 180 gallon reef aquarium for creating what you’d cosider to be ideal water circulation? Pump GPH, placement, wave maker. etc?
I realize that proper aquascaping plays a factor and have already taken this into consideration.
Thanks in advance for the replies everyone.
I like the tidy bowl configuration. Mount the smoother flow pumps like koralias, high, in the corners directed along the sides so as they all make the water spin in a counter clockwise rotation around the tank. This will also take advantage of the coriolis effect and allow the water to spin more freely. There was a guest speaker at the NJRC frag swap a few years back who recommended smooth rotational flow around the tank over opposed/chaotic flow. his flow tests with dye showed so called chaotic flow arrangements actually produced less movement, and more dead zones than a smooth same directional induced flow.
By placing the pumps high in the clear open water level above the rock you get more flow, which by friction, like clutch plates stacked up, eventually gets the bottom water layer moving too. a big smooth flowing whirl pool. the important thing for corals is to have adequate water flow over them to facilitate gas exchange, filter feeding and slime removal. with a single dirction flow path you can also get that windswept look to corals as they grow, like the coastal pines in Monterey. it also helps sweep detritis out from behind the rock and corners. fewer dead zones. He had a very good presentation on the subject of flow. and this is what i have remember.
[quote=“Toxicpopcorn, post:1, topic:4073”]
Can anyone recommend a powerhead configuration for a 180 gallon reef aquarium for creating what you’d cosider to be ideal water circulation? [/quote]
All depends on your budget, 2 MP60s will do.
[quote=“Rosti, post:3, topic:4073”]
[quote=“Toxicpopcorn, post:1, topic:4073”]
Can anyone recommend a powerhead configuration for a 180 gallon reef aquarium for creating what you’d cosider to be ideal water circulation? [/quote]
All depends on your budget, 2 MP60s will do.[/quote]
near 1400$, also.
This will also take advantage of the coriolis effect and allow the water to spin more freely
The coriolis effect has no bearing on water in fish tanks or toilets much to popular belief. It really only has an effect on relatively slow moving weather systems, its a long explanation but for it to effect water circulation in a tank or toilet (the most popular myth of them all) the earth would have to spin something like once per second. I don’t feel like citing the info I read on it but look it up, its an interesting read anyway.
I believe It’s the right hand rule of torque vectors they teach you in physics. Yes , it a very, very small effect in a tank, but still true. why fight gravity and the earths rotation. But it sounds cool!
I think Ken’s point is “why fight it”. I looked into directional flow when I was planning a 300 gallon and reailzed it would have no noticeable impact on the flow as the Coriolis effect is insignificant in the small volume of our tanks, amounting to roughly three ten-millionths of the force of gravity. That being said if I was planning the flow I would still go counter clockwise under the premise of “why fight it”. I would aslo go with a vortex. The idea of random flow while more representative of coral reefs results in a lot of wated energy and reduce flow in our little tanks.
Creating a vortex will also cause water to move faster at the center where the corals are. Food will also move towards the center in a vortex.
Bad Coriolis
FWIW this topic made it on Snoopes.com