How much flow do I really need?

[CharAznable]

I have a 150 gallon tank. I thought the rule of thumb is that you want to fo 7-10 times the volume of the tank. If that was correct I thought that 1500 would be the max I would want to do. But then people said to use maxi-jets that each put out 1500 gallons. How much do I really need? At this point I only have a torch coral and some zoas. I plan on getting mainly LPS corals, a clam, and maybe a few SPS. How much flow do I really need for a 150 gallon tank with these types of corals?

[BangkokMatt]

For SPS you should aim for a minimum of 40x. A bit less if you are keeping LPS

[AquaReeferMan]

It all depends on your livestock. Shed some info on that and we can help you out a little more. What maxi jet pushes out 1500 gph?

[AquaReeferMan]

FWIW I have 49.12x turnover rate

[TheOtherReefer]

Depending on the specific sps species. Monti's require a bit less than some stags, etc... try and aim for at least 30x.

[MalHavoc]

I have 60x in my 24 gallon aquapod and I don't think I have enough. Part of the issue isn't so much turnover rate as it is making sure that you have no dead spots. And you'll adjust this as your tank grows in - corals block flow, so you'll be moving powerheads and adding new ones all the time.

[capn_hylinur]

You need 20 to 40 times flow rate in your tank but the flow rate through your sump should be max 10 times or match the gph of your skimmer
In your tank I would go with hydor korilias number 4's----they are about 50 dollars and give you a flow rate of 1250 gph each.

[CharAznable]

The modified MaxiJet 1200s can bet up to 2000 gph.

[reefergeorge]

For most 25x is good. With sps I think around 40x.

[CharAznable]

Currently I have a Torch Coral, some Zoanthids, 5 hermit crabs, and 3 snails. I am trying to get all of my tank infrastructure in place before I start getting fish. I plan on getting clownfish to start out with.

[capn_hylinur]

Originally posted by CharAznable
The modified MaxiJet 1200s can bet up to 2000 gph.

hmmmm very curious here do you have a link for a modified maxjet that can put out 2000 gph

[md14fish]

A blanket statement regarding flow really is not accurate. You can position your SPS so as to maximise their use of the currents(kind of like placing the light loving corals closer to the light source). Species that require less flow can be positioned to accomodate their needs. The flow should in any case be random and not a straight jet like blast.

[prickles]

i thought the Koralia 4's were 2400gph?

[bertoni]

Lots of people have kept very nice Acropora tanks with 30x flow. Many other corals are happier with perhaps 10x flow. That's my experience with many soft corals.

[MTB]

The Koralia #4's put out 1200 GPH each. MJMods.com is the site for maxi-jet mods. I prefer the Koralias to Modded MJ. The MJ Mod shoots a straight jet like stream of water where as the Koralia is much more spread out. I would aim for at least 20x's of turn over per hour. I would say that is the bare minimum. But as mentioned it really depends on the corals you wish to keep. Not only what you have now but what you would like to keep in the future as well. I have 45x's turn over in my 55 and am going to up it atleast to 60x's this weekend. FWIW I keep a mixed reef and have high flow spots and low flow spots.

[CharAznable]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Maxi-Jet-MaxiJet...QQcmdZViewItem

[CharAznable]

I was planning on going with Maxi-Jets because I got a Red Sea Wavemaker system. I heard that they work great with Maxi-Jets but can damage Koralias.

[capn_hylinur]

Originally posted by CharAznable
I was planning on going with Maxi-Jets because I got a Red Sea Wavemaker system. I heard that they work great with Maxi-Jets but can damage Koralias.

thanks for the link--you learn something everyday.

I would stlll go with one or two Korilias in each corner of the tank--a number four gives you 1200 gph turbulant flow

I would go with a number of the maxi-jets with the wavemaker but not the mods--just a little two powerfull of a direct or laminar flow in them. Your wrasses will truely be surfing--not just carpet surfing anymore

eg let the korilias take care of the gph requirements and use the less powerfull maxis to create the wave action.

[CharAznable]

That sounds good to me.

[CharAznable]

What size Maxi Jet should I use then?

[capn_hylinur]

three 1200's centre and opposite sides facing each other--high up to help with surface turbulence.-30 sec intervals--just my opinion however

the ideal situation is a seiko timer---it works well with the korilias because it just turns down the voltage--it doesn't completely shut them off. Otherwise the Korilias clunk everytime the stop and start up.
Three of those on the seik0--number 4's would give you wave action, turbulent flow, and 3600 gph flow.
and I believe the seiko is alot less expensive then the waveaction

[CharAznable]

What is the Seiko model number?

[Valas]

Could you give me some additional info on the Seiko timer you mentioned? I can't seem to find anything on it when i search.

Thanks,

JM

[Valas]

SEIO perhaps?

[capn_hylinur]

Originally posted by Valas
SEIO perhaps?

lol--- I hate not having spell check on this --yes it is seio controller

I also read somewhere that Hydor was coming out with one that would run the Koralias.