Flow - controllable vs always on

[Rekonn]

I'm planning the flow for a standard 90g tank that will have a mix of SPS and LPS corals. Here are some numbers I put together.

Not controllable:
Four model Koralia 4's
4800gph for $200

Controllable:
Four Tunze 6055 Nanostreams + 7095 controller
5800gph for $1050

Two Vortech + controller that's not out yet
6000gph $700 + ? (guessing at least $200 for total of $900)


The price difference between controllable vs non-controllable is huge! It can't really be worth 5 times the cost, right?

[iantoh]

hi there rekonn,

having once been in the same opinion as you, i've since learnt that the difference is truly worth the extra in price. for both SPS and LPS corals, an intermittent and dynamic flow pattern is definitely better than a constant one. the randomized polyp movement it creates is gorgeous too. considering that youre planning to include SPS within the system, i'd say perhaps a mix of controllables and non-controllable wavemakers can give you the best of both worlds- maybe two Tunze 6055s and two Koralia 4's? the Tunzes can then serve to routinely break the monotonous flow pattern provided by the Koralias. and try to get a second-hand multi-controller? the controllers are hardy and dont degrade much over time.

cheers,
ian

[db_triggerfish]

Originally posted by Rekonn
I'm planning the flow for a standard 90g tank that will have a mix of SPS and LPS corals. Here are some numbers I put together.

Not controllable:
Four model Koralia 4's
4800gph for $200

The Koralia are controllable, maybe not as per Hydor but several people are using the Seio Controller and i have read at least 3 using it on the Reefkeeper 2 with it's soft start feature. Also a person in the FAMAS forum is using his Koralia with a Red Sea wave maker for months now.

Four Koralia model 4 = 200.00

with JBJ Ocean Pulse - DUO add 49.00
SEIO 149.00
Reefkeeper 249.00 but does a lot more.

I really want 4 x 6055 with a 7095 in my tank but the price is so high. If you stop to think for the price of these powerheads from Tunze you can buy a plasma tv. They are overpriced imo.

[dhnguyen]

I actually beg to differ in that I think the flow control is of little benefit to the tank or if anything purely aesthetic at best.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2007/1/aafeature

Having used both methods, I can tell you that my tank and SPS corals prefer the constant flow better than the intermittent one. This will be even more apparent as your corals grow and mature.

[db_triggerfish]

something new to me, i am going to read it later, but i would thing a random flow would be better. thanks for the link

[aninjaatemyshoe]

Actually, you don't want purely constant flow. The best would be to use flow that switches every half hour or so. The basic idea is to have the water moving in a clockwise or counterclockwise circuit in your tank (switching from one to the other). This is outlined very well in the article.

Personally, I would buy the Tunze's and use them with the ACJr Aquasurf. You can set them up to run like I mentioned above. On top of that, you could also add intermittent periods of resonance waves or general chaotic turbulence to help disturb any places where detritus may be settling. Just a ton more control and all sorts of things you can play with using such a setup. I suppose you can do the same with the Vortech controller (don't know too much about it). If you want simple/cheap/effective, just go with the Hydor Koralias and control them with timers (no need for a "wavemaker").

[Rekonn]

Dhnguyen, very interesting article! I understood it the same as aninja, a circuit of flow that switches directions after a period of time long enough to build up momentum to move water en masse. Seems like a great idea to try. If I have four pumps, two will be pointed clockwise, the other two counter clockwise. Every half hour, one set would turn on and the other would turn off.

Now, if Koralias could turn on quietly and reliably 24 times a day, my research would be done, and I'd just buy two more timers. But I've read that the propeller bounces around a lot before they seat in place when used with a wavemaker. I don't want to hear a lot of clacking every half hour from my tank, and potentially ruin the pumps.

[dhnguyen]

switches time occasionally is one thing but most people turn their pumps on and off every five minutes or seconds even which kinda defeats the purpose IMO. I do switch mine once every 6 hours or so which IME is plenty.

[bdare]

Please keep in mind there are also less expensive methods to get this flow without spending the money.

I don't know how big your tank is, but you can also consider a SCWD, an OM Squirt, or any over the back rotating output valves that will also provide alternating currents.

They will work with your existing pupmps and only some will require you to re-plum your tank.

Ben

[dhnguyen]

Show me a SCWD or OM Squirt, or whatever CL setup that can put this kind of flow... And from a single pump even.



And when you factor in the cost of having to run a large pump for a CL plus electricity used, it won't be such a cheap method.

[bdare]

The upfront costs for those pumps is VERY high. Yes, they use half the power of most other pumps these days, but also keep in mind we are talking a differnce of like 70watts. The difference in electricity cost MIGHT be $5 / month.

You would have to keep your fancy IN TANK pumps and powerheads for a long time to use electricity as an argument for return on investment (ROI).

[dhnguyen]

you consider a modded Maxijet fancy and expensive?

Maxijet 1200 pump - $18
Algae Free sureflow kit - $20
Dumas 3004 propeller - $1.50
2000+ gph of wide dispursed flow - priceless

[Rekonn]

My tank is a 90g, 48x18x24. I used to live in AZ and was concerned about pumps adding heat to my tank, so I decided to use an external return pump for most of my flow when I first set up the tank. I got an Iwaki for about $200, that put out like 1000gph. The Iwaki noise drove me nuts and I got rid of it right away, and instead got a Panworld that put out 1100gph. The Panworld was a MUCH quieter and cheaper too at $160, but I was still bothered by the noise. Then I went through all kinds of plumbing fun trying to quiet down the noise of a lot of flow (probably 800gph after head loss) going down to my sump from the overflow.

This time I'm going for a lot of flow in the display where it belongs, and just what I need to go through the sump. Four K4's in the display, and an Oceanrunner 2500 as a return pump using Herbie's method for return should be a nice, quiet setup. Cheap in upfront cost, and cheap in continued electricity cost.

Bdare must be comparing with the costs of a controllable stream setup, not Koralias on timers. Dhnguyen, how long have you been running your flow like a gyre? And what kind of corals do you keep?

[dhnguyen]

been running a gyre since the beginning of this year... So far so good. My SPS seems very happy and growing. The tank used to have tons of SPS in it but I did have several water issues last year along with a horrendous move from N. Cali to Seattle that pretty much killed off most of them.

Right now there are just a bunch of SPS frags (some from accidents ) some small colonies of pocillopora, seriatopora hystrix, some sort of purple tip acro, a pink (blue tipped) milli.