How Much Flow is too Much for SPS

SkullV

SkullV

New member
Had a small argument on chat and figured I would pose this question here as well. "For an SPS tank, how much flow is too much?"

I have 3 WP10 powerheads putting out approx. 1000gph each on my 20g long nano SPS reef and it seems to me like the coral loves the flow. No coral has direct flow from a powerhead being pointed right at it, which I agree is generally not ideal. Everything has great polyp extension, growth seems good, color is fantastic, and nothing ever settles on the sand.

I was told "three WP10s in that tank is overkill", "that much flow will slow sps growth", and "keep some more delicate sps species with that much flow and it will humble you (I'm not sure exactly what species was being referred to)".

My argument was not only does everything in the tank seem happy but even at 165x turnover with my return pump included, I'm nowhere near the amount of flow that these corals get on the real reefs.

So what do you think? Would love to hear some more opinions with your reasoning. [MENTION=454]maidia[/MENTION], [MENTION=1277]jrpark22000[/MENTION], and even [MENTION=2634]vucious[/MENTION], I would also love to hear more about why you believe this too much flow since the chat was more of a back and forth argument rather than a discussion. I'm not at all against reducing the flow some if it will help, I just haven't yet heard a good explanation of why it would help.

I WANT TO CLARIFY THAT THIS THREAD IS JUST TO CREATE A POOL OF KNOWLEDGE, I DON'T INTEND TO AGREE/DISAGREE/ARGUE WITH ANY POST. I am just hoping to bring together more information for myself and others to make educated decisions about their own tanks in the future (and now).
 
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jayjerk

jayjerk

Premium member
Wel I run 2 wp25 and a wp40 on my 4ft 150. Overkill too....as long as thing happy n growing f people and there opinikns
 
SkullV

SkullV

New member
jayjerk said:
Wel I run 2 wp25 and a wp40 on my 4ft 150. Overkill too....as long as thing happy n growing f people and there opinikns
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I love hearing other peoples opinions, even if I disagree with them. That's the whole point of these forums! Why do you think 2xWP25 and 1xWP40 is overkill if everything is happy and growing?
 
jayjerk

jayjerk

Premium member
Only in the sense that I can only keep sps . I have some euphies. Tucksed away on side and on some rock but they at times get rocked...instead of all the ... I ment to put ???
 
SkullV

SkullV

New member
jayjerk said:
Only in the sense that I can only keep sps . I have some euphies. Tucksed away on side and on some rock but they at times get rocked...instead of all the ... I ment to put ???
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Ah, got ya. Yeah, I'm referring to SPS only tanks here for the most part. The only other thing I keep in the tank are a couple plate corals, but they are moving to the other lower flow tank as soon as [MENTION=2051]Eddie79[/MENTION] gets his acans.
 
rockhead

rockhead

Well-known member
We'll Ted you have seen my tank and I only run 1 mp40 on my 75 gal and everything is happy for the most part , there is nothing on the sand and I couldn't fit anything else in the tank , it's petty busy in there now. I've ran that way for years now, I wouldn't mind more flow there's just no there to put anything.:cool:
 
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Tank2379

Tank2379

Active member
I believe you have a valid point on how much is too much in ones tank. In reality we don't know how much flow is really in the Ocean that comes off over these coral. It has been said that SPS need high flow, but how much High flow? It really all depend on how your coral react to the flow rate in your system. If my corals are happy with my flow I am providing for them I am happy with it, if they need more then I will add another pump and adjust accordingly. I don't think there is a right or wrong answer on how much flow your tank really needs. I know there are charts out there about how much flow SHOULD be needed but that's a Big Should... My 90G I have an MP10 and a MP40 even with that the flow I was running it at wasn't enough, plus I have my dial back a few because I don't want to blast my coral with that much flow. My MP10 I have it ramped up all the way, MP40 about 50% flow. I added and extra Koralia 950 for extra flow on top and all seems really happy.

Do I think 3X WP10 are too much that's pretty much your call on how much is too much. If you can dial them back then adjust according to how you want it then 3 WP10 are just fine. I don't think there are any really proven facts that Flow will decrease SPS growth.
 
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cet98

cet98

Active member
Overkill should be defined here as " more than necessary", not as "right or wrong"....I run two MP10s at approx 70% on a tank twice your size and my SPS grow like weeds...IMO I would think you have more flow than necessary but that is just an opinion, not a fact.
I would like to hear someone's educated opinion on how flow affects the corals ability to capture food particles in the water column though...

In either case, as Frankie mentioned already, if its working for you in your system then thats great...I just wouldn't add any low flow corals to your tank....
 
ColaAddict

ColaAddict

New member
I guess there are currents in big coral reefs that are strong enough to drag a grown man miles away, so SPS can handle a very very strong flow, I guess as long as it's not directly hitting them from the powerhead, they can pretty much handle it.
 
Siebo

Siebo

Premium member
Tank2379 said:
I believe you have a valid point on how much is too much in ones tank. In reality we don't know how much flow is really in the Ocean that comes off over these coral. It has been said that SPS need high flow, but how much High flow? It really all depend on how your coral react to the flow rate in your system. If my corals are happy with my flow I am providing for them I am happy with it, if they need more then I will add another pump and adjust accordingly. I don't think there is a right or wrong answer on how much flow your tank really needs. I know there are charts out there about how much flow SHOULD be needed but that's a Big Should... My 90G I have an MP10 and a MP40 even with that the flow I was running it at wasn't enough, plus I have my dial back a few because I don't want to blast my coral with that much flow. My MP10 I have it ramped up all the way, MP40 about 50% flow. I added and extra Koralia 950 for extra flow on top and all seems really happy.

Do I think 3X WP10 are too much that's pretty much your call on how much it too much. If you can dial them back then adjust according to how you want it then 3 WP10 are just fine. I don't think there are any really proven facts that Flow will decrease SPS growth.
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This is exactly what was thinking. We really don't know the flow in nature and the type of flow we create is not the same. Very hard to compare the two. General rules seem to have been created by trial and error over time though. I have seen an MP40 and MP10 running in an amazing 30g reef. Is that a lot? None of our reefs are the same and if it is working leave it. Part of the fun in reefing is realizing when something is working for us and even more so when it is not the norm.
 
vucious

vucious

Member
If you want opinions from "even [MENTION=2634]vucious[/MENTION]", then here it is. If the corals are growing and happy in your 20L tank with 3 wp10s, then good for you. Don't fix it if it aint broken. The point is do you NEED that much flow to achieve the same result? Most people with bigger tanks do not have that much flow and their corals are just as happy. Having 3 wp10s on your tank doesn't look good, waste electricity, and add noise if your corals are just as happy with just 1 wp25 or wp40 for example. The single most important thing that I have learned from this forum is that every tank is different and there is no single correct way to do something. I would ask a question and get 5 different conflicting, but valid answers.
 
SkullV

SkullV

New member
Great opinions everyone. Please keep them coming. It seems like most of the opinions here are similar to what I am getting in the SPS section of Reef Central. The most prevalent response thus far is that "every tank is different". I have also gotten some interesting responses regarding flow pattern/rate and growth pattern (thicker shorter branches rather than longer thinner branches).
[MENTION=1673]ReefDweller[/MENTION], [MENTION=1217]madjoe[/MENTION], [MENTION=259]MMreef[/MENTION], [MENTION=189]trackfast[/MENTION], [MENTION=4]lunacris[/MENTION], and all the other SPS keepers here, I would love to hear your opinion on this question as well.

Here are some of the responses from Reef Central thus far:

phenom5 said:
IMO this is why the Riptide (and potentially future competitors like it) will be successful. Volume is only part of the equation. Velocity also plays a big roll.

Lower velocity.

Wide output means the pump can move a high volume at a lower velocity, which mimics the natural flow on reefs (better at least).

It's the same reason Tunze, Vortech, Jeabos, and all the other prop pumps have replaced the older impeller style pumps for in-tank flow. Prop pumps move high volume at a lower velocity than an impeller style pump. The Riptide is the next step...at least, in theory, given that I haven't seen one in action in person.
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Peter Eichler said:
I would say what you have is overkill, but not too much.
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Dapg8gt said:
^^agree it is imo overkill for the small tank but if the corals are not affected or loosing tissue it's not too much.. I think What you will probably get is either corals growing thicker shorter branches or different growth patterns in general than typical colonies. That's just my guess though.. I also have more flow than the average bear in my tank.
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trackfast

trackfast

Princess Trainer
I don't keep much SPS so I don't have a ton of experience with them. But I second the fact that all tanks are different and if it works don't try to "fix" it. It would be hard to argue against great growth and PE.
 
Sawdonkey

Sawdonkey

Premium member
I'm guessing what you're using is overkill, but not harmful.

I'm running a WP60 and a WP40 on my 6' 220 gal tank. I feel that this is about the right amount of flow, but I think I'd prefer three WP40s instead. This would eliminate the dead-ish spot between my rock piles and also keep the velocity of flow down while keeping the volume up. I don't want the extra clutter of another powerhead though.

The WP60 pushes so much water that it really agitates the top of the tank of moves gravel around on the bottom. It's hard not to blast corals directly, blast the water surface, or blast the sandbed. I do like the amount of water movement in my tank though. I like watching my fish struggle through the currents, but I have never had nor will never have great PE (due to my fish choices). My SPS all grows, but I'm not really sure what "good growth" looks like. I have a torch and a hammer that never look that great. I don't think they like the flow and I rarely feed them. I also have a bunch of shrooms that used to look great, but never open fully since I added the WP60.
 
SkullV

SkullV

New member
Sawdonkey said:
I'm guessing what you're using is overkill, but not harmful.

I'm running a WP60 and a WP40 on my 6' 220 gal tank. I feel that this is about the right amount of flow, but I think I'd prefer three WP40s instead. This would eliminate the dead-ish spot between my rock piles and also keep the velocity of flow down while keeping the volume up. I don't want the extra clutter of another powerhead though.

The WP60 pushes so much water that it really agitates the top of the tank of moves gravel around on the bottom. It's hard not to blast corals directly, blast the water surface, or blast the sandbed. I do like the amount of water movement in my tank though. I like watching my fish struggle through the currents, but I have never had nor will never have great PE (due to my fish choices). My SPS all grows, but I'm not really sure what "good growth" looks like. I have a torch and a hammer that never look that great. I don't think they like the flow and I rarely feed them. I also have a bunch of shrooms that used to look great, but never open fully since I added the WP60.
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How could I have forgotten about one of my favorite SPS tanks in Chicago when tagging people in the post? Thanks for your opinion Gunner!
 
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