Flow - How do you make everything happy in a mixed reef?

[jeffmr4]

Flow - How do you make everything happy in a mixed reef? I have a HOB in a 3 gallon pico that generates 42 gph and a wavemaker that generates I'm not sure how many gph. I have it on the lowest setting and longest pulse. The corals and anemone like the flow from the wavemaker but the fish and inverts don't. I've compromised by having the wavemaker on 12 hours per day. Not sure the corals like it enough but that's the best I can do. What do you do?

 

[SaltySqueeble]

Thats a toughy. Not everyone can be happy. Always some give and take with mixed reef. I think you did good by turning it down a notch. I don’t think you need that much flow in your 3 gallon. The corals should be fine. What kind of corals are in there?

 

[jeffmr4]

A Duncan, Zoanthids, Brain Favia and Small Carpet Anemone. Possiblly adding a GSP frag and some Gracaliara Hayi macroalgae later? Maybe my 50% water changes per week is not enough?

 

[SaltySqueeble]

A Duncan, Zoanthids, Brain Favia and Small Carpet Anemone. Possiblly adding a GSP frag and some Gracaliara Hayi macroalgae later? Maybe my 50% water changes per week is not enough?

Those are all hardy. Those pico tanks seem tricky. Have to do big water changes but want to keep some bacteria, right?

 

[jeffmr4]

Yes. Most of the parameters are ok and I do topoffs myself daily. Just have to keep an eye on PH and KH as those can drop. (Although my tank has only been up a couple of weeks)

 

[alindell]

I have a little bit of everything. The way I aquascaped with tree like rock structures which has current breakers. Not everything is happy so the trick is to observe and move around. I have 2 mp 40s and and gyre with two returns. 1 mp 40 pulls and pushes current from one side while the other pushes against it creating variable current Patterns. The gyre pushes current across the top and returns create flow across the top of the tank and through the back. It's all about creating variable current flows where there are spots with high flow and lower flow.

 

[One Reefing Boi]

Dont be like me and put a nero 5 in a 13gal AIO
Even at 1% it was like a tornado

 

[gbroadbridge]

Flow - How do you make everything happy in a mixed reef? I have a HOB in a 3 gallon pico that generates 42 gph and a wavemaker that generates I'm not sure how many gph. I have it on the lowest setting and longest pulse. The corals and anemone like the flow from the wavemaker but the fish and inverts don't. I've compromised by having the wavemaker on 12 hours per day. Not sure the corals like it enough but that's the best I can do. What do you do?

You're trying a mixed reef in a 3 gallon tank?

Thanks for the smile.

 

[cooltowncorals]

Picture?

 

[jeffmr4]

gbroadbridge - Yes.

cooltowncorals - If you follow my Tank Thread link there is a link there with pictures.

 

[Naekuh]

if you ditch Acros, and keep to simple SPS, LPS and Softies only, the difficulty factor drops by several magnitudes.

Oh wait... this is a 3 gallon?

Nevermind... you set the difficulty at lvl over 9000, if you want acros in that tank.

 

[jeffmr4]

Yes, I'm not planning on any SPS and probably not much beyond what I already have.

 

[KK's Reef]

You can keep acros in a pico. Lighting and flow has to be medium-high. There will be casualties. Your LPS will slowly wither away due to the high flow and/or with the high light. If your scape will allow it, you can place them in low flow, low light areas. In a pico, those areas are few and far between.

 

[Naekuh]

There will be casualties.

lol... i get this flash back..

 

[alindell]

if you ditch Acros, and keep to simple SPS, LPS and Softies only, the difficulty factor drops by several magnitudes.

Oh wait... this is a 3 gallon?

Nevermind... you set the difficulty at lvl over 9000, if you want acros in that tank.

I find zoa's harder than my acros lol

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

If you have fish in a 3 gallon tank, I suspect thats the reason they are unhappy, not with the flow.

 

[ReefStable]

As long as you're not doing SPS, you should be okay with only the HOB flow. Most non-sps coral should be okay with that.

In a larger tank, it's a balance of HIGH flow at the top and no flow at the bottom. Which requires good pump and rock placement to get it to work.

In a 3g, just remove the extra flow and you should be fine. You just won't be able to do SPS in the same tank because there isn't a good way to separate things, nor provide the flow you would really need.