help with water turnover for 180

[gkrane]

What kind of turnover do i need for a 180? If anyone has any suggestions how to accomplish this i am in need of help.

 

[jdeets]

I use a GRI 518 return pump on my 180, that is running at about 900 gph. I also have two MJ900s and two MJ1200s in the tank, which gives me overall total flow of about 1800 gph. Usually it's recommended to have about 10x tank volume as your flow rate. HTH.

 

[KenH]

The answer to this really depends on the type of tank you are setting up. 5 turns an hour is fine for a mostly soft coral tank. 10 turns or so is good for most mixed tanks and a reasonable general target to shoot for. People who only have SPS corals sometimes like to go higher, up in the 15-20 turn range, but that starts to get pretty extreme for LPS and soft corals.

In my 225, I use two MAG950 pumps returning through two Sea-Swirls. I supplement these during the day with 4 Maxijet 1200's on a wavemaker to give more current during daylight hours and calmer water at night. That is theoretically about 3000g/h, but realistically with switching and losses, I have about 2100g/h or 10 tank turns an hour during the day and about 7 at night.

How you accomplish this water motion is up to you. You can run all the water through the sump, but the issue you can run into with very high turn-over rates through the sump is that a lot of bubbles can get through the baffles and back into the tank if you are not careful. Many people supplement the sump returns with in-tank power heads or similar devices to get the circulation they are looking for.

--- Ken

 

[toptank]

In my 180 I am turning over 1800gph with my main pump and I have 2 x Gemini pumps that do 960gph each. That is about 20 times.

Barry

 

[gregt]

My 180 has a LG 2MD that puts 1000gph through the return, and 3 MJ1200's on a wavemaker for another ~1000gph - Total 2000gph

 

[Carpentersreef]

I don't understand something here. In the books that I have , I can't find info re turnover rate. I've heard before that one should have 10 times turnover, but...WHY? We don't use filter pads, some people are moving "towards" skimmerless systems, and some people do no water changes.
It seems to me that a system, once established, would do fine with either a fast OR a slow turnover. High turnover would only aid in the main tank circulation. A skimmer, operating out of the sump, would have the same effect, wouldn't it? (Provided the bioload isn't too high)
I have my 240g system turning over maybe once per hour. It makes sense to me to do that, because I want all the things that make up plankton to remain in the main tank for as long as possible.

Any info or reference to info would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Mitch

 

[Carpentersreef]

^^

 

[Carpentersreef]

O.K.,
so wouldn't extra powerheads or surge devices in the main tank accomplish the same thing?
That still doesn't answer why you need 10 times system turnover.

Or am I misunderstanding that turnover doesn't refer to circulation through the tank, refugium and sump, rather, that it refers to overall circulation in the main tank?
Thanks

 

[gkrane]

powerheads count as circulation since they move water inside the tank. Skimmers dont count.

 

[esmithiii]

Carpentersreef:

The levels are not just for oxygen exchange, but are to meet specific needs for certain type corals. Remember that many SPS corals are exposed to heavy wave action in their natural environment. Heavy water movement allows for better gas exchange and waste removal for the specimine itself, and also helps the coral to feed.