45G flow

[lifen]

I'm looking to upgrade to a 45G, a Juwel Rio 180.

Now I want to select powerheads.. I'm thinking either Tunze or Hydor, but I'm not sure what kind of flowrates I need. NR article said 10 times the number of gallons, another site said 20 times for leather corals and 40 times for SPS.

 

What should I do?

[seabass]

I'm looking to upgrade to a 45G, a Juwel Rio 180.

Now I want to select powerheads.. I'm thinking either Tunze or Hydor, but I'm not sure what kind of flowrates I need. NR article said 10 times the number of gallons, another site said 20 times for leather corals and 40 times for SPS.

 

What should I do?

Yeah, Chris wrote that awhile back, and higher flow rates have become more the norm. While 10 times turnover could still be considered a minimum, I think that 25 times turnover is a lot more standard (double to triple this for SPS).

 

If it will be a mixed reef with SPS, I'd might go with as much as 50 times turnover. With a few SPS, maybe as little as 35 to 40 times turnover would be enough. An all SPS tank, might benefit from as much as 60 to 75 times turnover.

 

Placement can be key (for light and flow). Also, some say Tunze's powerheads create a stronger flow than Hydor's. However, I haven't confirmed this myself (as I've haven't tried Tunze powerheads yet).

[lifen]

Thanks for the information, really useful!