Flushing out detritus with programmable powerhead

[Muffin87]

Hi everyone, 

 

I have a barebottom LPS tank. 

The flow rate will be around x35. 

 

I just got an AI nero V. It was 20% off.

 

Since I can program it down to the minutes, is it a good idea to crank up the flow to flush out detritus maybe twice a day, during the night?

 

I was thinking maybe going around x50 or even x70 flow rate, for an hour after lights out, and for another hour before the tank lights come back on. 

 

I could do it gradually to help the corals close up before the flow becomes strong.

It will be at night so euphyllias and such shouldnt have polyps expaded anyway. 

 

Any suggestions? 

 

Thanks a lot! 

[mcarroll]

On 5/18/2020 at 6:11 AM, Muffin87 said:

Since I can program it down to the minutes, is it a good idea to crank up the flow to flush out detritus maybe twice a day, during the night?

In general I'd say no.  Implicit in your idea is the fact that you're letting detritus accumulate due to poor flow 98% of the day.

 

If that's happening, you either need more or different pumps...and as far as that goes, forget about placing so much emphasis on GPH/turnover.  You think you're getting "more flow" when you go up in GPH, but pump makers have been exploiting this fact by making pumps that put out softer and softer flow....softer flow does less work, so you need more of it.  🙄 

 

So rather than adding another pump like the Nero, it could be a better idea to switch to a different pump that delivers more kick, such as one of the classic Tunze Nanostream pumps.

 

You want those food particles to stay afloat and get eaten by a fish or coral instead of landing on the floor and becoming something that needs to be "swept out" like a waste product.   Doing it that way is a waste...in the literal as well as the tragic sense.

 

Set up strong flow from one side of the tank for several hours and then follow that up with strong flow for several hours from the other side of the tank – like the tides. 

[Muffin87]

Thanks a lot for this. It's really given me something to think about.
I do have a Gyre XF 130 on the top of the Nero V.

 

I have a couple of questions.

• Why do you think the Nero V has a "soft flow"?
  I thought the wider "shape" of the flow would be quite useful in an LPS tank. You can set the flow quite low and reach a wider area than you would with a traditional powerhead with "cone-shaped" flow. No?

 

• I was inspired by this guy who uses "surge modes" to improve the detritus situation.
  He talks about it at 1m41s of this video. If you're curious enough to watch it, let me know your opinion on what this guy is doing with the flow in his tank.

[mcarroll]

15 hours ago, Muffin87 said:

Why do you think the Nero V has a "soft flow"?

Looks like another Korellia/mp40 clone, more or less.  

 

Have you used a Nanostream?  What do you think?

 

As for "surge mode" you'll have to dial in your pumps to your tank, so it's a lot of experimentation for it to "maybe" work.

 

Try out something like the "tide mode" I described earlier and tell me what you think.   Zero dead spots.  You might even be able to run your pumps on a higher setting and cycle them down less or off less frequently while they're on.  (This method is even highly effective with non-controllable flow pumps like the Nanostream models 6015 through 6045.)

[Muffin87]

20 hours ago, mcarroll said:

Have you used a Nanostream?  What do you think?

I was thinking of giving the 6040 a try.

I like that you can point the flow downwards.

[mcarroll]

On 5/25/2020 at 10:10 AM, Muffin87 said:

I was thinking of giving the 6040 a try.

I like that you can point the flow downwards.

Any of the Nanostreams can be aimed down.  👍

 

I do kinda like the "flat" format of the 6020/6040.  

 

I have a 6020...you can point it right at a coral from like 2" away and it's still perfect.   Very nice pump for a smaller tank.  The 6040 is quite a bit more powerful, but also controllable.

 

(I have six 6045's though....IMO that's the best reef flow pump of all time.  Extremely well balanced features. 😉)

[Garf]

@Muffin87 -

 

The Tunze multi-controller has a "storm" mode for this exact use case. It is best as mcarroll says to get proper flow in the first place so that detrius doesn't accumulate, but in my experience you will still need to blast some areas out. Flow can be a part of proper tank maintenance, but don't expect it to be all you need. Nothing beats a good turkey basting imo.

 

How big is the tank? flow rates are a good place to start, but the real deciding factor is your corals and live rock placement.  Consider two DC controllable pumps for your tank, it can really help dial in that flow, and clear out most spots in the tank. I have two nanostream 6040s in my 25g LPS tank, and it is jsut about perfect. 

[mcarroll]

35 minutes ago, Garf said:

Flow can be a part of proper tank maintenance, but don't expect it to be all you need. Nothing beats a good turkey basting imo.

I think a lot of tanks do have substandard flow.  Too much focus on GPH and tank turnover has landed the hobby a bumper crop of high-GPH/low-velocity pumps that can't do much work with the flow they create.

 

That doesn't mean mediocre flow is desirable or a foregone conclusion though.

 

Two to four Tunze 6045's running "tidal style" will give excellent flow to any medium sized tank....$150-$300 worth of pumps.  Better flow than you'd get from $600-$700 worth of the most popular controllable pumps at a much higher GPH.