current flow

One of the most important factors for any reef tank is the current/water flow!

Do your best in adapting your current and especially plan/modify your tanks rocks or pillars that a good “flow” can take place. The better you do this job, the less you have areas without current with the risk of having fouling material.

Tanks with Nitrate/Phosphate issues very often have current problems as the main cause! You have to regard also areas which are not as obvious drains, areas behind the reef, …)

Good current

  • is a basic condition to care sensible invertebrates (like corals, anemones, gorgonia, ..) because it brings plankton to the animals and also cleans them
  • Is needed for movement of the water surface because exchanging oxygen, cooling tanks water and also for the curling effect you might want to see on your tanks sand surface
  • Cleans the surface of your tanks sand bottom as well as your rocks/pillars

Basic parameters for good current are:

  • geometry of your tank itself
  • geometry of your rock/pillars or other static facilities of your tank (like e.g. also big stony corals)
  • number, strength and orientation of flow pumps

This is how you can get “good current flow”:

  • Optimize you reef (rock, pillars, …) in a way that water flows like around in the shape of a RING!
  • Avoid any STOPs fur the current
  • Your reef should be not to massive/tick. Thin slabs are better than thick chunks of rock
  • Areas with low current might need a separate flow pump (e.g. behind reef structure)
  • Carefully plan and install your flow pumps
  • Don’t use feeding pumps (they have less flow, and to high water pressure), but flow pumps for your current
  • Best would be a current that also changes direction and intensity, but that isn’t a must have. flow pumps with moving heads ( e.g.OsciMotion) as well as wave simulators (e.g. Wavebox, Dreambox, ..) help further improving the currents exact flow. If you do, animals will be streamed from different sides and with different intensity like in real life.