Where you decide to place your powerhead will help to determine what type of flow that you will be able to create within your reef aquarium and make it much more conducive to tank coverage. If you want a better idea of how these ranges are created, check out Reef Tank Resource’s article about determining flow rate in your reef tank! This setup has the largest range between 40 and 100 times per hour so you definitely want to check what end of the spectrum your corals would prefer to be on. FOWLR TanksĪim for a turnover rate between 10 and 20 times per hour LPS and Soft Coral TanksĪim for a turnover between 20 and 40 times SPS Coral Tanks You should always research your species to ensure that you are providing them with a healthy environment. A reminder that these are only recommended ranges and there are always exemptions to rules. The more sensitive your corals are the higher turnover your tank will require so that nutrients and heat are better distributed for your corals. Take a look at some of the general guidelines for the different tank setups below to get an idea of what your tank’s needs might be. Do you have LPS, soft, or SPS corals? The type of coral setup that you have in your tank will have a big influence on the level of flow that you should be setting in your saltwater aquarium. Reef tanks rely heavily on the flow to turnover the water in the tanks but how much flow they require is dependent on the type of coral that present. The consistent back and forth motion is really good for SPS corals that demand higher rates of turnover in their reef tanks. The turbulent flow type will require that you have a particular wavemaker but if you are willing to make the investment, you will have one of the best flow types to move waste and food around in your tank without leaving dead spots that will create a buildup of waste. The back and forth motion of these flow patterns ensure that the tank is moving its entire water system around the reef aquarium. The most difficult type to make without the right equipment Turbulent flow creates random flow patterns that make dead spots nearly impossible in reef tanks. Grye flow allows for a back and forth motion of the direction to allow for a more dynamic flow pattern. This type uses wavemakers and powerheads to create its flow and is best for a lot of different types of coral since this flow can be controlled. Many aquarists agree that overall this is the best flow pattern as it is affordable and controllable. Gyre (Or oscillating flow)Īs the name suggests, Gyre or oscillating flow creates more dynamic movement within the tank’ system. This type is not the optimal type of flow you should be implementing into your reef tank. You can try to create your own custom version of the laminar flow using powerheads but it will still be limited in its coverage potentially leaving dead spots. The Laminar flow type will create dead zones in your tank where nutrients can’t get to and waste can’t escape from. As you can imagine this isn’t very conducive to our needs. The most basic way to create a flow pattern in your tank The Laminar flow uses powerheads to create a single constant flow of water. Take a look at the breakdown of the different types of flow below. Each type of flow attempts to move the water in a different way for different nutritional distribution and water movement. There are several common types of flow like Laminar, Gyre, and Turbulent flow. It also takes into account the design of the flow. Flow in your Reef tank goes beyond simply how quickly the water is turning over.

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