threnjen
Aquarium Advice Addict
Edit: Have made an initial change already, see first reply.
I run a 90g established tank with a 29g sump underneath.
For the last year and a half I have used the same flow map, but... it's stupid, lol. It sucks. Plants along the back of my tank get completely pummeled, and everything eventually gets spindly or dies because it can't stay properly rooted. I'm not sure why I have not tried to fix this before now.
So here's my current tank (it looks awful, but that's kind of why I want to make this change, so I can start over a bit)
tank flow map by threnjen, on Flickr
You can see at the back left how sparse the plants are, it's because the flow back there is just too high and nothing can manage it. Since I run a sump I use an overflow box. So here is what is going on in that picture.
The back left is the return spray bar. It is vertical, and the flow points directly along the back of the tank. It is supplied by a Tunze Silence 1073.040 rated at 792gph, but keep in mind it is coming from a sump underneath the tank. Truthfully I think this pump is way too strong (especially because I send the water through a UV sterilizer) but for now it's what I have to work with.
The other bar at the back right of the tank is a pump inside the tank itself. It has an intake down below the overflow box, and then returns the water to the vertical spray bar pointing forward along the glass.
Sometimes the interior pump, the intake sponge gets clogged and I turn the pump off. If that happens I will get incredible algae buildup along the water's usual path, indicating to me that this pump is important for my circulation.
Still with me??
OK I want to redo the return bar from the sump to something entirely different that stops pummeling the plants. I can also redo the bar on the interior pump. I was thinking a horizontal spray bar instead of a vertical one. I could have it either spanning the short dimension of the tank, sending the flow left to right, or do a long one along the back of the tank, doing a flow that is forward to back or back to forward.
I can also convert the interior pump into a horizontal spray bar in a way to complement the flow.
Keep in mind I don't need the spray bar for surface agitation, as the waterfall in my sump should provide plenty of oxygenation. So i can point the bar down into the water at the glass if needed.
Ideas/suggestions to create a good current in this setup?
I run a 90g established tank with a 29g sump underneath.
For the last year and a half I have used the same flow map, but... it's stupid, lol. It sucks. Plants along the back of my tank get completely pummeled, and everything eventually gets spindly or dies because it can't stay properly rooted. I'm not sure why I have not tried to fix this before now.
So here's my current tank (it looks awful, but that's kind of why I want to make this change, so I can start over a bit)
tank flow map by threnjen, on Flickr
You can see at the back left how sparse the plants are, it's because the flow back there is just too high and nothing can manage it. Since I run a sump I use an overflow box. So here is what is going on in that picture.
The back left is the return spray bar. It is vertical, and the flow points directly along the back of the tank. It is supplied by a Tunze Silence 1073.040 rated at 792gph, but keep in mind it is coming from a sump underneath the tank. Truthfully I think this pump is way too strong (especially because I send the water through a UV sterilizer) but for now it's what I have to work with.
The other bar at the back right of the tank is a pump inside the tank itself. It has an intake down below the overflow box, and then returns the water to the vertical spray bar pointing forward along the glass.
Sometimes the interior pump, the intake sponge gets clogged and I turn the pump off. If that happens I will get incredible algae buildup along the water's usual path, indicating to me that this pump is important for my circulation.
Still with me??
OK I want to redo the return bar from the sump to something entirely different that stops pummeling the plants. I can also redo the bar on the interior pump. I was thinking a horizontal spray bar instead of a vertical one. I could have it either spanning the short dimension of the tank, sending the flow left to right, or do a long one along the back of the tank, doing a flow that is forward to back or back to forward.
I can also convert the interior pump into a horizontal spray bar in a way to complement the flow.
Keep in mind I don't need the spray bar for surface agitation, as the waterfall in my sump should provide plenty of oxygenation. So i can point the bar down into the water at the glass if needed.
Ideas/suggestions to create a good current in this setup?
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