How many circulation fans for reef?

[jphendren]

I have a 55 gallon that is going to be a reef, hopefully. For flow I have a Rena XP3 which moves 350 GPH, and a Hydro Koralia circulation fan that moves 750 GPH. I have the Rena's spray bar directed at the waters surface to agitate it, and hopefully aid in oxygen exchange, and the Koralia is at the other end of the tank pointed up, and toward the front glass of the tank, it also agitates the water on that end. Should I have another Koralia? Or am I good? My tank currently has brain, mushroom, zoa, and one sps coral.

Jared

 

[uscamaro]

What do your future plans look like and what kind of SPS coral? I'm asking because I've read that certain corals need different movement... also because I have started a 55gallon reef.

 

[mr_X]

sps corals will need considerably more turbulence than lps or softies. what does your tank look like when you view it? does it look like stuff is blowing around good or barely moving?

in my last 40 breeder i had 2 x 750gph power heads on one side, and 2 x 295gph power heads on the other side, and i still thought i needed a bit more. quite a different footprint than you are dealing with though.

 

[uscamaro]

Doug, I would like to enjoy a combination of SPS and LPS corals but would I have to "split" the tank? I would like for them to be placed randomly over the tank, yet I don't want a LPS to look like it's in a hurricane.

 

[mr_X]

well, you will have to find the right spot for each coral. while mixed reefs are the most attractive (IMO of course), they are the most challenging.
i found that you won't necessarily have to split the tank in terms of right or left, but lps lower/sps higher. this is also due to the lighting requirements.

 

[jphendren]

Right now down on the bottom, where my corals are sitting for now, you can see the flesh of the coral swaying slightly, but not drastically. My one SPS frag is up in the live rock, closer the LED's, there is a little more water going by, but always in the same direction, and not major current I wouldn't say. I sounds like another circulation fan mounted on the opposite end from the first, and mounted lower, maybe pointed at the rear glass to diffuse the flow would be beneficial to the SPS?

Jared

 

[mr_X]

without being there, i would say, yes. random intermittent flow is best. without a wave making device, i would suggest 2 power heads pointing sort of toward each other.
unless you have a constant, powerful stream blowing right on a piece of sps, it's not going to be detrimental. you'll be able to tell if it's unhappy. you'll see it dying at the tips and maybe some algae growing on it.