Cali Kid Corals

Water turnover rate

xcaret

xcaret

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What is the turnover rate of you aquarium return pump?
I'm trying to figure what would be the best ratio; can you post your tank volume/guesstimate the turnover?

Thx
 
Well depends upon what you need that turn over for.. your skimmer benefits from having a slower turn over, but not too slow otherwise it's cleaner water it's trying to skim and the dirtier water stays in the tank longer, if you have macroalgae they can like some decent flows but in a refugium setting the critters in it might not like that :D

I'd not get too fixated on a turn over rate, 2-3 times per hour at a minimum I'd say.

That said I run a Quiet One 4000 (approximately 1000gph I believe @ 0 head) with a head height of maybe 3 feet, with 3 90° elbows on 1" pipe to get the water in the tank... how much turnover that is? eh who knows, but its enough IMUEO :D
 
Thx for the answers, I'm trying to decide how much X times for return on a 70G with 30G sump. At home I have about 8x50G volume and as Mike points about the dirtier water to stay in the main tank with a slow turnover rate made me go as close as 10X as possible.
I ran a Mag9 at first but it was too much going up than the HOB overflow could handle so I throttled it back. The HOB OF boxes seem to like slow flow as to collect air bubbles to the point of breaking the gravity effect.
The 70G tank is drilled and an internal box installed so bye bye hang on back thingy and to make the most out of it. Pumps I have three choices, Eheim 950GPH, Mag9.5 also and Velocity T3 external (heat's OK as long as it helps on not getting a megawatt heather)
Return sits @ five feet, give or take so will be more like 700GPH; on a volume guessing ~80G (Lots of live rock); there are 90 deg elbows and two returns so I might get a 7X turnover.
I kind of want to know what works for most people here better, slow VS fast-er (I'd consider slow 5X, above well it explains itself)
Thx
 
Be careful just because you have a fast turn over does not mean the dirtier water will some how get cleaner quicker, it simply goes through your sump and back to your tank just as quick. I think the idea water flow would be somewhere on the order of how much water your skimmer processes per hour.
 
I personally would do a 1260 as I feel people push too much water through their sumps. That will give you around ~500gph I reckon :) FWIW it's a little faster then some skimmers but others it's a perfect GPH. What skimmer are you using? What wattage heaters?
 
xcaret said:
Thx for the answers, I'm trying to decide how much X times for return on a 70G with 30G sump. At home I have about 8x50G volume and as Mike points about the dirtier water to stay in the main tank with a slow turnover rate made me go as close as 10X as possible.
I ran a Mag9 at first but it was too much going up than the HOB overflow could handle so I throttled it back. The HOB OF boxes seem to like slow flow as to collect air bubbles to the point of breaking the gravity effect.
The 70G tank is drilled and an internal box installed so bye bye hang on back thingy and to make the most out of it. Pumps I have three choices, Eheim 950GPH, Mag9.5 also and Velocity T3 external (heat's OK as long as it helps on not getting a megawatt heather)
Return sits @ five feet, give or take so will be more like 700GPH; on a volume guessing ~80G (Lots of live rock); there are 90 deg elbows and two returns so I might get a 7X turnover.
I kind of want to know what works for most people here better, slow VS fast-er (I'd consider slow 5X, above well it explains itself)
Thx
Click to expand...

As I've always understood it, when talking about turnover you usually talking display tank volume, not system total volume. The sump is just that in this case, extra water below the tank.
 
MY tank is a 210, and my return pump is rated at 1100 gph, but the head is 6 feet so I think the turn over is only about 650 gph .... that is only 3X

Most people have way too high of a turn over rate, I think it is over kill and a waste of energy ... 2.5X - 3X is all you need IMO
 
Totally agree. I use a Mag 18 to go from the garage to my tank total head hight I would guess is 10 feet (possibly a little more).

Big difference between flow and its need in the tank and turnover.
 
Based on your comments will try for a slower X-rate(4/5X); I had it around 8X since the HOB-OF used to get air way to often due to slow flow from a Mag5; I opted for the Mag9 since it feeds also media reactors on the current tank.
Skimmers I have two in mind BM200 or BK Mini-160.
Heather is 150W currently being used on the 46G; I found our place is pretty stable temp. wise ever since we moved in and seems the heath generated from the pump and power heads allows me to use a smaller heather.
I'm planning on using equipment I already have besides a battery back up for Tunze 6055 just in case.
 
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