importance of water flow and turnover

[chimera]

read this on a reef site, IMO this is so true.

1) Ocean Currents and Flow:

Like an Oceans Reef, a successful Marine Reef Eco-System requires an aggressive WATER MOVEMENT and FLOW policy, yet, even with industry products, pumps and gadgets invented thus far to address this issue, to mimic the Oceans Currents and Tides remains a most difficult and challenging endeavor for the hobbyist.

NOTE:

One must realize that a LACK OF PROPER WATER MOVEMENT and TURNOVER has caused many hobbyists to end their foray into the hobby. Algae Outbreaks, A Lack Of Live Stock Growth, Stress Induced Parasitical Outbreaks, Slime Bacteria and Reef Eco-System Digression are just a few of the results that can be traced to poor water flow and turnover.

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2) The Gas Exchange:

We begin at the Oxygen Level of your Reef Eco-System. Most new Aquarium Hobbyists believe that bubbles flowing through an air stone deliver oxygen into a closed system, when, in fact, it is the Motion Of Water Caused by the Air Bubbles Pushing Water To The Aquarium Surface, causing SURFACE AGITATION that Provides The Gas Exchange between Carbon-Dioxide (and other gasses) and Oxygen, and eliminates the build-up of proteins on the System's surface that block the gas exchange.

NOTE:

Do to the fact that Marine Eco-System require tremendous turnover, airstone devices are not suitable to the hobby, they simply cannot provide the TURNOVER a Marine Eco-System requires. What we need to do is utilize pumps, plumbing tricks and and wave devices to "Turn Over" the systems water while providing Flow and Turbulence and Agitation of the systems surface, so that protein slime doesn't occur on the surface and gasses are removed while oxygen is replenished.

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2) As The Water Turns.... OVER

Now, I am not going to begin to go science on you, rather, I will explain in simple terms why a Closed Eco-System requires that it's entire content be "TURNED OVER" every hour. TURNING OVER means just that, the entire system is draining and returning, or pulling and pushing, ten to twenty time an hour. In simple terms, the smallest drop of water at the furthest bottom corner of your aquarium has goes through a pump (or series of pumps) ten to twenty times an hour. This Turn Over creates a movement of alternating current and turbulence throughout the aquarium water column that keeps DETRITUS (wastes produced by the Life Cycle of the Living Matter in an Eco-System) from remaining settled in the system, produces surface movement for gas exchange, while invigorating Animals, Coral and other Sessile life within the Eco-System.

Note:

Marine Reef Life thrive in an flow intense environment that is subject to Turbulence and Changing, Alternating Flow patterns. Therefore, one must provide a minimum of TEN TIMES TURNOVER to even begin to provide an adequate environment for Marine Reef Life. What ever occurs beneath the wave should occur at it's surface, and vice-versa. Water from the bottom of an aquarium must find it's way to the top. And, in the case of Stony Corals, the entire volume of an Aquarium should Turn Over twenty times an hour.

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3) More Than The Reef's Life Breath:

To Life within a Marine Reef, the surrounding salt water is more than the liquid that delivers Life Sustaining Oxygen. The Flow and Motion of the water surrounding the Live Reef deliver Food and Act As a Human Heart; empowering, through its random motion, the very Pulsing Energy that removes Wastes and Assists In the Breathing and Procreation of most Sessile Life.

NOTE:

The powerful Brilliance of Color, Diversity and very Life Forms inhabiting a Reef attest to the symbiosis of Clean, Clear Water and the Ocean's Sheer Movement. That is correct. This is not a thought or a term out of place. For the water movement surrounding a reef acts like a separate entity to the water itself.

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4) How To Create An Ocean.. or Try to!

There are different ways to re-create motions and flow in a closed environment. I will not discuss SUMPS, PUMPS, DUMP BUCKETS, SURGE DEVICES, RETURNS, PLUMBING or OVERFLOWS herein, rather, I desire to concentrate on Wave Makers now, with an article later written concerning the other issues and answers.

The simplest and most basic way of beginning a Reef Eco-System is the use of Power Heads in the CORNERS of a system, pointed diagonally against the opposite front and rear Glass or Acrylic panel of the aquarium causing Random Currents.

This is an excellent choice for Soft Coral, Zoos, Mushrooms, LPS and some SPS Coral. Yet many of the Power Heads on the market are not to be trusted for durability. Therefore, again, I will explain and inform on all of the power heads available today in a separate article.

As far as powerhead use, what I will do is make two recommendations herein, one Powerhead For Use With Electronic Wave Makers and one that works EXTREMELY well with the Off-The-Opposing-Glass/Acrillic Panel.

Read the rest of the article on different pumps/wavemakers etc here:

http://reefshow.com/html/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=104&mode=&order=0&thold=0#The%20Supreme%20Power%20Head:

They give a good review for the Seio's, even though they cannot be controlled - they are considerably cheaper. They have a 1500gph model for these too. discussion from about 9 months ago:

http://www.fnzas.org.nz/fishroom/viewtopic.php?t=3366

Still can't justify the money for streams. They are obviously very good but large and expensive.

http://www.marinedepot.com/aquarium_powerheads_pumps_taam_seio.asp?CartId=

[jetskisteve]

Sorry to disapoint you but seio's aint that small

[Fay]

Interesting<>I have been slowly turning up the streams its taken awhile to get the softies to like the flow but we are getting there. Leathers love it you can see that by the monster in my tank, had to shift it down last night growing out the top.

[reef]

Still can't justify the money for streams. They are obviously very good but large and expensive.

They are not cheap, but you can buy the none controllable ones at a cheaper price.

How much did the ocean motion cost with plumbing and pump in the end..??

[chimera]

just new i'd get a response from jetski and reef

seio's aren't small, but they are smaller than streams.

pump, OM and plumbing cost about the same as a set of streams and controller. its not that this setup was done in favour of streams, it would be setup in conjunction with streams. streams couldnt provide water movement under the tank. however both OM and streams working together will provide optimum flow.