10g circulation

[Mano]

I just started up my 10g nano reef and am concerned about circulation. I have an AquaClear 20 (127gph) which gives a great current but only at the top of the tank, and a Hydor Koralia nano near the bottom of the opposite end of the tank, which seems to have a pretty weak stream which disperses quickly.

I'm considering replacing the AquaClear with a more powerful submersible powerhead to get some deeper currents going, but I'm not sure if it's necessary or not. The AquaClear causes the water surface to show slight ripples all the way to the other side of the tank, where as the Koralia seems to be blowing almost directly into coral.

The only immediate submersible replacement I could get for the AquaClear is a 400gph model, which seems a bit overkill for a 10g. Which means I'd be ordering online and would end up waiting even longer, so I really need to be planning ahead!

Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Loverotties]

Wow I thought the two ( Koralia and the aqua clear) would be good.Maybe a small powerhead on the otherside of tank.

[aquawolf]

When I had a 10 gallon setup I actually ran an Aquaclear 500/110 on the back without a powerhead and it worked very well. It is actually creating flow in the entire tank as it is pulling water into itself although it may not be moving the corals around.

I think the Aquaclear and the Koralia are a good combination as it also gives you a place to run carbon or other media if you so desire. Some people have also modified the Aquaclear and turned them into little refugiums.

[Mano]

I moved the Koralia to the back wall underneath the AquaClear so it sends water toward the front of the tank. The AquaClear sends a good current all the way to the other side of the tank and downward, but underneath the unit itself there was so little circulation. I think that this method works.

A small piece of something dead flaky and red broke off and I was able to watch it ride the currents, it actually rode a circle current in front of the Koralia for several minutes before it got pushed up high enough, caught in the AquaClear's current, then pulled back down into the Koralia's current again.

There's little current in the very back left corner with this setup, but enough to where I can still see specs floating and moving, but everywhere else I can see things waving in the current. Thinking I may up the AquaClear one notch and see how that works.

[hng]

Don't be fooled by the strength of the flow, it doesn't necessarily reflect the amount of flow. In other words, the aquaclear puts out a very narrow stream of flow which travels well in the tank, but unless something is directly in the path of that flow, it will not receive any flow. The Koralia puts out a lot more flow than the aquaclear but does so in a really wide flow pattern that gets weakened quickly.Think of it like taking a deep breath and blowing it out a straw - you can't get very much air out but the air that does come out is a strong little jet. Then, take a breath and blow out while holding your mouth open - a lot more air gets moved out very quickly, but it's such a wide pattern, you may not have felt it. I hope that makes sense. I would vote for adding another koralia and dump the aquaclear.

[jenglish]

it is a common thought the first time you plug in a koralia or similar flow PH to ask oneself, "I payed that much for this? It doesn't seem to be pushing any real water!" If you have had powerheads before to run undergravel like the aquaclear and that is what you think of a powerhead then the koralia seems weak. But as Hng explains above it is actually a preferable flow pattern.

[aquawolf]

Originally Posted by hng

Don't be fooled by the strength of the flow, it doesn't necessarily reflect the amount of flow. In other words, the aquaclear puts out a very narrow stream of flow which travels well in the tank, but unless something is directly in the path of that flow, it will not receive any flow. The Koralia puts out a lot more flow than the aquaclear but does so in a really wide flow pattern that gets weakened quickly.Think of it like taking a deep breath and blowing it out a straw - you can't get very much air out but the air that does come out is a strong little jet. Then, take a breath and blow out while holding your mouth open - a lot more air gets moved out very quickly, but it's such a wide pattern, you may not have felt it. I hope that makes sense. I would vote for adding another koralia and dump the aquaclear.

Originally Posted by jenglish

it is a common thought the first time you plug in a koralia or similar flow PH to ask oneself, "I payed that much for this? It doesn't seem to be pushing any real water!" If you have had powerheads before to run undergravel like the aquaclear and that is what you think of a powerhead then the koralia seems weak. But as Hng explains above it is actually a preferable flow pattern.

According to his description of things the Aquaclear 20 is a hang on back power filter like the Aquaclear 110 and not a powerhead. He was considering getting an Aquaclear powerhead but I think he changed his mind on that.

[Mano]

Hey guys

Thanks for the advice, ended up going with keeping the Koralia and replacing the AquaClear with a Penguin 550. The 145gph gives some very nice movement, which is interacting with the more circular output of the Koralia which is on the back of the tank facing forward. The result is a nice clash of tides almost perfectly at the tank center. Makes for a bit more interest, watching the water ripple where they clash, and even sends some nice shadows down onto the LR. I angled the Penguin to point more toward the opposite corner of the tank, so the current is bouncing off the corner and going back in towards the LR. Seems to be working nicely, haven't found any dead spots yet.

[aquawolf]

Glad to hear you got it sorted out in a way you are happy with.