Flow Question

[wwarriner]

I hear everyone talking about the flow going to the front of the tank to help keep algae from growing on the glass, but I can never figure out if you want it blowing against the glass or not to help keep algae from growing the glass so quickly?

[Mr Cob]

I hear everyone talking about the flow going to the front of the tank to help keep algae from growing on the glass, but I can never figure out if you want it blowing against the glass or not to help keep algae from growing the glass so quickly?

Against? I actually prefer to point my koralia powerheads behind my reef to keep detritus from building up and I point my return line to the surface of the water to keep the surface stirred. My reef is very open so the flow continues throughout it and travels to the front where the corals are.

I have a mag float that I use every couple of days. It's all a matter of preference here really.

[Gseclipse02]

I hear everyone talking about the flow going to the front of the tank to help keep algae from growing on the glass, but I can never figure out if you want it blowing against the glass or not to help keep algae from growing the glass so quickly?


any time i have the flow going towards the front of the tank the algae builds up faster ... so i just faced it towards the back ( i didnt feel like cleaning the glass all the time)

[Joshua]

any time i have the flow going towards the front of the tank the algae builds up faster ... so i just faced it towards the back ( i didnt feel like cleaning the glass all the time)

IME this is true ^ Seems algae grows most where the flow slams into something. I like my flow going over/under the rock structure. With bare bottom I like a ton of flow underneath the rocks, but with sand it goes mostly over them.

[reefer man]

u might want to ask clone he is good with flow

[runamukus]

If you have an algae issue you have plenty of food for it. Are you overfeeding your tank? What are your nitrate levels, keep in mind that the regular test kits are not that accurate and a tank always has nitrates, it is just kept in balance by stuff like algae.

I have to wipe the side of my tank every other day, but I'm guilty of overfeeding too. You may try alternating your water change habits. If you are doing a large water change once a week, try making it a smaller change twice a week. The smaller change may pull out enough nutrients to keep the algae at bay.

I hear lighting can be an issue too - I really personally don't think that flow is going to keep algae off the glass - I mean, look at the ocean rocks, (like the jetties in Port Aransas) there is TONS of flow going over those rocks and algae is everywhere... granted, there is tons of food for the algae...ok, I'm blabbering - I'll stop now.

[mozartkt]

I have powerheads along back, to minimize food and waste becoming stagnant where I can't see it.