How much water current is to much??

I feel that I have to much current in my tank.. It just looks to strong.. Its only a 30 gallon.. it has a Fluval conaister, Prizm skimmer and 2 powerheads (Maxi-jet 600 and Hagen Aquaclear 402)

I cant get my xenias to get full like they do at the fish store.. I dont know how much power they need.. I have the maxijet pointing almost directly at it.. That helpd them alot but I added the Aquaclear and its not pointing to them but they dont seem to like it..

Hope someone can help me

 

Xenia like low to medium water flow so if they're getting blasted, they won't do well. Can you reduce/redirect the flow that's pointed directly at them?

 

Yeah.. the aquaclear is way to much power.. Its reduced as much as I can get it to and is still very strong.. Im having trouble finding a spot for the powerheads..

Can anyone tell me about the currents in their aquarium??

Thanks

 

Well, I have a heck of a lot of flow in my tank as I keep sps corals. If you're only keeping soft corals, you wouldn't need nearly as much flow as I've got so keep that in mind

 

Its still a new tank.. (a dirty one at that :-/).. Theres 2 clowfish, a sand sifter.. xenias.. n thats pretty much it

 

That Fluval probably provides enough circulation where you could get rid of one powerhead. Take one out and see how the coral does.

Great avatar by the way. FG is one of my favorite shows

 

SpngBob,

My tank is just a bit bigger at 40(something) gallons. I have a Fluval 404 and just one ( fairly weak) powerhead.

I put the PH at the opposite side of the tank to the inlet pipe of the Fluval. The return from the Fluval is via a SCWD device which splits into 2 returns, one of those returns is aimed into the water flow of the PH and disturbs it enough to give a gentle random flow. My few coral, all softies and LPS are doing really well and just gently wave around in the currents.

John

 

[quote author=amcarrig link=board=General;num=1100817226;start=0#5 date=11/18/04 at 18:28:43]
Great avatar by the way. FG is one of my favorite shows  [/quote]

Not to mention the nudity, would make a good beach scene aye ;-)

John

 

HA! Stop that!

You know, your old avatar (the fish in the easy chair with the gun) is also from the tv show Family Guy. Specifically, the "A Picture is Worth a 1,000 Bucks" episode

 

Hey Mods...lets try keeping this discussion on topic.

How long have you guys been running Fluvals on your tanks?  I would assume that you have a lot of algae growth because those filters can become nitrate beds if not properly maintained.  IMO, Fluvals have no place in a reef tank.  Biological filtration is provided by rock and sand, particulate filtration can be accomplished with a hob filter and chemical filtration can also be handled by a hob filter.

Just my two cents.

But xenia do not like a lot of flow and soft current around this is usually recommended.  Also, try dosing some iodine.  Once you start with the iodine, your xenia should take off nicely.

Mike