Underlying current or Surface action?

Sorry, I am relatively new with reef tanks. In fact all I have @ present is a 10 gallon nano. Much smaller than most of you I am sure. I know what a filter is. I've been a fresh water fan for years ( anywhere from gold fish to tropicals ) & I did not give them up when I set up my nano.

I hear things like skimmers, protein skimmers & countless other terms which mean nothing to me.

My question is basic & probably a no brainer for most of you. Forgive me for the child-like terms I use. I have a filter. Attached to it is an outflow tube. If I fill my aquarium to the top there is a current under the water, but no surface action. If I leave it just a bit short of full, the surface is more turbulant & corals show more movement. I have corals like frog spawn near the bottom because I head they like less motion.

After all this babble, I get to my question in my simple words. Is it better to fill the tank & have an underlying current or to leave it just short of full & create surface action ?

Thanks.

 

Surface action is better to create better gas exchange, CO2 out O2 in. Skimmer and protein skimmer are the same thing. It helps remove waste products before they breakdown and cause water quality problems.

 

yes and you can get a koralia 1 or nano or two and increase your surface agitation and keep your tank filled up the exact everyday so your salinity stays the same for a more stable tank or better yet put a small ATO system to really help you out.

 

+1
this might help a little with the terminology
http://www.3reef.com/forums/reef-aquarium-articles-how-tos/common-acronyms-abbreviations-54351.html

and for a good laugh about pronunciation
http://www.3reef.com/forums/general-reef-topics/pronunciation-aquarium-terms-81509.html

 

There You Go Again ! ( LOL )

There you go again. ( koralial 1, ato system ) Why is it that everyone on this site speaks Greek but me. ( LOL )

I did test the salinity & it is fine. I find, when you fill up the device to measure salt content, it tests very high till you give it a few taps. Then you get down to a good level.

Thanks for the help on surface agitation.

 

ATO is Automatic Top Off, Koralia is the line name for water pumps from Hydor