River Reef, Rate Of Flow

mattbond · Aug 30, 2009

is it possible to adjust the flow coming out of the filter? the flow is very strong and im wondering wether or not the fish will get buffeted about too much, its only just been set up so it should be alright for now as there's no one in it!

lordofthesea · Aug 30, 2009

describe the filter so we know what its like.

saltynay · Aug 30, 2009

Adding more sponge to the media compartment will reduce flow, adding sponge to the outlet tubing will reduce flow, adding a diffuser (essentially a pipe with lots of holes in) will reduce flow. Flow is different at different levels of the tank so just because the surface is rapidly moving doesn't mean the flow at the bottom isn't near stagnant.

stephen1965 · Sep 2, 2009

My question is related to this. I have a River-Reef 94 litre which has two pumps, top and bottom. The booklet that came with the tank explains that the pumps are preset so as to cycle the water 10 times an hour. The booklet claims that this is the manufaturer's recommendation for marine setups.

However, we are keeping tropical and I am interested to know if the pumps should be turned down for freshwater species.

The tank has been cycling without fish for over three weeks and received its first four occupants, guppies, yesterday. Everything seems OK, fish seem happy enough, water tests all OK and my local Maidenhead Aquatics has been excellent. The reason for the question is just from observing the fish who seem to "ride the current backwards" quite a bit.

I have redirected the flow down a little.

The next fish to go in are likely to be neon tetras.

Am I worrying about something important or am I just being over-protective and/or paranoid. I will discuss with the dealer when I get round to adding the tetras but would like to hear other views as well.

Many thanks.

three-fingers · Sep 2, 2009

Nope, 10x per hour should be fine :good:

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It's the flow rate recommended for planted tanks in order to avoid dead spots and consequently, algae.

Some fish like bettas may not like it, but its easy enough to spread the flow out more evenly (like a DIY spraybar) to suit these fish better :good:

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Funnily enough, marine set ups are usually recommended to have a 20x turnover rate.

stephen1965 · Sep 4, 2009

three-fingers said:
Nope, 10x per hour should be fine .

It's the flow rate recommended for planted tanks in order to avoid dead spots and consequently, algae.

Some fish like bettas may not like it, but its easy enough to spread the flow out more evenly (like a DIY spraybar) to suit these fish better .

Funnily enough, marine set ups are usually recommended to have a 20x turnover rate.

Great. Thanks for your help.