Jim, I don't think there is one preset/ideal setting. I have heard and read of reefers who must purchase flow meters and other gadgets to pinpoint an ideal flow rate most conducive for optimal growth. In my opinion, there is none. I have done the same thing for nearly 20 years and it works with nothing more than visual observation. Since flow is but one of many variables which will dictate/determine growth, having it is still no guarantee for optimal growth or any growth at all. I have seen dozens of setups and most all are different and the growth has been great in most. For example, Acerhigh has consistently produced the best growth and skirt lenght that I have ever seen in any tank including my own. With a placement of 4 return flex nozzles at the top corners of his tank at a downward 45 degree angle, this guy grew skirts so long on ALL of his zoas and palys, they swung over the oral disc each time the current shifted which I recalled was on a 10 second cycle. His tank was dialed in perfectly, but the slightlest increase in said current would have resulted in complete retraction.
I have always recommended just enough current to wiggle each polyp, but not overpowering it to the point of causing total retraction, that's all you need to know and do. That's it, no gadgets, no meters, no intervention. Type of current? Random, sporadic and chaotic, but never overpowering, that's it, in my opinion.
Originally Posted by MUCHO REEF
Jim, I don't think there is one preset/ideal setting. I have heard and read of reefers who must purchase flow meters and other gadgets to pinpoint an ideal flow rate most conducive for optimal growth. In my opinion, there is none. I have done the same thing for nearly 20 years and it works with nothing more than visual observation. Since flow is but one of many variables which will dictate/determine growth, having it is still no guarantee for optimal growth or any growth at all. I have seen dozens of setups and most all are different and the growth has been great in most. For example, Acerhigh has consistently produced the best growth and skirt lenght that I have ever seen in any tank including my own. With a placement of 4 return flex nozzles at the top corners of his tank at a downward 45 degree angle, this guy grew skirts so long on ALL of his zoas and palys, they swung over the oral disc each time the current shifted which I recalled was on a 10 second cycle. His tank was dialed in perfectly, but the slightlest increase in said current would have resulted in complete retraction.
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