Creating and maintaining a reef tank can be a challenging one because there are several specific requirements you need to meet. Although you keep your tank clean and water chemistry in proper ranges, water movement in your tank is also an important factor to consider. Inadequate water flow can cause your corals to more suffocate and die. Corals are sedentary which is being stuck in one place, but it needs enough food, nutrients, and other useful material to grow. Clickcorals is one of the leading industries who are having unique collections of clams and corals for sale.
Flow determines what foods and nutrients come to a coral since it can’t move to capture its food. Flow removes the waste corals produce along with the debris and waste products that settle around their environment. When there is a lack of flow in the tank, detritus can build up around the coral which leads to cause harmful bacteria thriving which can attack the coral. Also, flow is essential for driving respiration and photosynthesis for the survival of the coral.
Different Types of Water Flow:
The following are the different types of water flow which are produced in different ways. Each are having a different effect on the corals.
Turbulence:
This type of water flow has occurred when the random water movement results from when the water comes into contact with either another current of water or any solid object. Most of the reef tanks are having microturbulence, which happens when the flow is from the two powerheads that come together. Also, it occurs when the flow contacts the corals or live rock and results in changes in the direction. Turbulence is one of the best types of water flow movement because it keeps the dead spots from occurring and keeps the things moving around the corals in a random pattern.
Surge:
Surge is another type of water flow that makes the water moves back and forth in a semi-constant pattern. When you are having a soft coral in your tank, this type of water flow movement can be observed when the polyps move in one way and then switches and move back to the other way. This type of water flow can be produced by having powerheads placed at the opposite sides of the tank. This type of movement is very beneficial for corals.
Laminar:
Laminar water flow is most familiar among aquarium hobbyists. This type of flow is unidirectional and it is the easiest type of water flow to get in an aquarium. This happens when the water shoots out of a powerhead. If the pump is too strong, it can knock the corals around or even shear off the coral tissue. At the same time, when the pump is weak, it only moves the water around in a limited surroundings.
Gyre:
This type of flow gives a robust circular motion and moves a greater deal of water within it. This water movement is produced by the gyre pumps which are placed near the top on one side of the tank with another on the bottom of the opposite side of the tank. Gyre pumps move more water than any other type of water flow movement system.
