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Discussion on water flow

zanguli-ya-zamba

zanguli-ya-zamba

Seedling
Joined
6 Oct 2012
Messages
911
Location
Democratic Republic of Congo
Hello,
how you guys in the cold winter of Europe ??
Here in Congo we have very hot weather these days.

So as my title says, i would like to open a debate about water circulation !!!
If i have decide to open this thread it's because there are a lot of topic just on CO2 , or just on light, or just on fertilizer, but i have not seen a thread talking just about water flow. As Clive and other master of this forum tell us every time that water circulation is one of the key factor of a planted tank. I think it would be a good thing to have this debate.
Hope that some super moderator and other will interact in this debate !!!
The subject will be in different point:

- what kind of composition / hardscape, is favorable to a good water flow. Central composition with back front and side ways open ? Or right and left composition with the back planted with stem plant ? or just one of the side of the tank with hardscape and the other one with smaller plants ?

- outlet position ? lilly pipes throwing water from corner to corner (on the left back window to right back window and than coming to right front to left front) ? Or spraybar with the flow coming from the back to the front. ETC ....

-Related to the different choice of outlet position, how will you position you coralia or other circulation pump. On top of the water pointing to the substrate ? Or in the middle of height of the tank pointing horizontally ETC...

So debate is open now hope that it will alive !!!
thanks for reading and answering.

cheers
Zanguli ya zamba
 
I've found that having a diagonal flow from one side , top to bottom to the other worked best for me in my heavy planted. Using a spray bar to give an even jet of water across the depth of the tank. I find it moves the majority of waste to the inlet whilst leaving a small amount across the whole substrate to act as fertiliser and a small dead patch just underneath the spray bar where there are few plants but a collection of waste and decay from the plants which means substrate vacuuming is very easy and doesn't disturb the plant roots.
I've tried a front-to-back rolling flow and it caused a lot of waste to be left beneath all the plants so it was a nightmare when vacumming.

Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2
 
I don't really understand ?! Best for your heavily planted tank is using a spray bar ?? Or a Lilly pipes throwing water from back left to front right (diagonal) ??
Excuse me for my English !


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Sorry if I wasn't clear, I don't use lily pipes but a spraybar instead so I can get an even flow that cover the whole depth of my tank. Because it's quite heavily planted the bases of the tall stem plants at the back are completely covered by the midground and the midground covered by the smallest foreground plants so a flow going down diagonally from right to left worked best for me to make water flow over all of the plants and move the waste to practical places. Hope this is a little clearer :)

Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2
 
Yes tank you mow I understand. And you have found that with this technic you have a better collect of the waste !!
So it is a rolling flow from right to left !? I think it s a good technic !

Thanks for opening the debate !!!
Please guys continue to post on this discussion


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I like the spraybar mounted on back glass, with flow pointing toward's front glass ,down the glass,across the tank from front to back ,and back up behind the plant's along back glass.
Intakes are in both rear corner's.
Have found that this provides me with the flow that result's in tall plant's staying upright,as opposed to leaning one way or the other.
Then I don't hold my head 'cockeyed' so much.:eek:
 
HELLO,
are you not facing problems with a lack of flow at the bottom of your plant, due to the transition of the foreground plants, to the middle and the background plants ?
For me I think this is the more powerful flow you can have, because water have less space to travel. If you take my actual set up and the one of Iplants, the water haver to travel to the all length of the tank, and in your set up it have to travel on the width !!!
But If you have only one inlet, will it be enough efficient to collect waste ??
 
zanguli-ya-zamba said:
HELLO,
are you not facing problems with a lack of flow at the bottom of your plant, due to the transition of the foreground plants, to the middle and the background plants ?
For me I think this is the more powerful flow you can have, because water have less space to travel. If you take my actual set up and the one of Iplants, the water haver to travel to the all length of the tank, and in your set up it have to travel on the width !!!
But If you have only one inlet, will it be enough efficient to collect waste ??
Click to expand...


If your question was/is directed to me,, I have two spray bar's from two filter's and two inlet's posistioned as mentioned.
Was clive that suggested this arrangement and I am pleased.
Everything collect's at the back glass,and the corner's where inlet's pick it up.
Pre-filter's over the intakes (tiny shrimp's) are cleaned each week .
 
zanguli-ya-zamba said:
HELLO,
are you not facing problems with.....
Click to expand...

I think it's all to do with the power of your filter too, my older filter wouldn't have worked well going from right to left but this one does. it's rated at 1000L/h,going across a 2"7' tank. The plants on the far left sway and like I said waste and anything else caught up always gets pushed to the inlet or "rolls" back round to the dead spot, ready to be vacuumed up

Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2
 
hello i messed about with the flow in my tank so many times iv lost count
the best way iv found,is wot cegs surgested to me about a year ago,one hole length of spray bay along the hole,back off the tank,about an inch under the
surface,pushing the flow to the front off the tank,then down the front of the tank on to the substate,brilliant co2 distribution :thumbup:
 
Anyone any ideas as to the best way to even the flow for my tank? Need some expert advice as to the best way. Heres my set up so far .....
5ft Juwel Rio 400
1 x Allponds 1400l/h +uv with UP inline atomizer
1 x All ponds 2000l/h
1 x Newwave 600-1600l/h powerhead

flowproblem.jpg


The drop checker is green but I know that flow isn't quite right as its difficult to work out how best to do it with minimal costs. In my own mind I think that I should invest in another UP inline atomizer and split the Co2 to both filters, the problem being the size of hosing on the 2000l/h is bigger than the 16/20mm atomizer. Maybe a longer spraybar across the full 5ft but then I don't think the allponds would be powerful enough on their own to work a spraybar that length plus I need the 2 filters for flow anyway. Maybe I should change to an fx5 with one spraybar? I dunno what would work best so if Clive or anyone could guide me here please!
 
Hi,
There is thread about someone using a fluval FX 5, where they explain how to modified the tubing to use an inline atomizer. I am now on tapatalk and I don't have the link. But here is picture if it can help.
u2ymy3es.jpg


Cheers zanguli


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I'm currently using a filter which is a little under powered but was wondering how I can detect 'dead spots'?
 
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