# 30g reef water flow



## jburt1979 (Mar 4, 2012)

Hello. I have my 30g reef with:
Filter - 180gph
Circulation pump - 500gph
Powerhead to skimmer - 120gph (not counting because it's split into slimmer and other part to the tank)
= 680gph : best case turns the tank over 22 times per hour

Just purchased another circulation pump on eBay rated at 800gph. Is that too much for my tank? That would make it 1480gph : just under 50 times over per hour?

I have soft corals (mushrooms, zoos, star polyps and tree corals) with a couple damsel, 6 line wrasse and Condy anemone.


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## Euruproctos (Mar 2, 2012)

I don't think so.

I have the same sized tank and have a 1300 gph powerhead running against 220 gph of other stuff.

But I have an anemone and SPS, which are really the main things that actually NEED that much flow.


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

jburt1979 said:


> Hello. I have my 30g reef with:
> Filter - 180gph
> Circulation pump - 500gph
> Powerhead to skimmer - 120gph (not counting because it's split into slimmer and other part to the tank)
> ...


That turn over is not what you think it is. The filte rdoes not count as turnover, to inconsistant, and they just usually just cover the surface. Skimmer powerheads don't count either. Your just looking at counting direct water current, which would be a external pump or a powerhead without restriction. So, in my reading, you only have currently 500gph in your tank for flow, and 800gph would not hurt you a bit. That may be a bit strong though, and may disturb the substrate. If broken up into 2 400gph, I believe you would be better off. Soft corals like flow, but not blasting. So with your 500 and adding 800, that would put you at 1300gph, and not bad flow there either.


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