Flow help please

[pblogic]

Hi,

I have a 72 gallon reef setup in it's starting stages (48lx16dx20h)


It's got a deep sand bed, about 80 lbs of live rock

I'm not sure if my flow is as it should be. My fish seem to struggle.

I have 2 Koralia 3's one in each corner and 2 korlia nanos behind the reef to keep flow moving behind the rock with a center overflow of 1 inch (durso stand pipe of 1.5 inch redused to 1 inch) 1 3/4 inch return on the right side run by a Taam Rio 26hf which is rated at 1350gph at 4 feet, but I have it branched right back off into the sump in the same chamber to control flow while limiting the back pressure on the pump. I run it with the ball valve full open so the flow rate of the return is relatively low (giving the skimmer and macro algae in the flow time to work the water)

With this setup however there seems to be a great deal of turbulence in the tank regardless of how I position the Koralia's

It's stocked with:

3 Peppermint shrimp
1 small red thorny star
1 brittlestar
2 Emerald Crab
4 turbo snails
10 (maybe) Astrea
20 (tiny) blue hermits
3 Scarlet hermits
2 Sand sifting Stars

1 Small Yellow Tang
1 Kole Tang
1 Small yellow tailed Damsel
1 Small purple/yellow Chromis
1 Yellow headed jawfish
1 scooter blenny
2 juvenile clowns

1 long tentacled nem
1 small green bubble tipped nem


Everyone gets along great, even the scooter and the jawfish seem to be pretty cool with each other around the jawfish den.

Now, I'm not sure if the flow is too great or not, from what I've read it sounds like It's on the lower end of flow, but when I have both 3's going regardless of their placement and/or the return at max it seems to be too much. The two little clownfish swim in place like crazy and everyone else pretty much just hides in the rocks for the most part. The nem's get whipped around and don't seem to like the flow rate either. When the pumps go off, or just 1 koralia 3 is running everyone comes out and pokes around and seems happy. I just don't want to overstress my little clowns. They aren't frye, so they aren't terrible tiny but they are still little and they seem to really struggle with the flow.

I'm really confused, because I read about alot of setups where people have like 4 koralia 3's etc in a 75 gallon. Could someone please advise me? Thanks!

[Shane Hoffman]

Random turbulence is a good thing. The fish will stay away from an area that bothers them. If they swim right into it and "appear" to be struggling they are probably actually having fun. Dont worry about it.

[pblogic]

Thanks for the reply. I'm still a little concerned though... I guess it's just from being a noob