Flow or no flow at night?

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#1
I was curious and seeing other people's thoughts on whether to lower the flow at night or keep it at the same rate as the daytime let me know what you guys think
 
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#7
If you want to simulate real ocean current, then its on all the time. The only change in ocean current, normally, is the surface movement due to wind and evaporation. The current below the ocean's surface rarely fluctuates from one day to another.
 
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#10
Well... To be realistic, while there is generally no change in flow at night, reefs are regularly affected by a change in tides, which are about 5 to 7 hours different from eachother, so while the oceans current isn't truly afflicted by the position of the sun, there is an increase and decrease of movement in approximately 3 hour increments.

Every day, i manage to find an excuse to put my hands in my tank, so the breakup of flow while i am at home and the house is quiet (kids are asleep) makes a great time to make adjustments to coral that have fallen over, etc.

Reef threads podcast occasionally touches on flow, and go back and forth with experts on the benefits.

High, constant flow: stony corals grow firmer, stronger, and longer skeletal structures

Slow, intermittent flow: zooxanthelle algaes proliferate, and colors establish better; softer corals/zoas/palys grow with greater deliberation.
 

Smite

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#11
I let my tank go into a night mode that's about 20% max flow. My flow is fairly intense since it was a sps dominant reef, so the fish were really working hard most the day. Figured I'd give em a break lol.
 

unchin

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#13
I also have the same flow at night. Corals seem to like it and fish go where they go to rest. There's some rockwork that they can hide in for the ones that don't burrow.
 
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#16
I am doing reverse. Strong at night and medium flow in day time. No effect on reef that I know off and save some power.
 

reefes pieces

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#19
Heavy flow during the day and 10% flow at night. Save some bucks on that electricity bill and easier to feed them corals too.
 

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