Just curious why some people reduce flow at night?
- Thread starter turbonut
- Start date
I dive Catalina year around and the current is usually stronger later in the day year around. Visibility will also get worse as tides come in in general.
But then again I have done early morning dives in Catalina where the kelp is laying flat on the bottom, but this has only happened a couple times.
But then again I have done early morning dives in Catalina where the kelp is laying flat on the bottom, but this has only happened a couple times.
yes it does calm at night and pick up during the day but really rips during the afternoon.
always like that i dont know why. many times crossing the channel from san pedro to catalina in the morning water is like glass. if i dont leave in time i get my arse kicked by. and sometimes i feel that im gonna die out there then at night it calms again.
but i dont do that in my tank
always like that i dont know why. many times crossing the channel from san pedro to catalina in the morning water is like glass. if i dont leave in time i get my arse kicked by. and sometimes i feel that im gonna die out there then at night it calms again.
but i dont do that in my tank
Current on the surface is way different than current mid water and on the bottom. I have been on dives where the surface is calm, get to dept of about 50-60ft and there is a small current but then you get to 15ft for a deco stop and you are being pushed back by current. Just because it is calm on the surface doesn't mean there isn't a current 30ft below you and it's even worse when reversed. There may be a storm on top but the current below may not be very bad.
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wave action is much less at night on the reef. Thats when zooplankton come out, and so coral extend polyps at night and have a better chance to catch something. If polyps came out during the day, awake fish would munch them all up.
so make use of your powerhead's night mode and feed when the lights are off.
so make use of your powerhead's night mode and feed when the lights are off.
one good reason for ecotech vortech owners to turn on night mode is because the sound of the external pump may keep the humans awake, LOL. but my last comment was based on PBS shows I recently saw, comments from old reefers who even shut off their skimmers at night so as not to skim the "good nightime critters", and personal experiences on vacations in the pacific and carribean.
read these contradicting threads:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1407868
http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=43593
http://www.bostonreefers.org/forums/showthread.php?90377-quot-Night-mode-quot-for-reef-pumps-why
http://www.michiganreefers.com/foru...oes-water-flow-wild-reef-slow-down-night.html
From Coral Reef Alliance:
How do coral polyps eat?
Coral polyps eat in two different ways according to the species. Many coral polyps are nourished by a tiny algae called zooxanthellae (pronounced zo-zan-THEL-ee). The algae live within the coral polyps, using sunlight to make sugar for energy just like plants. Zooxanthellae process the waste of the polyp to retain important nutrients and in turn provide the polyp with oxygen. Meanwhile, the coral polyps provide the algae with carbon dioxide and a safe, protected home. Zooxanthellae living within the tissue of hard corals can supply them with up to 98 percent of their nutritional needs.
Another way that corals eat is by catching tiny floating animals known as zooplankton. At night , coral polyps come out of their skeletons to feed, making the reef look like a wall of hungry mouths. The polyps stretch out their long, stinging tentacles to capture the zooplankton that are floating by. The captured plankton are then put into the polyps' mouths and digested in their stomachs.
read these contradicting threads:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1407868
http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=43593
http://www.bostonreefers.org/forums/showthread.php?90377-quot-Night-mode-quot-for-reef-pumps-why
http://www.michiganreefers.com/foru...oes-water-flow-wild-reef-slow-down-night.html
From Coral Reef Alliance:
How do coral polyps eat?
Coral polyps eat in two different ways according to the species. Many coral polyps are nourished by a tiny algae called zooxanthellae (pronounced zo-zan-THEL-ee). The algae live within the coral polyps, using sunlight to make sugar for energy just like plants. Zooxanthellae process the waste of the polyp to retain important nutrients and in turn provide the polyp with oxygen. Meanwhile, the coral polyps provide the algae with carbon dioxide and a safe, protected home. Zooxanthellae living within the tissue of hard corals can supply them with up to 98 percent of their nutritional needs.
Another way that corals eat is by catching tiny floating animals known as zooplankton. At night , coral polyps come out of their skeletons to feed, making the reef look like a wall of hungry mouths. The polyps stretch out their long, stinging tentacles to capture the zooplankton that are floating by. The captured plankton are then put into the polyps' mouths and digested in their stomachs.
I think its mainly to simulate current/undertow changes, high-low tide, etc.. Different flow at night, changes the tanks main water circulation, allowing food/nutrients to travel to corals easier and from all directions. The more flow during feeding time, the harder it is for the coral to feed, hence less flow = easier feeding. That's why I turn off all flow to spot feed, the coral has the most amount of time to suck up the food. The more you can simulate the natural ocean, the better your tank will do!
most of the wild colonies you buy only have PE at night, but you can "train" them to stay open during the day by feeding. This is due to 2 main things IMO:
1. positive feedback mechanisms that tell the coral "hey you're getting food"
2. lack of things that eat coral, especially butterflies and angels. In nature these fish hide at night, or else they become food.
No probs on the reads. Im glad you read them, I only pay attention to the ones with a sexy avatar...
1. positive feedback mechanisms that tell the coral "hey you're getting food"
2. lack of things that eat coral, especially butterflies and angels. In nature these fish hide at night, or else they become food.
No probs on the reads. Im glad you read them, I only pay attention to the ones with a sexy avatar...
