Brewing : a major parameter for a beautiful aquarium

The importance of hydrodynamics

Brewing has long been considered a minor parameter in the proper functioning of an aquarium.

Hydrodynamics allows a good management of the environment and makes it possible to keep the organisms alive.

The movements of the water mass caused by currents, waves and tides promote exchanges of matter and energy that are essential for most marine animals. Therefore, its importance in an aquarium should not be neglected.

In most cases, we advise to stir ten to twenty times the volume of the tank per hour. Attention it depends on the animals housed, the types of pumps used and their positions.

It is often said that due to the irregularity of the stirring on the reef, it is advisable to recreate turbulent currents by positioning the pumps so that the provoked currents meet each other. However, care must be taken with all parameters to avoid generating too strong a flow over a small area.

In aquariums, the generated current is characterized by a laminar flow with some turbulence related to the decoration and the animals. It is similar to the current in the deep areas of the reef, but it can also be suitable for the reproduction of a lagoon area by reducing the speed and building a suitable decor.

To choose the best pump, one must consider its power, outlet diameter, type of motor and ejection speed.

Alternating two pumps or groups of pumps every six hours allows the animals to benefit from mixing in all directions, which is essential, for example, for soft corals and gorgonians which expose all their polyps in this way.

Another advantage is the movement of sediment which, when the mixing is not alternated, tends to accumulate in certain areas (dead zones) of the aquarium with all the inherent negative effects.

Each reef fragment has its own hydrodynamic conditions and the same should be true in the captive ecosystem. Depending on the reef area that one wishes to reproduce and the animals that one wants to house, the volume that will be offered to the inhabitants, a specific mixing solution must be found. This point should not be neglected, even if the necessary solutions are costly, as mixing, along with lighting and water treatment, remains one of the essential elements of a successful reef aquarium.

Source : recifs.org