Water Circulation In The Aquarium
The provision of water circulation in the saltwater aquarium is dependant upon what filtration method you are using and ultimately the life you are keeping in the aquarium.
When we look closely at the water which we keep our animals in there are loads and loads of elements all of which we are attempting to keep stable. By moving water around within the small confinements of the aquarium we are able to ensure that all of these elements are evenly distributed within the water. If no water movement was applied then it is feasible that areas of water within the aquarium could become more loaded in elements than other areas of the aquarium.
A good example of the above statement is that of the oxygen content and the effect this has upon the pH of the aquarium. If there is not enough water movement in the aquarium then the water is not able to take in any more oxygen and the CO2 levels in the aquarium will increase. Due to this increase the pH levels will actually decrease.
Another area which requires good water movement is that of chemical additives. The addition of chemical additives (by chemical additives I mean additives from a bottle, calcium reactor, kalk stirrer etc) into an aquarium which has little or no water movement will not allow the additives to mix in with the surrounding water. Whilst eventually the additives will mix in for a while there will be an area, or more where the water is not correct.
Above we have covered in general what is commonly termed as chemical in-balance. Whilst this is good enough on it’s own to ensure that you have good water movement it does not detail probably what is one of the main reasons as to why good water circulation is required - the movement of waste products.
You have placed animals into a confined environment and these animals produce waste, just like all animals do.
Without the correct amount of water circulation there will be areas in the aquarium where uneaten food, detritus etc will all build up. This waste then breaks down naturally and elevates various conditions within the aquarium which the filtration method of choice has to deal with.
Normally this is in areas like behind the rockwork, under the rockwork, between the rockwork or any other area of the aquarium which does not have enough water movement applied.
If you have opted to use live rock as your filtration medium then this build up of waste is also detrimental to the filtration capabilities of the rock itself. All of the tiny holes, nooks and crevices become jammed full of waste and the filtration is reduced.
Of course you can introduce a large amount of hermit crabs, snails, urchins etc to assist in the removal of this waste but isn’t it easier to stop it happening in the first place.
It is imperative that all rock structures be created open and enough water movement is applied over, through and around the rock work to prevent the above from occurring.
When we look at why we need good water movement there are times when this topic can become a bit technical and I apologise if this post has become that. There is one area which we need to look at to find out why it is required.
The ocean and the coral reef itself.
The ocean and the reef face has a huge amount of water movement, more and better than we can create in the aquarium (at the moment). There are devices which assist in the creation of almost natural water movement however at present I am of the opinion that there is simply nothing that can emulate the power of nature.
On the reef there are various areas of differing water movement. There is the reef face which is battered day in day out by water movement of tremendous force. There is the reef flat which whilst still strong water movement is nowhere like the reef face and there are the lagoons which are lower in water movement but still very strong. Of course there are many more areas of the reef which have differences in water movement, in fact every square foot of the reef is subjected to various and differing water patterns.
Whilst we can not emulate the power of the ocean we must try our best to copy it and implement a solution which is acceptable to the animals which we keep.
We must ensure that the animals receive the correct amount, frequency and strength of water movement as they would if they were in the wild. This is the same for many other things but the provision of two aspects are the most important - the correct lighting and the correct water circulation.
The next time you go to the ocean watch the sea. Even better if you go diving as you will be able to feel it. You will notice that the water circulation provided in the ocean is strong, varying and random. You will probably notice something else as well, the water movement is never forceful. By this I mean that whilst at times it may have the power to knock you off your feet it does not have the power to strip the skin from your legs.
All of the water movement is strong enough to move the water around, it is random so that not all of the waste goes the same way and it is a wide movement. Wide movement is probably a funny term to describe it but again this goes back to not being forceful. If you have hose pipe and turn in on then water will probably come out at a general speed, however if you stick your finger in the water jet will become narrower and therefore more forceful. This type of water movement could cause some damage albeit probably not from a hose pipe!
The implementation of good water movement however is sometimes hard to accomplish as each aquarium is different. There are various sizes and shapes of aquarium, all the aquascapes are different, the corals grow in different formations etc.
Visit the ‘Salt Water Aquarium’ website if you are interested in learning more about the saltwater aquarium hobby.
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