Bidirectional tidal flow

[golf nut]

It can do, I need to grab a body or two before they go to the next op and get them finished conventionally.

[MitchM]

I'll send you a pm.

[sphelps]

Originally Posted by golf nut

It would be a fairly easy DIY mod to a 4 way or 2 way, still will cost $39

So how does it work then? Is it a delay or an over ride? Do you have a link to the count down timer?

[madkeenreefer]

Its working for me and I have not had any problems with the time/rotation getting out of sync. But hey whatever works

[MitchM]

Originally Posted by madkeenreefer

Its working for me and I have not had any problems with the time/rotation getting out of sync. But hey whatever works

What type of flow pattern are you running with yours?
How long have you had it running?

Thanks,
Mitch

[madkeenreefer]

Originally Posted by MitchM

What type of flow pattern are you running with yours?
How long have you had it running?

Thanks,
Mitch

1&3/2&4
3mths

[golf nut]

Originally Posted by sphelps

So how does it work then? Is it a delay or an over ride? Do you have a link to the count down timer?

Try this one, I am golfing at the moment , will get more time later.


http://www.airotronics.com/site/cate...solidstate.php

[steve fedyk]

This is what I have been trying to come up with, for my new tank. the best I could come up with was two pumps on differant close loops. My thought was its drawning for the other side of the tank would give you the best flow.

How much flow should there be from side to side 5x , 10x ,or more. you don't wont to much flow or too little. Thats where the red dragon pumps would be nice but they're pricey.

I like the idea of the OM with the timer.

[MitchM]

Originally Posted by steve fedyk

...

How much flow should there be from side to side 5x , 10x ,or more. you don't wont to much flow or too little. ...

It depends on what environment you are trying to recreate.

Ocean current speeds can range from 2 centimetres/second up to 2.5 meters/second, so it's totally up to you.
I want to keep SPS type corals up near the top of my aquarium, with LPS down on the bottom, so I want a much lower flow in the lower areas with minimum dead spots and much higher 'flow up top with the use of seaswirls that will accommodate the SPS' environment.

I don't know how you can avoid complications from debris and small animals if you use the same pipes for both suction and discharge, so I think I will go with a clockwise flow for 5 hours , followed by a 1 hour period of rest then 5 hours counterclockwise flow.
On the intake screens I'll have much smaller screens than on the discharge screens, unless I run the cycle through the sump return pump where there will be no intake screen.

Mitch

[sphelps]

Originally Posted by golf nut

Try this one, I am golfing at the moment , will get more time later.


http://www.airotronics.com/site/cate...solidstate.php

Yeah I'm not sure this will make a reliable system. If the drum always moves 100% freely then it'll be fine but unfortunately my experience with OMs is they can get a little sticky under pressure and with a small amount of debris. As far as I can tell this timer works by simply energizing the motor briefly to reset the switch, the idea is this brief pulse of power will move the switch and close the circuit thus resetting it, this is an open loop control system or one without feedback. If this is the case it will work fine in ideal conditions but put it in use and you'll have nothing but problems. When the drum stops it might not start moving immediately with a big pump downstream and a few grains of sand or whatever in the drum area. The drum rotates on magnetism so it's not a direct drive so sometimes it can slip a little before being able to over power the static friction. If the drum doesn't move immediately after being energized the circuit will remain open and the counter will start again even though the drum hasn't moved to the next location. This would be the case if the switch was measuring the actual drum location. If the switch is measuring the motor shaft location then the drum could slip throwing the whole thing out of whack, ie the drum will stop at a different position.

For the system to be reliable and work in real conditions you need a closed loop control system or one with feedback. A smart relay can accomplish this and they run for around $150. You should also use two separate switches that measure the actual drum locations so the relay can distinguish between the two positions which will further enhance the reliability.