Surfs up! Kowabunga! (Wave system)

I thought some might find this interesting.

I have a wave system that pumps shattered bubbles, (cavitation), into two of my tank sections at random times throughout the day. The time ranges from one minute to 10 minutes between waves (Random).

The froth, which contains about 15 gallons of water, enters in thru a 1-1/2" pipe.

This tank is the center joined tank and is 55Gal.

These pictures are a stop-action sequence with each picture about 1/3 second apart. I didn't include some shots that changed only marginally. A wave cycle takes about 12 seconds.

A 1/2HP pump, that is speed controlled, ramps up to a peak speed, holds that, and then smoothly declines back to a stop.

Here my tang realizes a wave is coming and dives for hiding.

Note the algae starting to lean.

Flow increasing.

Bubbles starting to arrive.





Flow at maximum.





Flow dropping.



Flow stopped but the tank water is now in general motion.







Slow bubble dissipation starts. It takes about 2 minutes for the micro bubbles to dissipate.


Questions?

Hope you enjoyed these.

Why waves? Partly because I like the waterworks aspects as much as the biological ones.

Fear not! The tangs actually enjoy the waves. They often surf the the inter-tank connectors that reach fierce flow rates during the wave peaks, when they could easily avoid them.

BTW: That tang is 11 years old so I don't think we're talking much stress...

I don't know if it's "bad". But it certainly is out of control. I essentially watch as the tank shifts thru various flora and fona.

Right now there are thousands of small creatures that are grazing the glass completely clean of a brown algae,(maybe diatoms), on the left tank. They are shoulder to shoulder scouring the glass.

In the past I have added 50 gallons of local Pacific Ocean water. Many, many, interesting creature appear over the next few months.

Do you know what drives hair algae madness?

Hi FeatherDuster.

Your namesake with an unidentified investigator checking on them.


I need to come up with a video camera. Fresh out.


Here's the whole tank.


The wave hits the two right tanks.

Hi waynecav; I don't check my water. I have 165G in those three communicating tanks and only 4 fish. And millions of strange creatures. If you snap a light on at night the tank structures are covered with thousands of nocturnal creatures. I make one 50 gallon change about every 9 months. Mix or ocean water. All makeup is RO. About a gallon a day.