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Keeping saltwater corals and invertebrates in a home aquarium is a challenging and rewarding hobby. To be successful, you must strive to duplicate the conditions of the natural environment to which these organisms are accustomed. |
Wavemakers Make Corals Healthier
One of the most important components of a natural environment is water movement. Ocean water movement is much different than the relatively consistent flow of a river. Movement around ocean reefs alternates with periods of strong and weak currents. Corals and invertebrates need these irregular currents for both feeding and for waste removal.
Wavemakers have been developed to meet this need by imitating ocean currents in the aquarium.
Wavemakers are electrical timing devices that turn multiple submerged
powerheads on and off at predetermined intervals. By installing powerheads at different locations in the aquarium, the wavemaker alternates power to these powerheads, mimicking natural ocean currents.
Some of these devices are
programmable to include slower nighttime and feeding time currents. You can also adjust the length of time the powerheads remain on, giving you the ability to simulate different wave action in the aquarium.
If you have a reef aquarium, and have been treating your corals with a constant, steady water flow (like that of a river), try incorporating a wavemaker into your system, and watch the improvement in your coral growth and expansion.
