Professor Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 I would like to pass on something that I have discovered about the Hydor Koralia powerheads. First off let me lead off by saying that this is not intended to be an alarmist or the sky is falling type post. It is based on my observations and is provided for informational purposes to others in the hobby. Background. I set up an extra 10 gallon tank about 18 months ago to serve as a frag and holding tank while I set up my 40 breeder. My equipment was a stealth heater, a AC50, a 80 watt Current CF light and a Hydor Koralia Nano. Initially everything did very well in the tank and growth was great. The tank allowed me to help some other reefers start up tanks with free frags and enabled me to continue to acquire new pieces in anticipation of my 40Br completion (my NC12DX was out of room). The Koralia performed admirably and I was happy with the flow and performance. About 10 weeks ago I noticed that my corals started looking poorly and did not seem to be thriving. Growth rates became almost non-existent and coloration and polyp extension was poor. I tested for everything imaginable with no luck. I change the bulbs in my fixture with no luck. The only thing that seemed to help was 30% water changes every 2-3 days. I finally got my 40 set up and transfered all the livesotck over. Within a week colors were coming back up and polyp extension was outstanding. I credited it to the new T-5's and went about my business until today. This evening I started breaking down the tank and cleaning the equipment in it for storage. As I was cleaning the suction cups for the hydor the magnet for the wet-side fell out. Lo and behold the rare earth magnet was severely corroded to the point bubbling was evident. Checking my dry side magnet I discovered that it is not sealed in any sort of epoxy or plastic either. They simply pop into the the suction cup piece. One side has the plastic cover and the other side shows the bare magnet that fits inside of the suction cup. This is obviously not a water tight seal. Please see attached pic: the dry side magnet is on the left and the wet side is on the right. I will be the first to admit that any evidence connecting this to my livestocks poor performance to be purely anecdotal at best. I am merely passing this information on to others who may use this product so they are informed and can take any corrective action they deem necessary. I intend to continue to use mine once I have taken steps to epoxy the bare side of the magnet to ensure this does not happen again. -Prof Edited per Bonsais excellent suggestion. This appears to be a K-Nano issue -Prof Link to comment
nanoregon Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 Thanks! I have that exact same powerhead in my 15g. And as a testament to your hypothesis I have noticed poor coral growth and lack of coloration. Even with all my hard work... I chalked this up to my inexperience in nano reefing. Please post pics of how you seal the magnet to the suction cup, or advice on a comparable powerhead. Link to comment
BLoCkCliMbeR Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 you suck..... i just bought one.....where were you a week ago? Link to comment
lajz9 Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 Interesting. Thank God for Vortech. Link to comment
Professor Posted July 29, 2009 Author Share Posted July 29, 2009 Interesting. Thank God for Vortech. I know, My wife bought my a MP20 for my B-day for the new tank, but I have not installed it yet. Please remember guys, I am not trying to throw Hydor under the bus, I am simply posting my experience. If I come up with a way to seal the magnet, I will post it. Epoxy is one possible method. Silicone may be another. Whatever I do will have to be a thin coat in order for the magnet to still fit into the suction cup properly. -Prof Link to comment
121a Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 +1 but in all seriousness it won't really do anything to your aquarium. Link to comment
Professor Posted July 29, 2009 Author Share Posted July 29, 2009 +1 but in all seriousness it won't really do anything to your aquarium. Explain please? Looking forward to your thoughts on the matter. -Prof Link to comment
rickg Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 look forward to a post on your fix. I like my #1 and will happily do the repair. Thanks Link to comment
tsutaoka Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 wouldn't a rusting magnet leach into the water? i'm not a chemist but it seems like bad news for a small bio-filter environment i've been toying with the idea of getting a mp10...maybe i should pull the trigger soon. what are others thinking? Link to comment
121a Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 second definition of Granular Ferric Oxide which we use for phosphate removal in our aquariums http://www.thefreedictionary.com/ferric+oxide simply put we use rust and is safe in aquariums as long as it is controlled. if i'm wrong i'm sure someone will let me know but that is why i stated it shouldn't matter too much. Link to comment
got2envy Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 I am sure it would wreak havoc, there was a thread on RC about a guy who's tank was in the crapper and realized that his mag float algae glass cleaner had a crack in it. I will be checking my Koralias periodically. Thanks for the info Prof! Link to comment
dtfleming Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 gfo and regular rust are different. I had the same issue with rust from a screw in my frag tubs. The Rust WILL cause problems in your tank. Good to know, guess i need to replace the koralia nano in my daughters tank. Link to comment
ajmckay Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 Prof, when did you purchase your koralia nano? I'm wondering if they have corrected this in more recently manufactured pumps... I bought 2 Koralia 1's and I seem to recall that the wet-side magnets were sealed with something other than the suction cup (actually I recall that the whole magnet was epoxy coated). I'll take it apart tomorrow when I clean and take some pics to be sure. Link to comment
coolwaters Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 can u just seal off the magnet inside the tank with epoxy or silicone? Link to comment
dpnano Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 ^^+1 i was thinkin about getting a k1 from someone on here, do you think i shouldn't? what should i get then? thats under 40 dollars msrp im gunna try to get it off someone on here. Link to comment
Professor Posted July 29, 2009 Author Share Posted July 29, 2009 second definition of Granular Ferric Oxide which we use for phosphate removal in our aquariumshttp://www.thefreedictionary.com/ferric+oxide simply put we use rust and is safe in aquariums as long as it is controlled. if i'm wrong i'm sure someone will let me know but that is why i stated it shouldn't matter too much. While iron may be a component in rare earth magnets, there are other items in their composition other than iron that could potentially leach heavy metals in your tank. Something to research. I am sure it would wreak havoc, there was a thread on RC about a guy who's tank was in the crapper and realized that his mag float algae glass cleaner had a crack in it. I will be checking my Koralias periodically. Thanks for the info Prof! No problem. I think the knowledge this is a potential problem is key. They are great pumps and I would hate to be the cause for anyone thowing theirs out. gfo and regular rust are different. I had the same issue with rust from a screw in my frag tubs. The Rust WILL cause problems in your tank. Good to know, guess i need to replace the koralia nano in my daughters tank. ^+1 on the rust. Inspect your pump in your daughters tank before you replace. It could be fine. Prof, when did you purchase your koralia nano? I'm wondering if they have corrected this in more recently manufactured pumps... I bought 2 Koralia 1's and I seem to recall that the wet-side magnets were sealed with something other than the suction cup (actually I recall that the whole magnet was epoxy coated). I'll take it apart tomorrow when I clean and take some pics to be sure. I purchased mine ~18 months ago. I sincerely hope they have improved the design. Let us know what you find out when you inspect yours. can u just seal off the magnet inside the tank with epoxy or silicone? I am sure you can. I intend to try with mine. I will post my methods and results once I figure out how I am going to do it. ^^+1 i was thinkin about getting a k1 from someone on here, do you think i shouldn't? what should i get then? thats under 40 dollars msrp im gunna try to get it off someone on here. You should decide whether you should or shouldn't. If you are buying a used one now you know something to inspect for.The pumps have a steller rep for a reason; they are great pumps for the money. One small glitch should not be a reason not to buy, particularly if they have recently fixed the issue or it is easily solved by you. I intend to try and will post results -Prof Link to comment
dpnano Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 aright i'll go with a k1 i think its about 5 months old if i remember thats what the seller said Link to comment
MitchReef Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 I have 2 of them, now they are K-4's, but the magnets in them are actually enclosed in hard plastic pucks.... Link to comment
Phixion Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 is all I can say! Thanks for this info!! I wonder of the demise of my 10g custom AIO is attributed to the K-Nano pump I have in my tank. You'd think a company like Hydor would seal up the damn things at least in the wet side!! This kinda upsets me!! Link to comment
dtfleming Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 the other thing i was thinking about, if the magnets are coated in some other type of metal. such as zinc, nickel, etc. They will def cause problems. Link to comment
Professor Posted July 29, 2009 Author Share Posted July 29, 2009 aright i'll go with a k1 i think its about 5 months old if i remember thats what the seller said As long as you are being an informed consumer. Caveat Emptor! I have 2 of them, now they are K-4's, but the magnets in them are actually enclosed in hard plastic pucks.... Just interested - have you popped them out of the suction cup and inspected the other side? The front of mine has a plastic cover but the other side is bare magnet. LMK what you find please. is all I can say! Thanks for this info!! I wonder of the demise of my 10g custom AIO is attributed to the K-Nano pump I have in my tank. You'd think a company like Hydor would seal up the damn things at least in the wet side!! This kinda upsets me!! It is possible this was the cause of your issue. It was the only common denominator I could link to my issues. I hope Hydor has corrected this since I bought mine. the other thing i was thinking about, if the magnets are coated in some other type of metal. such as zinc, nickel, etc. They will def cause problems. That was one of the elements that came to mind for me as well. I will take it for action to research the components in rare earth magnets. -Prof Link to comment
StevieT Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 My K2 magnet is coated. I use a vortech now but never had a problem in the tank that could be traced to a Koralia. Must have went cheap on the nanos Link to comment
Professor Posted July 29, 2009 Author Share Posted July 29, 2009 My K2 magnet is coated. I use a vortech now but never had a problem in the tank that could be traced to a Koralia. Must have went cheap on the nanos Very possible Stevie. Looking forward to installing my Vortech -Prof Link to comment
Jacobnano Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 We have found a new scapegoat! Really though, I hope the new ones are sealed lol...I have several... Link to comment
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