Aqueon Circulation Pump Review - 500,700,1250

[phasezero]

Just wanted to post my experience with Aqueon's line of power heads. I noticed that there aren't many reviews of these around so I wanted to post my experience with them. I own the 500, 700, and 1250 gph. Here are the major points.

 

Flow

The ratings from these Aqueon pumps are either underrated or Hydor overrates their pumps. The 500 gph feels and appears to give almost twice the amount of flow as the Hydor nano 425 gph.

 

The 700 gph model seems to be comparable in flow to my Hydor Evo 750.

 

The 1250 gph is extremely powerful. It too feels much much stronger than my Hydor Evo 1050, way more than the 150gph difference in their rated specs. In my 55g SPS tank, it easily blasts water across the whole 4ft tank. You'll have to be careful how you position these as any corals in direct line with the power head for up to 1.5 or 1.75 feet will probably die. At 2-4 feet, the flow has widened enough to not be harmful. I would be extremely hesitant to purchase the 1650 or 2400 gph models considering how powerful the 1250 is. The flow is very directional and not very wide. Think of the flow as a tight cone.

 

I like the grill design of the housing. While it's open design is not as safe for creatures, it seems to avoid catching and holding a bunch of detritus like my Hydor Evolutions. This means I don't have to clean them as often and the flow does not get restricted over time. My Hydor EVO's seem to be easily affected by this.

 

Mounting

Unfortunately they are all suction cup versions. Their in tank foot print is therefore slight larger than say Hydor Evo's. In the 6 months I've owned the 500gph, 3 months for 700 gph, and 2 months for 1250gph, I've never experienced any of them detaching on their own.

 

The 500 gph pivots on a plastic ball joint that is molded to the power head. The ball joint is connected through a very thin and weak arm that is almost guaranteed to break eventually if you even decide to aim the powerhead. This is a huge design flaw. I went through 2 of these 500 gph models before customer service upgraded me to the 700 gph model which uses a screw cap to loosen or tighten the pivot joint, compared to an always tight press fit ball joint on the 500. I now use my 2 500 models for mixing salt. Picture of the two 500 gph models below.

 

 

Startup

Startup on the 500 and 750 isn't rough or loud at all. The 1250 has a somewhat rough start with some chatter, although it's seems much more bearable than the Hydor EVO's loud clicking. I can't comment on these pumps durability under the use of a wave maker. Unlike the EVO's, the Aqueons also start up in the right direction every time.

 

Customer Service

Thankfully these pumps have a lifetime warranty. They also didn't require me to have a copy of my actual receipt. The service was quick and painless. Rather than have me ship my broken pumps to them, they would just send me replacements instead and let me keep the broken ones. This is a huge plus to me because I hate having to box items up and pay for shipping. I contacted Aqueon through email and received a response within 2 or 3 days. I received the replacement pumps in less than a week.

 

 

 

Summary

-Avoid the 500 gph model due to pivot joint breaking

-Strong flow for a cheap price - be careful of the 1250gph and up

-Don't have to clean as often

-Lifetime Warranty and good customer service

[Grumblecakes]

i have two of the 500s you are right the joint is crap and is pretty much guaranteed to break. I ended up rigging mine up to maxijet mounts. I have mine on a wave maker though and they click on start up about half the time, it isnt loud and ive gotten used to it. I would also add that they are pretty easy to take apart and clean, i can leave the head alone in the and just remove the grate and prop, granted this is the case with other pumps as well. And yes they are not critter safe, the anemone i had got sucked part way in 3 diffrent times.

[Monochrome5]

I can attest to the power. I originally bought a 900 for my BC29 based on my Koralia and immediately returned it because of the flow. Way too strong for a cube. They're either horribly underrated or Koralias are equally overrated. I've been more than happy with the 500 ever since, though the arm is certainly a weak point (though arguably better than the Koralia 450, which I snapped the ball off of just trying to put it in the rubber). Cleaning is also a breeze because of the design. I'd recommend them over the equivalent Koralia any day.

[Chew_Magna]

Another 500 owner here. I have one in my 10 gallon and couldn't be happier. It replaced a Koralia 240 that I felt was very sub par. In a 10g this is almost all you need. I have mine paired with a 606 with a rotating deflector attached to it.

[racer_X_123]

Another 500 owner here. I have one in my 10 gallon and couldn't be happier. It replaced a Koralia 240 that I felt was very sub par. In a 10g this is almost all you need. I have mine paired with a 606 with a rotating deflector attached to it.

 

My experience was that for my 12g, even the smallest pump was too powerful and ended up kicking up the sandbed. Its too bad because I really like the added flow

[davecamp]

I am running 2 700's in my 29 reef tank. Very quiet, very flexible, proper power and they are made in Italy. The lifetime warranty is also beneficial. My whole tank has great flow!

[mrhighline]

I have multiple pumps (4) ... 3 ( 500x2 and a 240) are broken. I didn't know they had a lifetime warranty. I'll be filing a claim shortly.

[sal9012]

i had 4 of them...crap (IMO). look for the magnet exploding and rust galore in less than a year.

called, got frustrated, tossed them in the trash can, moved on.

[mrhighline]

Aqueon is grabage. They did replace my pumps but I had to fight tooth and nail because I didn't' keep the receipts. I had the original boxes tho ... I just bought an evolve 8 and it LEAKS ...