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Looking For Reviews on IM Spin Stream


broodc2

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Does anyone currently use the IM Spin Stream nozzles? The reviews I've seen are kind of all over the place from really stellar to terrible. I can't seem to find a thread on them here. Most people seem to either think they are really loud and cheap, or they provide good random flow at a relatively low cost. Can anyone comment now that they've been out for a while? Specifically,

  • How long have you used them?
  • Are you happy with them?
  • Is the noise level that people report due to the units themselves or the water cresting with each rotation?
  • Have these things or will these things hold up over the long term or do they get clogged constantly with algae, etc.
  • I have an MP-10 for additional flow on my Nuvo 24 tank. Will adding these be overkill? Are they not needed if you have an MP-10/additional power head?
  • For the money, is there a different product (like the flexible return nozzle extender thingys) that you would recommend to use from a random flow creation perspective?

Thanks everyone!

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I used the SpinStream on my BioCube29 for about a month. It was quiet and had no mechanical issues during that time. I will say that my LFS had them on sale for $10 and that is why I tried it out, I would not have bought it at full retail price. I removed it because the return placement in the BC (upper left) negated much of the randomness of the flow. Based on the dual returns and placement in the Nuvo 24 I think that they would be more effective in your tank.

 

I was happy with what it did, the 40 degree angled spout rotates sending the water out in a spiraling pattern. If the return is in a good location on a smaller tank I think it is perfectly usable.

 

I am not sure that you would see much benefit since you have a MP-10. Assuming that you have the MP-10 on the end of the tank, setting the MP-10 on pulse mode you should be able to tune the power and duration to get a nice back and forth motion in your tank. No additional power heads should be needed.

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I have 2 on my nuvo24 and 2 mp10s. They were loud for a week or so, now completely silent. They are hooked up to separate ehiem 1000 pumps. Been going good for 6 months. The single mp10 wasn't really getting the far end of the tank without full blasting it, then it would just blow sand everywhere.

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I bought a Nuvo 16 in Feb 2012 and 2 slipstreams at the time. I am a big believer in quiet operations and never noticed noise attribitutable to slipstreams. They will stop spinning occasionally from buildup of "stuff" but that is easily fixed with a soak in vinegar. i like the surface ripple you get when they rotate towards surface which gives a nice shimmer from the led lights through out the tank. I do not stock anything that requires a strong flow. I might opt in future for higher GPH pump to improve flow. I would buy again and pay full price if I had to.

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I have it on my nanocube 24 with a mj900. I absolutely love it. The hydro flo thing is just fugly. Its small makes no sound nothing to plug in. Hasnt clogged for me. I did cut the rubber adapters to fit it as close to the wall as possible. I think it is a great little product and plan on using it on my future tanks.

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I have been running the spinstreams on an IM16 for 2 months. They are loud at flow rates above 160 gph but once they slime in they quiet down significantly. At first I could hear them from across the room but now they are quiet enough where you have to be about 4" away to notice. I ran an additional Korallia Nano for a while but with the 2 spinstreams this was way to much flow in the tank.

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Those do restrict flow just so you know. I would say a min. of 100gph preferably more. I had no issues as far as noise is concern but obviously others did. Nice little gadget for small nano tanks but not sure if it is needed in your case. As always, it is your call.

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I have been playing around with placement of the MP10. There's a PicO nano shield on the delivery truck that I've heard good things about. I think I should be OK with the MP10 for now. I'm thinking the $60 for two spin streams can probably be used for something more worthwhile at these early stages.

 

On a different note, if I'm using the flat return fixtures that came with the tank, is it optimal to have them both pointing in the same direction and against my MP10, away from my MP10, or one off to the left and one off to the right, etc. Or is this just a matter of preference and dependent on my scape? I wish there was a good source to show fluid dynamics in tanks where you could "play" with power head and return nozel placements and then see what your flow in the tank would look like. That would be a pretty sweet app, right?

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  • 3 years later...
trelopoulos

I have them about a week and they make a lot of crappy noise more than my pumps i hope they settle down or else i will remove them...

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  • 10 months later...

Off topic but I've had them for a year and I just found out after cleaning them, you can change the direction they rotate by flipping the gear inside.  To get the best flow from these things you want them to rotate against your wave maker.  If you got 2 wave maker then it doesn't matter but if you only have one the spin stream should rotate towards the wave maker, this creates so many cross flow patterns for me.  Took me a year to figure this out . . .  

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I have 2 on my IM20 and like them alot (~3 months). At first they made some noise but quieted down significantly. Like others mentioned they do restrict flow so I would pair these with an upgraded return pump. 

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