Gyre or normal Powerheads? Cheap vs expensive?

[Cyndrol]

Hello!

Some of you probably know me from my "T5 vs LED" Thread, so here I have another topic to bring up I am also thinking about.

 

Does anybody have any experience with Gyre pumps like the Maxspect or Red Sea Reefwave? I am currently upgrading my reef tank with new equipment and a new pump is needed. I have a cheap chinese no name product for 20 Dollars who actually did a good job. Going over 1 year now without any issues. I know how Gyres work, but is it really a superior flow or should I just stick to normal more direct powerheads.

 

Are they better than normal powerheads? If you compare pricing of a RedSea 25 with lets say an AI Nero 5 which I would need 2 of to have even flow in the tank, I would pay nearly half of the cost.

What is your opinion on "go cheap and pay double" meaning if you buy cheap knock off stuff you just regret it in a few months and need to rebuy and waste money. All those expensive reef pumps like the Vortech are out of my hands. Simply too expensive for my budget.

Comparing it to a Jebao (who knocked off the AI Nero 5 with their SLW Wavemaker design and is also only half the price with some being 70-80 dollars) would you say there is no difference in buying cheaper chinese stuff? In the you also pay for the software which in same cases barely works and often loses connection. Jebao doesnt have that. Just a simple board to play around with.

 

Let me know your opinion on this. I am exited to hear from you guys 🙂

 

[pokerdobe]

I guess I'll take this one. 

 

First - I have no experience with "cheaper" powerheads, so I'll leave that for someone else to answer. 

 

Regarding "gyre" type powerheads vs traditional powerheads: I find gyre type powerheads to have superior water movement versus traditional powerheads -but a lot is dictated by your scape and tank size. Generally speaking though, gyres seem to move the entire water column and seem to create less dead spots. However, that's not to say that traditional powerheads don't have their place - I employ both, relying on gyres to do most of the heavy lifting, while my vortechs add additional flow to the few dead/slow spots that I have. 

 

On thing I will say about the gyres - they definitely require more frequent cleaning. I notice very significant drops in output if I don't clean at least every other month. My vortechs can run forever and they'll still retain a good chunk of their output. 

 

If I could only have one, I would stick with the gyres. 

[jack1978]

I've ran both Gyres and MP ..... I prefer the Gyres for the shear volume of water they move.  They also provide a wider flow pattern.  

[FISHnChix]

Little over 2 year with this guy and no problems... love this pump. You can have it pulse, stay on, or random flow. Also you can control the flow rate and dial it down if it's too much flow...

 

Best bang for your buck imo..

[FISHnChix]

2 hours ago, jack1978 said:

I prefer the Gyres for the shear volume of water they move.  They also provide a wider flow pattern.  

And you can adjust the flow up and down unlike the mp style.. only benefit I like with my mp10 is it's easy to clean

[sublunary]

Is that a stuffed anomalocaris??  😍

 

I'm running Icecap gyres right now (a 1k and a 2k in a 54ish gallon).  They really do move a lot of water and minimize deadspots.  I am struggling a bit to find a configuration that works for all of my corals, but I think that's because I made some questionable aquascaping decisions, not anything to do with the gyres.

 

My prior tanks were nano AIOs, one with a koralia and one without powerheads.  The gyre is definitely worlds better than the single-setting koralia.  I haven't ever used fancier standard powerheads/wavemakers, so can't speak to them.  I do not feel tempted to switch and try them out any time soon though.

[Cyndrol]

2 hours ago, sublunary said:

Is that a stuffed anomalocaris??  😍

Yes its a plushy :3

 

@FISHnChix How reliable are their jumps tho? I have read that their control boards and pumps in general break quiet often. I rather pay a bit more to have something more sturdy. Maybe you are a lucky one.

Also I heard a lot of good about Tunze. Their Nanostreams Turbelle are supposed to be quiet and have good controls.

 

Gyres do seem to move a lot of water and have quit the wide range tho as you guys mentioned. One pump should be more than enough for my tank for now and the future (gotta account coral growth). I hate cleaning them. Gotta admit I only do it to my current pump like once every 3-4 months. It has like 4 layers of coraline algae😳

The RedSea ReefWaves seem to be very easy to clean.

[Clown79]

I've never used a Gyre but the flow provided from them is supposed to be great.

 

I have used wavemakers and powerheads in various quality/cost.

 

Hydor powerheads are good and seem to last an ok amount of time. Unfortunately parts on mine have broken but were replaced by hydor for free.

They lasted about 3yrs.

 

Sicce is really nice and i have 1 thats 6 yrs old and works like new. A little big, sometimes noisy.

 

Tunze nanostream. I have the one with no controller, it pushes some amazing flow and the design allows you to use it verically or horizontally.

Plus you can direct the flow easily with the cover that comes with it. Its quiet and can be hidden easily.

 

Jebao- i had to sw2's, both had problems within 3 months and by 6 mnths were unreliable for use. 

 

Aqamai kps - great wavemakers with full customized flow. I find the flow more gentle than forceful. My first 1 had an issue but was replaced with a new one.

 

Maxijet- large, noisy, most have suction cups. But they last.

[mcarroll]

In general I'm not a fan of pumps that are inherently limited in how they can be used.  Vortech and Gyre pumps are both in this category.  

 

Doesn't make them bad pumps or anything.  Just means that I like (eg.) Tunze Nanostream and Stream pumps.  They are uniquely designed with flexibility in positioning and in aiming in mind, which gives them the ability to work from behind (or even within) your rocks so they aren't standing out as a feature in the tank like the Vortech and Gyres.  Tunze pumps also tend to have an ideal flow with a near-perfect mix of velocity and GPH.  Lastly, Tunze has a wider variety of models, (15 sizes/models for home aquariums.  Controllable and standard.  From about $40 on up.) so you can spend exactly as much as you want/need to.  They also have a 2 year warranty...better than most.

 

I don't remember what size tank you have, so can't make a specific recommendation, but check out the options here:

Turbelle^® pumps

[Cyndrol]

6 hours ago, mcarroll said:

pumps that are inherently limited in how they can be used.

You can still aim the cylinders of the Gyres of the direction you want the flow to go.

 

6 hours ago, mcarroll said:

Tunze Nanostream and Stream pumps. 

I have read that the tunze pumps are not always so great for reef tanks as they fail much more often. Apparently they are not meant for saltwater and are better used in Freshwater tanks. Not sure if that is true tho.

 

Also I have a 60 g tank so I would take a Tunze Nanostream 6055, they do seem quite big tho and I have no option to hide them inside my rockwork.

[mcarroll]

On 8/21/2020 at 9:54 AM, Cyndrol said:

You can still aim the cylinders of the Gyres of the direction you want the flow to go.

Gyre's are more adjustable than Vortechs.  True.  

 

Neither is adjustable to any major degree compared to a (e.g.) Tunze 6055.

 

On 8/21/2020 at 9:54 AM, Cyndrol said:

I have read that the tunze pumps are not always so great for reef tanks as they fail much more often.

Where did you read that, just out of curiosity?  I'd like to see it if possible. 😄

 

On 8/21/2020 at 9:54 AM, Cyndrol said:

Apparently they are not meant for saltwater and are better used in Freshwater tanks. Not sure if that is true tho.

They were invented for saltwater.  

 

Tunze made the first propeller pumps that (arguably) were one of the main reasons that reefing finally became accessible as a hobby.  (Tank-flow was a joke before propeller pumps...a closed loop was your best and only real option...which paled in comparison with the propeller pump, which can be aimed and moved at will.  Vortech's are ironic in my opinion, in that they take away almost 100% of the advances that propeller pumps brought to us in the first place....very much like the limitations of closed loop flow.)

 

Tunze pumps last longer than anything else I'm aware of...

...have been on the market with a proven track record for longer than anything else...

...and have a longer warranty than any other I know of if something were to go wrong.

 

On 8/21/2020 at 9:54 AM, Cyndrol said:

I have a 60 g tank so I would take a Tunze Nanostream 6055, they do seem quite big tho and I have no option to hide them inside my rockwork.

Volume-wise they are comparable to the other pumps.  

 

The disadvantage of the Gyres and Vortechs is the they pretty much have to be out on-display in your tank, with very few good locations available to them to provide the tank with optimal flow.  Nice if you want to display gear instead of reef.  😉

 

The advantage to the ball shape of the Tunze is that it is infinitely adjustable in where it's aimed.  This (and the super-powerful magnetic base, which they also pioneered) allows virtually infinite placement options within your tank where optimal flow can potentially be generated.  

 

This is why they can be used (e.g.) on the back wall behind rocks, on the bare bottom of the tank, hanging from the tank's top brace, or within the rock work using one of Tunze's ceramic "live rock" covers.  

 

Of course you can do the bog-standard side-glass deployment with them as well.  What's "best" depends on a lot of factors, including how badly you want to hide (or display) the gear in your tank.  With a Tunze pump, all that you HAVE to contend with hiding is the cable, which can go under a sand bed and then up a corner very inconspicuously to get out of the tank.  Unless you can get away with a rear-placement with the other pumps, there's almost no way to hide them....even with that, there's nothing like the Tunze Rock for them.  Depends on what you want.

 

Another thought is that I'd suggest starting with non-controllable pump.  The 6055's "cousin", the 6045, is what I started with.  $75 or so.  Two will rock a 60 Gallon and you can easily add on flow (a third or fourth 6045 will tear the roof off of even a packed SPS tank) as needed.  Controllable pumps are undeniably fun, but they are also not crucial if budget is at all an issue.  Putting those 6045's (which do have adjustable flow, BTW) on appliance timers will allow you to set up a tidal flow (pumps on one side for a few hours, then pumps on the other side for a few hours) that corals LOVE.

 

You will want at least two of whatever pumps you ultimately decide on BTW.  Don't try to go big on one pump....more, smaller pumps is better where flow is concerned.  (Two is usually all it takes, but I've had as many as eight in one tank....totally depends on the tank.)

[Matteo]

Nero 5 all the way