Abyzz pumps discontinued on Bulkreef Supply

[reefluvrr]

Bertram Capital, the owner of BRS, is averse to generating revenue for competitors offering competing products. For instance, Coralvue has become a significant competitor; Hydros is threatening Neptune's dominance on the controller market. From their perspective, selling products that rival their own brands equates to financing their competitors. Consequently, they have decided to discontinue selling most products that directly compete with any brand owned by Bertram Capital.

Coralvue used to carry Maxspect, now they don't since BRS carries it. I wonder what happened there?

 

[SliceGolfer]

Coralvue used to carry Maxspect, now they don't since BRS carries it. I wonder what happened there?

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www.apetlife.com

 

[14 foot reef]

I don't own one but after having reeflos leak on the floor at least a dozen times over the years I would absolutely spend the money for an Abyzz over a Reeflo. There really isn't any other reliable options for a return pump/closed loop pump that is pressure-rated and has super high flow. I also would not want the noise of a huge pressure-rated AC pump in a living room.

Now most of us don't have giant return pumps in our living rooms but when I was doing tank installs I installed at least a dozen tanks with a Reeflo Hammer Head in a living area. These were normally 400+ gallon systems where the return pump was also used to run a manifold.

I have a harder time justifying the smaller Abyzz pumps. I am sure they are great but I don't think they would be more reliable than a couple Sicces or an old-school Iwaki and I personally don't mind the noise of smaller AC pumps.

if you still have the need for larger AC pumps, there is absolutely no comparison to the MRC line of pumps. I also was a reeflo user who suffered from constant leaking and binding up and locking up. I switched to Raj's MRC pump line on every system I have. I have never replaced repaired or done anything to all my MRC AC pumps.
They are beyond perfect.

 

[MarineandReef Jaron]

@MarineandReef Jaron
Just a shout out for marine and reef. I order from you guys. Have always had great service. Give these dudes some extra business.

Thank you for the business.

 

[Liquid361]

I’m just curious why anybody would spend that kinda money on a return pump! Lol… the cannons? Maybe if you got a 10,000 gallon aquarium but the returns

I’m building a CADE 2100 S2 at the moment and using a pair of Abyzz A200’s for my return pumps. They extremely strong, long lasting, and just beautiful hardware. I find great joy in using such brilliantly built highly engineered hardware.

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

BRS is dropping many items... Don't know the logic in this, but wish them well. I've purchased from them for many years but these days the only thing I buy from the is my Aquaforest products. Hoping the don't dump those too.

They went corporate! End of story. Even their videos suck these days.

I miss the old BRS, I miss Randy, I miss when they didn’t continuously rant without saying anything of substance and were actually educational. I buy very very few things from them these days and a lot from their competitors. They forgot were they came from and sold out.

 

[rhaetuluscrenatus]

I’m just curious why anybody would spend that kinda money on a return pump! Lol… the cannons? Maybe if you got a 10,000 gallon aquarium but the returns

Because it's the most important than any fancy gear in the tank, without it, all of your skimmer, reactor etc... can not working or less efficient, return pump is the heart of the tank,

 

[t5Nitro]

@rhaetuluscrenatus It's not the end all be all return pump. I might argue the old Danner magdrive return pumps would win against an Abyzz in terms of longevity at a much lower cost. Not saying Abyzz makes a bad pump, but the cost isn't directly related to outperformance or durability in many cases.

 

[Ernie Mccracken]

Private equity kills everything it touches, the aiptasia of the business world. Unchecked greed from people who don't care about the hobby and want to extract every last cent from consumers.

I was one of the first BRS customers, buying maxijet propeller kits from some dude making them in his basement. Now I try to avoid BRS as much as possible.

 

[timqmana]

Private equity kills everything it touches, the aiptasia of the business world. Unchecked greed from people who don't care about the hobby and want to extract every last cent from consumers.

I was one of the first BRS customers, buying maxijet propeller kits from some dude making them in his basement. Now I try to avoid BRS as much as possible.

Agreed and you have the greatest screen name by the way.

 

[rhaetuluscrenatus]

@rhaetuluscrenatus It's not the end all be all return pump. I might argue the old Danner magdrive return pumps would win against an Abyzz in terms of longevity at a much lower cost. Not saying Abyzz makes a bad pump, but the cost isn't directly related to outperformance or durability in many cases.

Sure, there are many choices besides Abyzz, and even the words "made in Germany" now is nothing to do with the german quality before, i have one Abyzz A100 died after 6 months of use,
What i said is return pump is the most important, no matter what brand it is, the pump must be durable and efficient, not "Abyzz is important"

 

[Troylee]

Because it's the most important than any fancy gear in the tank, without it, all of your skimmer, reactor etc... can not working or less efficient, return pump is the heart of the tank,

Is it? Not in my books… I’ve ran tanks for a week with no return pump and zero issues lol.. sure you loose a skimmer and heater at best but that’s about it! Mag drives would outlast most pumps on the market including these! It costs Pennie’s compared to these pumps.. I’m running Jaebo reruns now and no issues except one time I had a kalk overdose and it froze the impeller.. the pump is 5 years old going strong for less than $200.

 

[BeanAnimal]

@rhaetuluscrenatus It's not the end all be all return pump. I might argue the old Danner magdrive return pumps would win against an Abyzz in terms of longevity at a much lower cost. Not saying Abyzz makes a bad pump, but the cost isn't directly related to outperformance or durability in many cases.

Mag drives were not even close to being in the same class as almost any modern name brand AC pump. Small inefficient impeller and magnet assembly, low head, prone to swelling, etc.

 

[t5Nitro]

Mag drives were not even close to being in the same class as almost any modern name brand AC pump. Small inefficient impeller and magnet assembly, low head, prone to swelling, etc.

All of those are non issues in my experience. It’s purely a comparison to say you don’t need to spend 2000 USD on a return pump to be ok.

I guarantee you there are far more people running jebao with as good of a result as someone buying abyzz. It’s just not a piece of engineered technology that is hard to craft to function well. Actually, this is pretty trivial. We’re not building high performance engines here (although, the consumer might want to believe they are).

 

[BeanAnimal]

All of those are non issues in my experience.

Your personal experience does not negate the facts I presented. You’re comparing two entirely different classes of pumps. Ignoring cost, the only similarity between them is that they both move water.

The Danner Mag-Drive is an asynchronous AC induction motor. That means the impeller spins in a magnetic field, but at a different frequency than the stator windings. This is highly inefficient, wasting energy as heat instead of converting it into motion. These pumps, especially when run externally, suffer from heat degradation and material swelling—both the magnet and housing are prone to failure over time.

Induction losses in these pumps are massive. As a result, they generate low torque, requiring simple impellers and volutes that minimize resistance to avoid stalling. The combination of low efficiency, high heat, and crude impeller design makes them far less capable than BLDC pumps.

In contrast, Abyzz and other BLDC pumps use synchronous, electronically commutated motors with permanent magnet rotors. These motors have far lower energy loss, generate less heat, and last longer. The higher torque allows them to drive more efficient impellers, moving more water at higher head pressure without stalling or slipping phase. The difference in performance is massive.

"It’s purely a comparison to say you don’t need to spend $2,000 on a return pump to be okay."

You don’t need a return pump—or an aquarium, for that matter. There’s no universal "right" or "wrong" product, just personal value assessment. Your opinion is that expensive pumps aren’t worth it. The people who buy them obviously disagree.

"I guarantee you there are far more people running Jebao with as good of a result as someone buying Abyzz."

What result are we talking about? See the point above. Value is subjective, and every user prioritizes different outcomes.

"It’s just not a piece of engineered technology that is hard to craft to function well. Actually, this is pretty trivial."

Says who? Electric motors, especially BLDC motors, are anything but trivial—and that’s just the rotor and stator. Centrifugal impeller and volute design add another layer of complexity. Every pump on the market represents trade-offs in engineering, efficiency, and materials science.

Ever considered the cost of engineering a pump—windings, electronics, impellers, volutes—then scaling it for a niche market?

You are free to see no added value in a $2000 aquarium pump, but that is your perspective. Other people do find value, or the product would not exist.

 

[areefer01]

Is it? Not in my books… I’ve ran tanks for a week with no return pump and zero issues lol.. sure you loose a skimmer and heater at best but that’s about it! Mag drives would outlast most pumps on the market including these! It costs Pennie’s compared to these pumps.. I’m running Jaebo reruns now and no issues except one time I had a kalk overdose and it froze the impeller.. the pump is 5 years old going strong for less than $200.

It all comes down to budgets, designs, and acceptable risks which will vary between us. That and more importantly is who notices the failure. Is someone home or not and of course time and day of week. It is not, or should not be, about budget shaming if something different is used. Not saying you are doing that.

Having a failure with a relatively new setup is easy to recover from. Having the same failure on a 10 year old reef which contains large coral colonies and a couple of rare fish, well, that is the price of a new car or kitchen remodel. Something not as easy to recover from.

I liken it to flying a single engine aircraft from New York to Ireland. While it is possible there are a couple things to consider such as fuel, long distance communication, and emergency planning such as flight time including weather, and most important landing. In front of or behind should something happen.

Now do that same flight in a twin engine airframe and the risk is reduced by 50%. In my opinion that is priceless. This is how I view my return pump(s) design. I do not run Abyzz but I also do not run Jaebo. I can, and do, respect the Abyzz after seeing a couple in person and getting to touch them.

 

[t5Nitro]

Your personal experience does not negate the facts I presented. You’re comparing two entirely different classes of pumps. Ignoring cost, the only similarity between them is that they both move water.

The Danner Mag-Drive is an asynchronous AC induction motor. That means the impeller spins in a magnetic field, but at a different frequency than the stator windings. This is highly inefficient, wasting energy as heat instead of converting it into motion. These pumps, especially when run externally, suffer from heat degradation and material swelling—both the magnet and housing are prone to failure over time.

Induction losses in these pumps are massive. As a result, they generate low torque, requiring simple impellers and volutes that minimize resistance to avoid stalling. The combination of low efficiency, high heat, and crude impeller design makes them far less capable than BLDC pumps.

In contrast, Abyzz and other BLDC pumps use synchronous, electronically commutated motors with permanent magnet rotors. These motors have far lower energy loss, generate less heat, and last longer. The higher torque allows them to drive more efficient impellers, moving more water at higher head pressure without stalling or slipping phase. The difference in performance is massive.


You don’t need a return pump—or an aquarium, for that matter. There’s no universal "right" or "wrong" product, just personal value assessment. Your opinion is that expensive pumps aren’t worth it. The people who buy them obviously disagree.


What result are we talking about? See the point above. Value is subjective, and every user prioritizes different outcomes.


Says who? Electric motors, especially BLDC motors, are anything but trivial—and that’s just the rotor and stator. Centrifugal impeller and volute design add another layer of complexity. Every pump on the market represents trade-offs in engineering, efficiency, and materials science.

Ever considered the cost of engineering a pump—windings, electronics, impellers, volutes—then scaling it for a niche market?

You are free to see no added value in a $2000 aquarium pump, but that is your perspective. Other people do find value, or the product would not exist.

TLDR, abyzz is a fine pump. You will be fine with jebao (or Danner) for similar performance.

My posts are for the newcomers or those searching for pumps to see that fan boy gear isn’t a critical investment in a hobby that engineers mediocre toys for us.

 

[BeanAnimal]

TLDR, abyzz is a fine pump. You will be fine with jebao (or Danner) for similar performance.

No, that depends on one’s criteria and expectations. Without defining those, that statement is ambiguous.

I am not sure why you are finding that so hard to understand. The pumps are not the same and have very different characteristics.

We get it, you personally don’t see value for your application in a $2000 pump, but that does not make the Jaebo or Danner equivalent in performance, by any measure, other than “they pump water”.

 

[t5Nitro]

n’t see value for your application in a $2000 pump, but that does not make the Jaebo or Danner equivalent in performance, by any m

your opinions are welcome. this is a public forum for those to sort through and make their own personal decisions from.

I have owned nearly all pumps on the market with the exception of the older, external pumps which are also known workhorses. Jebao and Danner make a 'set and forget' type return pump. My $2500 pump performs really in exactly the same way. Performance is the metric that I'm using, and they're really just identical tools that we have. The story changes a bit now if you're looking for head pressure to pump 3 stories up. Even then, some of the higher rated Jebaos will still checkmark that metric.

This is purely a tangent which stemmed from a post by someone who asked who would spend $2000 on a return pump. The punchline is you don't have to in order to get the same performance. People are easily fooled into buying expensive gear in the hobby thinking it is a critical item. They are not. I have tanks with all the expensive gear and tanks with the inexpensive gear. The performance metric is exactly the same. So far, durability has been the same as well. I'm fairly certain I will get multiples of years use on my Jebao gyres than I do from Vortech wavemakers.

 

[Liquid361]

your opinions are welcome. this is a public forum for those to sort through and make their own personal decisions from.

I have owned nearly all pumps on the market with the exception of the older, external pumps which are also known workhorses. Jebao and Danner make a 'set and forget' type return pump. My $2500 pump performs really in exactly the same way. Performance is the metric that I'm using, and they're really just identical tools that we have. The story changes a bit now if you're looking for head pressure to pump 3 stories up. Even then, some of the higher rated Jebaos will still checkmark that metric.

This is purely a tangent which stemmed from a post by someone who asked who would spend $2000 on a return pump. The short answer is you don't have to in order to get the same performance. People are easily fooled into buying expensive gear in the hobby thinking it is a critical item. They are not. I have tanks with all the expensive gear and tanks with the inexpensive gear. The performance metric is exactly the same. So far, durability has been the same as well. I'm fairly certain I will get multiples of years use on my Jebao gyres than I do from Vortech wavemakers.

You’re simply wrong. Sorry about that.