Favorite, CHEAPER, lower priced powerheads for flow?

Price range of the lowest price powerhead in your aquarium?

  • $25 or less

    Votes: 44 13.3%
  • $50 or less

    Votes: 66 19.9%
  • $100 or less

    Votes: 92 27.8%
  • $150 or less

    Votes: 30 9.1%
  • I don’t have any cheaper powerheads

    Votes: 99 29.9%

  • Total voters
    331

ying yang

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I have 2 all pond solutions wavemakers which are a re-branded jebae I believe, well shape of powerhead same and controller looks same whi h cost I think £ 60 each ,which roughly $50,and also got a none controllable smaller just power head which cost £11.99 which around $8 ,which had around 10 months maybe little longer and still works good,just doesn't have a magnet to hold onto glass,it's got a suction cup which stopped working about 2 weeks ago, so now rest it inbetween rockwork and algae magnet scraper lol
As vortech mp40 cost so dang much,my thinking is can buy like 5 off these all pond solutions wavemakers for price off one mp40 so even if failed after the 1 year warranty I get at least 1 year from each so 5 years worth and I dont like idea that mp40 you can't aim towards water surface anyway

Just googled price off my wavemakers and are £60 and vortech mp40 are £400 so thats $480 American dollars according to Google which sounds about right, so I can buy 8 of my powerheads plus £ 20 change for price of 1 mp40 so even if break 1 day after the year warranty, that means I get 8 years from them,and yeah no wires in tank sounds cool but not £400 cool lol

20220801_182228.jpg 20220801_182236.jpg 20220801_182239.jpg 20220801_182245.jpg Screenshot_20220801-183213_Chrome.jpg Screenshot_20220801-183255_Chrome.jpg Screenshot_20220801-183316_Google.jpg
 
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MoshJosh

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I really like my Sicce nano stream. Has a magnetic mount, pretty good range of movement, and for the price I think it’s great. It doesn’t have any features as far as wave making, but if you’re just looking to push some water for cheap, its great.
 

ClownSchool

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What’s your most favorite, “cheaper” powerhead/pump for water movement in your saltwater reef aquarium?

71wmsNnKKYL._AC_SX679_.jpg
Found two Jeboa SLW-30’s, two months old, for $40 each. Came out of the box like new. They’ve been in my 55 gallon for about two months without issue.
 
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gbru316

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I don't have any "cheap" powerheads, but my current favorite for smaller tanks (<75g) is the Tunze 6040.

The deflector on top does a great job of dispersing the flow while still allowing rates > 1000 gph. The MP10 looks like a laser beam in comparison.

And, it integrates locally with Apex via 0-10V from a VDM.
 

ClownSchool

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I have 2 all pond solutions wavemakers which are a re-branded jebae I believe, well shape of powerhead same and controller looks same whi h cost I think £ 60 each ,which roughly $50,and also got a none controllable smaller just power head which cost £11.99 which around $8 ,which had around 10 months maybe little longer and still works good,just doesn't have a magnet to hold onto glass,it's got a suction cup which stopped working about 2 weeks ago, so now rest it inbetween rockwork and algae magnet scraper lol
As vortech mp40 cost so dang much,my thinking is can buy like 5 off these all pond solutions wavemakers for price off one mp40 so even if failed after the 1 year warranty I get at least 1 year from each so 5 years worth and I dont like idea that mp40 you can't aim towards water surface anyway

Just googled price off my wavemakers and are £60 and vortech mp40 are £400 so thats $480 American dollars according to Google which sounds about right, so I can buy 8 of my powerheads plus £ 20 change for price of 1 mp40 so even if break 1 day after the year warranty, that means I get 8 years from them,and yeah no wires in tank sounds cool but not £400 cool lol

20220801_182228.jpg 20220801_182236.jpg 20220801_182239.jpg 20220801_182245.jpg Screenshot_20220801-183213_Chrome.jpg Screenshot_20220801-183255_Chrome.jpg Screenshot_20220801-183316_Google.jpg
Youch!
 

graziano

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I am using 2 Jebao RW8 first series, price € 64.53 each, 1 Jebao SCP120, price € 85.00 and 1 Jebao SOW8, price € 60.00 happy with their movement
 

reeftivo

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cheapest power head type i have is the 270 gal sicce stream pump (like 26 on ebay) in my return chamber of my sump. i use it for mixing and a little surface turbulence since i have my ATO sensor in there along with a ltr bag of seachem matrix.
 

MillennialReefer

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I've used powerheads from multiple excellent brands (don't want to name the brands) But for some reason they only lasted a little over a year. I've cleaned them and sent them for repairs under their warranty, but they only lasted a few months thereafter. I would love to keep using them. However the Hydor Koralia's never failed me, I've had 3 of them, 240, 550, and1150 GPH for over 3 years now running strong and non stop. Maybe a pump that has a single setting without the ability to control makes them last longer?...or I just have bad luck with fancy ones :(
 

immaman2011

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I've used powerheads from multiple excellent brands (don't want to name the brands) But for some reason they only lasted a little over a year. I've cleaned them and sent them for repairs under their warranty, but they only lasted a few months thereafter. I would love to keep using them. However the Hydor Koralia's never failed me, I've had 3 of them, 240, 550, and1150 GPH for over 3 years now running strong and non stop. Maybe a pump that has a single setting without the ability to control makes them last longer?...or I just have bad luck with fancy ones :(
Pumps with controllers will run their life span quicker because without the circuit board it won't turn on at all. So it's however long the circuit board will last. Motors themselves usually last a really long time.
 

Nemosis

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I had a few Hydor Korallia pumps but have since moved them to my mixing bucket for saltwater. I now have 2 Nero 5 powerheads on my 75 gallon display running at 40 to 50% random flow.
 

DeniseAndy

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My large pumps are all Tunze. My medium pumps are Tunze and Rossmont Movers. My nano pumps are a hygger mini wave and old nano korelia.

One of my Rossmonts was free (buy one get one deal) Cannot beat that.
 

Brucealmighty

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Jebao jebao jebao :face-with-hand-over-mouth: I have been using these for ages and keep them for spare parts too, I am using 2 RW15's at the moment, they move a ton and a half of water top to bottom side to side and seeing as they are sitting in saltwater 24/7 and working I refuse to pay £1000 for some well named pumps with essentially the same parts I can buy 4 a side of the jebaos and that would be up to about the 12 years mark at 3yrs per pair of wavemakers seems logical to me don't see any 499 dollars (or pounds) pump lasting 12 yrs or more? Maybe there will be some thousand pounds wavemaker owners who will want to compare??

Screenshot_20220801_205317.jpg
 
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