Gyre XF330 or XF350

[Aquaman6410]

I'm looking for powerheads for my new Innovative Marine INT 75. I thought about using the Innovative Marine WaveLink pumps but started thinking maybe I should get some broader flow. I've gone back and forth on so many pumps but think I should give the new 300 series gyres a try. The tank is going to mainly be LPS with some zoas, mushrooms, and possibly a few SPS in time but I tend to be LPS heavy (euphyllia and acans are my thing!)

How many gyres and which model should I get? The tank is 75 gallons and its 3ft long by 2ft deep in case you aren't familiar with the tank. I'm also running two RFG nozzles as returns from my Sicce Syncra 5.0.

Should I just get one XF330 to start and add another to the other side later? Should I be using the XF350 instead and start with one? I just don't want to get something too overkill to the point that the lowest settings are still too much.

Let me know what you guys recommend!

 

[Highgrade]

I can tell you the XF350 was overkill on my INT 112g. It was blowing sand everywhere even at 30%. Unless you're running bare bottom, one XF330 should work.

 

[BestMomEver]

I was gonna ask a similar question. One of the online vendors has a 330 on sale but I wasn’t sure if it was just a good deal or if the 330 had been discontinued.

 

[Zohar78]

I know on my 40b with return syncra 3.0 pump, xf 250 can easily overpower my tank, sending a sheet of flow across the whole tank and kicking up my sand even at lowest settings. on my 130, 60x18x28tall i plan on doing xf 250 on each side alternating flow which is why i was fooling around with one of them in the 40b. also planning on going bare bottom on the 130. i think a 75 is close to being in between, with whatever choice you want to make. also some people say 200 series, the xf230 is louder than the xf250, does anybody know if that is still an issue on 300 series? i wonder if the 3k ice cap gyre would be about perfect and save a little money?

 

[Highgrade]

I was gonna ask a similar question. One of the online vendors has a 330 on sale but I wasn’t sure if it was just a good deal or if the 330 had been discontinued.

Older models have been discontinued and they're notorious for issues. The new XF 330/350 seem to be much better. Only time will tell though.

 

[Zohar78]

I can tell you the XF350 was overkill on my INT 112g. It was blowing sand everywhere even at 30%. Unless you're running bare bottom, one XF330 should work.

geesh. powerful little monsters.

 

[Highgrade]

geesh. powerful little monsters.

Yes indeed, They do seem to be much quieter than the older models.

 

[Aquaman6410]

So its sounding like the XF330 might be the better option to avoid a sandstorm. I might just get one for now and then get a second down the line to alternate the flow. I'm coming from using Vortechs and I think the Gyre is worth a try since it's the other premium pump everyone seems to really love.

 

[User1]

Let me play devils advocate here for a minute. First question is do you have any upgrades planned? Seriously though, is this going to be a tank you have for a while or do you have plans to move, buy a larger tank, etc. The reason why I ask is because this will help you size the Gyre correctly and possibly save you a buck or two. Example. I have a 210 gallon tank and when I picked up my Gyre's it was the older models so XF130, 250, and 280. Looking at those three I determined that the XF250 made more sense based on the size and flow even if run at a lower percentage compared to the lower powered one. On top of that if I did decide to upgrade to something larger I would still be able to use the 250's for some time.

In any case the Gyre's move a metric ton of water and there are a lot of options to change the flow dynamic. This is with regards to force or pressure of water say from 0 to 100 percent. This is also something to consider because if you have a mature tank with lots of good coral growth there will be enough in the tank to break up the flow. On the other hand if the tank is new, maturing, and young corals it will be too much flow and nothing there but the bare rock to break it up. This is frustrating to dial in and sort of gets back to sizing the Gyre properly.

I've not used the new models only the XF250 line and I made use of the paddles to try and dial in the flow. At the end of the day a pair of 250's was too much for my 210 gallon tank and I've since taken them off line. My tank is new so not a lot of tall coral growth or rocks with coral grown in. The flow was just never right and then mix in a 54" wide tank, well, the flow just slammed together in the middle of the tank and was causing too much issues. I'll bring them online in a couple months or a year once things grow in.

If you haven't there is a couple good videos on the forum here that discusses this a lot better than I'm explaining. @pelphrey did a great job explaining just this issue with tank maturing, dialing in the Gyres, and how they interact flow wise with corals. I think you will be happy with the product, it works well. The sizing part is the trick thus look longer term if an upgrade and if not, then size properly for the 75 because they do move water.

Sort of like a fighter jet with afterburner :) You have normal power but once you go past mil and dump in the fuel things get wickedly quick. You don't want to thrash around your corals esp if you have fleshy LPS. Trust me, been there, done that :)

 

[Aquaman6410]

Let me play devils advocate here for a minute. First question is do you have any upgrades planned? Seriously though, is this going to be a tank you have for a while or do you have plans to move, buy a larger tank, etc. The reason why I ask is because this will help you size the Gyre correctly and possibly save you a buck or two. Example. I have a 210 gallon tank and when I picked up my Gyre's it was the older models so XF130, 250, and 280. Looking at those three I determined that the XF250 made more sense based on the size and flow even if run at a lower percentage compared to the lower powered one. On top of that if I did decide to upgrade to something larger I would still be able to use the 250's for some time.

In any case the Gyre's move a metric ton of water and there are a lot of options to change the flow dynamic. This is with regards to force or pressure of water say from 0 to 100 percent. This is also something to consider because if you have a mature tank with lots of good coral growth there will be enough in the tank to break up the flow. On the other hand if the tank is new, maturing, and young corals it will be too much flow and nothing there but the bare rock to break it up. This is frustrating to dial in and sort of gets back to sizing the Gyre properly.

I've not used the new models only the XF250 line and I made use of the paddles to try and dial in the flow. At the end of the day a pair of 250's was too much for my 210 gallon tank and I've since taken them off line. My tank is new so not a lot of tall coral growth or rocks with coral grown in. The flow was just never right and then mix in a 54" wide tank, well, the flow just slammed together in the middle of the tank and was causing too much issues. I'll bring them online in a couple months or a year once things grow in.

If you haven't there is a couple good videos on the forum here that discusses this a lot better than I'm explaining. @pelphrey did a great job explaining just this issue with tank maturing, dialing in the Gyres, and how they interact flow wise with corals. I think you will be happy with the product, it works well. The sizing part is the trick thus look longer term if an upgrade and if not, then size properly for the 75 because they do move water.

Sort of like a fighter jet with afterburner :) You have normal power but once you go past mil and dump in the fuel things get wickedly quick. You don't want to thrash around your corals esp if you have fleshy LPS. Trust me, been there, done that :)

Thank you for all that advice. The tank has no plans on going bigger. Ideally, this tank is in it for the long haul, of course minus any catastrophic things I can't prevent. The tank is new with no corals yet. Still cycling but trying to get flow figured out.

 

[User1]

Thank you for all that advice. The tank has no plans on going bigger. Ideally, this tank is in it for the long haul, of course minus any catastrophic things I can't prevent. The tank is new with no corals yet. Still cycling but trying to get flow figured out.

Makes sense. So look at the cost, size, and flow. Then your rock and aquascape. Lastly, placement. The Gyre's are large so try and visualize the placement. Remember you can change the paddles (assuming new models do the same as the previous) or the combination of them which allows you to get forward and reverse flow. Something unique to them. A paddle change, moving Gyre from horizontal to vertical, place on a side wall, and now you have a new flow pattern :)

I raise this only to suggest keeping this in mind while looking to place it :)