Joeganja
2500 Club Member
IceCap 3K Gyre Generation Flow Pump
MSRP Price- $149.99
Dimensions (LxWxH): 12.2in x 3.1in x 1.7in
Flow Rate: ~3000gph
Power Consumption: 40w-8w
Ideal for Aquariums: 25 -100 gallons
Features - (As listed on Coralvue's site)
-Unique Gyre Flow - Virtually Eliminates Dead Spots
-Evenly Distributed Linear Flow
-Discrete Design
-Twin Directional Flow Cages
-Waterproof Magnet Mount
-Controller with Mountable Cradle
-5 Flow Modes
-Constant Speed Mode
-Pulsing Mode
-Gradual Pulsing Mode
-Random Mode
-And Alternating Gyre Mode
-24 Hour Program Cycle
-10min Feed Mode
-Technology licensed by Maxspect
Now let's get to the review!
First Impressions- I was skeptical about several aspects on this pump; controller looked a little bit toyish in the photos and compared the pump dimensions to the maxspect gyre and it seemed that the IceCap mount stuck out more than the Maxspect. Once I received the pump and had a very satisfying unboxing experience i was wrong. For the price you cannot find a better pump. Period.
Controller- The controller is well built, doesn't have that lightweight, empty, or cheap feeling. Controller has a heatsink behind it as well as a pretty clever mount that's super easy to remove. Instructions and instructional Youtube videos make the control easy to set up. The Ipod-Like click wheel was actually a pretty neat idea and made the controller easy to learn set up and configuration. The different modes are pretty standard for wavemakers with the constant, random, gradual pulsing, pulsing, and recently gyre flow. But it's not so much the modes that speak to me, it's the reachability under rocks and how well the flow stays in tact when it reaches the other side of my tank (this tank being a 24.7x24.7x24.7 cube) bounces off the glass and creates that gyre flow that other pumps cannot achieve. The magnets it comes with are extremely strong however i wish they fully encased them in the rubber rather than having them be visible on the sides. I am saying super strong because my glass is 12mm thick and only larger tanks or rimless tanks have that thick of glass and or acrylic tanks. As far as noise levels go it's pretty average being not the loudest wavemaker i've ever heard but not the quietest. At 30-50% you don't hear anything sitting 5 feet away, only when you start to run it towards the max you'd still have to be either next to the tank or sit in a dead silent room to hear it. For those wondering, no it's not as quiet as a Vortech Quiet Drive but it's pretty darn close.
Pros:
-Economical price
-More gph per dollar than most pumps in that price range
-Controller w. mount
-Small profile
-Ability to connect to IceCap Batter Backup
Cons:
-Not wireless
-Cannot link multiple pumps together
Final Thoughts- For me it was either this or the Maxspect version for almost double the price and the difference was down to do I want the ability to connect to a 3rd party controller using the IceCap module as well as be able to connect another pump to the same controller? Answer was not worth it, at least in my case. My tank may not be as long as other tanks that may need two pumps but even for the price of $149.99 you cannot go wrong grabbing yourself one of these amazing pumps. Your not being cheap in no way in getting yourself one of these because it's not a cheap pump. I think the reason it's so low cost is to simply compete with jebao and sure it has no wifi feature or 3rd party accessibility but it's well worth the price tag given. Kudos to IceCap and Coralvue for the effort to make this style pump available to more hobbyist.
Note: I am not going to say this pump is better than Ecotech Marine's Vortech pumps or other traditional style wavemaker pumps because it simply does something different and achieves a different goal. Can't compare apples to oranges.
CoralVue
MSRP Price- $149.99
Dimensions (LxWxH): 12.2in x 3.1in x 1.7in
Flow Rate: ~3000gph
Power Consumption: 40w-8w
Ideal for Aquariums: 25 -100 gallons
Features - (As listed on Coralvue's site)
-Unique Gyre Flow - Virtually Eliminates Dead Spots
-Evenly Distributed Linear Flow
-Discrete Design
-Twin Directional Flow Cages
-Waterproof Magnet Mount
-Controller with Mountable Cradle
-5 Flow Modes
-Constant Speed Mode
-Pulsing Mode
-Gradual Pulsing Mode
-Random Mode
-And Alternating Gyre Mode
-24 Hour Program Cycle
-10min Feed Mode
-Technology licensed by Maxspect
Now let's get to the review!
First Impressions- I was skeptical about several aspects on this pump; controller looked a little bit toyish in the photos and compared the pump dimensions to the maxspect gyre and it seemed that the IceCap mount stuck out more than the Maxspect. Once I received the pump and had a very satisfying unboxing experience i was wrong. For the price you cannot find a better pump. Period.
Controller- The controller is well built, doesn't have that lightweight, empty, or cheap feeling. Controller has a heatsink behind it as well as a pretty clever mount that's super easy to remove. Instructions and instructional Youtube videos make the control easy to set up. The Ipod-Like click wheel was actually a pretty neat idea and made the controller easy to learn set up and configuration. The different modes are pretty standard for wavemakers with the constant, random, gradual pulsing, pulsing, and recently gyre flow. But it's not so much the modes that speak to me, it's the reachability under rocks and how well the flow stays in tact when it reaches the other side of my tank (this tank being a 24.7x24.7x24.7 cube) bounces off the glass and creates that gyre flow that other pumps cannot achieve. The magnets it comes with are extremely strong however i wish they fully encased them in the rubber rather than having them be visible on the sides. I am saying super strong because my glass is 12mm thick and only larger tanks or rimless tanks have that thick of glass and or acrylic tanks. As far as noise levels go it's pretty average being not the loudest wavemaker i've ever heard but not the quietest. At 30-50% you don't hear anything sitting 5 feet away, only when you start to run it towards the max you'd still have to be either next to the tank or sit in a dead silent room to hear it. For those wondering, no it's not as quiet as a Vortech Quiet Drive but it's pretty darn close.
Pros:
-Economical price
-More gph per dollar than most pumps in that price range
-Controller w. mount
-Small profile
-Ability to connect to IceCap Batter Backup
Cons:
-Not wireless
-Cannot link multiple pumps together
Final Thoughts- For me it was either this or the Maxspect version for almost double the price and the difference was down to do I want the ability to connect to a 3rd party controller using the IceCap module as well as be able to connect another pump to the same controller? Answer was not worth it, at least in my case. My tank may not be as long as other tanks that may need two pumps but even for the price of $149.99 you cannot go wrong grabbing yourself one of these amazing pumps. Your not being cheap in no way in getting yourself one of these because it's not a cheap pump. I think the reason it's so low cost is to simply compete with jebao and sure it has no wifi feature or 3rd party accessibility but it's well worth the price tag given. Kudos to IceCap and Coralvue for the effort to make this style pump available to more hobbyist.
Note: I am not going to say this pump is better than Ecotech Marine's Vortech pumps or other traditional style wavemaker pumps because it simply does something different and achieves a different goal. Can't compare apples to oranges.
CoralVue
