Maxspect Gyres are trash!!!

[fity2pounder]

My opinion/experience with Maxspect Gyres and CoralVue.

I purchased 5 of these pumps (with three separate controllers).

Every single pump has had issues with clogging (sometimes within days of being given an acid bath)

Two of the controllers have lost power to one of the two pumps they are supposed to control. Even if you contact them within warranty, they will not help you with an ongoing issue the persists beyond the warranty period and expect you to pay for shipping, etc. etc.

The bushings they supply are very low grade and VERY QUICKLY build up and clog. This then causes the rubber boots to wear down because the bushings just spin inside the rubber boots. This effectively makes it so that the rubber boots are the new "bushings", and you can imagine how fast they wear down.

The customer service at this place (CoralVue is their umbrella company name) is absolutely trash.

There are very few companies that I flat out refuse to every buy anything from every again in my life, but this is CLEARLY one of them.

I have already wasted countless hours cleaning, replacing, fixing, etc these pumps, so please don't ask me to waste any more of my life posting pictures. I have looked at these gyres from all aspects (mechanically, chemically, and many other possibilities) that I could think of, and the only conclusion is that THEY ARE TRASH!!! DO NOT GIVE THIS COMPANY YOUR MONEY!!!

 

[JumboShrimp]

Anyone else having similar (or dissimilar/favorable) experiences?

 

[fity2pounder]

Anyone else having similar (or dissimilar/favorable) experiences?

Look through the reviews on bulk reef supply. Many bad reviews. The positive ones are probably just from people that just got them. When you first set them up they are awesome. They just nosedive hard after a short time. Maybe it's just me, but don't want to be spending hundreds/thousands of dollars on new powerheads every year or two.

 

[fishybizzness]

Mine actually work great. It takes me about 20 minutes once a month to clean them whichis no timein my opinion. They give great flow. I've owned the 230s, the 330s and installed some 350s a few months ago on my 120. Never had an issue with any of the power supplies or controllers.

 

[JumboShrimp]

Well my 4 are quite new. I hope I don’t end up suffering what you have gone through... I wouldn’t be happy either.

 

[fity2pounder]

Mine actually work great. It takes me about 20 minutes once a month to clean them whichis no timein my opinion. They give great flow. I've owned the 230s, the 330s and installed some 350s a few months ago on my 120. Never had an issue with any of the power supplies or controllers.

how long have you had them running (how old are they)?

 

[fishybizzness]

Look through the reviews on bulk reef supply. Many bad reviews. The positive ones are probably just from people that just got them. When you first set them up they are awesome. They just nosedive hard after a short time. Maybe it's just me, but don't want to be spending hundreds/thousands of dollars on new powerheads every year or two.

Alot of the bad reviews are dealing with having to clean them more often than some other pumps. I feel that if cleaning a pump that takes 20 minutes once a month or so is too much work, maybe you should consider getting another easier hobby. Jmho

 

[VanDalsenReef]

I never had problems. I had the original 100 series for years and years and the new ones. Never one problem. I clean them every couple months.

 

[fishybizzness]

how long have you had them running (how old are they)?

I had the 230s for about 3-4 years on my 55 and gave them away when I upgraded to the 330s. When I set up my 120 early last year I moved the 230s to the 120 and got some neros for the 55. A few months ago I upgraded to the 350s because the glass was a little thick for the magnets on the 330s. No issues with any of them.

 

[fity2pounder]

Alot of the bad reviews are dealing with having to clean them more often than some other pumps. I feel that if cleaning a pump that takes 20 minutes once a month or so is too much work, maybe you should consider getting another easier hobby. Jmho

I respectfully completely disagree. Do you clean everything in your tank once per month? Protien skimmer? Powerheads? Return pumps? Algae scrubber? Etc.? I am confident is saying that one should not have to clean these things every single month. I've had cheap old-school koralias that would go for months and months (maybe even years) without clogging or needing to be cleaned. Also do you only have one tank? I'm doing this on 5 pumps. It's not as simple as you make it sound either. These come apart easily, but putting them back together and making sure the bushings are perfectly aligned so that they do not pinch and so that the magnet doesn't scar the motor housing (yes this has happened to multiple of the housings I have) is not quick. Consider an easier hobby you say? This is a job for me my friend, not a hobby. I have no other complaints about any of my other equipment, just the Maxspects.

 

[VanDalsenReef]

I respectfully completely disagree. Do you clean everything in your tank once per month? Protien skimmer? Powerheads? Return pumps? Algae scrubber? Etc.? I am confident is saying that one should not have to clean these things every single month. I've had cheap old-school koralias that would go for months and months (maybe even years) without clogging or needing to be cleaned. Also do you only have one tank? I'm doing this on 5 pumps. It's not as simple as you make it sound either. These come apart easily, but putting them back together and making sure the bushings are perfectly aligned so that they do not pinch and so that the magnet doesn't scar the motor housing (yes this has happened to multiple of the housings I have) is not quick. Consider an easier hobby you say? This is a job for me my friend, not a hobby. I have no other complaints about any of my other equipment, just the Maxspects.

Yeah I've never had problems putting them back together either. Everyone's experience is different. Some people hate them some don't, thats life. Sucks they are giving you such a terrible time

 

[WDKegge]

Agree with OP, I have had nothing but bad luck with both the 200 and 300 series of these pumps.

Controller Failing
Pumps getting stuck

Along with the fact that these things lose about 50% of their power after being in the tank for less than 2 weeks before needing cleaning puts them at the very bottom of my list when it comes to powerheads.

 

[metzer]

i have half dozen 350s, some purchased two years ago and some just a year ago. I have had no large problem other than the channel B thing that seems to be a known issue. I clean the pumps more than i like but usually they will go for a good four to six weeks without huge performance loss.

 

[fishybizzness]

I respectfully completely disagree. Do you clean everything in your tank once per month? Protien skimmer? Powerheads? Return pumps? Algae scrubber? Etc.? I am confident is saying that one should not have to clean these things every single month. I've had cheap old-school koralias that would go for months and months (maybe even years) without clogging or needing to be cleaned. Also do you only have one tank? I'm doing this on 5 pumps. It's not as simple as you make it sound either. These come apart easily, but putting them back together and making sure the bushings are perfectly aligned so that they do not pinch and so that the magnet doesn't scar the motor housing (yes this has happened to multiple of the housings I have) is not quick. Consider an easier hobby you say? This is a job for me my friend, not a hobby. I have no other complaints about any of my other equipment, just the Maxspects.

Sorry you have had such bad luck with yours. I currently have a 55 gal, a 120 gal and a 50 cube build that will be replacing the 55. Oh, and a 30 freshwater. In my experience, the 230s were a little bit trickier to put back together but the 300 series were simple once I did it once or twice, way improved from the 200s. The flow directors on the 300s also keep them clean longer. If I get really busy at work and I can't get to them every month I just bump up the flow in the synergy app 10 % and they are fine for a week or two more.

 

[Kfactor]

I respectfully completely disagree. Do you clean everything in your tank once per month? Protien skimmer? Powerheads? Return pumps? Algae scrubber? Etc.? I am confident is saying that one should not have to clean these things every single month. I've had cheap old-school koralias that would go for months and months (maybe even years) without clogging or needing to be cleaned. Also do you only have one tank? I'm doing this on 5 pumps. It's not as simple as you make it sound either. These come apart easily, but putting them back together and making sure the bushings are perfectly aligned so that they do not pinch and so that the magnet doesn't scar the motor housing (yes this has happened to multiple of the housings I have) is not quick. Consider an easier hobby you say? This is a job for me my friend, not a hobby. I have no other complaints about any of my other equipment, just the Maxspects.

I clean all my stuff more often just to keep up on thing and some things I clean a little less I like nice clean running stuff

 

[VanDalsenReef]

I do also clean my return and skimmer everytime I do my gyre and neros. Just keeps everything pretty. Only takes me like 30 minutes to an hour.

 

[SamsReef]

Gyres are prone to getting clogged easily. I just trashed them after 2 years of struggling. Pulling the two sides apart was a nightmare. The material is fine but the design itself is flawed. I don’t think other gyre copycat models are going to work either because they are copying a flawed design.

I am back to Tunzes and MP40s. Super happy. Nothing beats tunzes and Ecotech in longevity and low maintenance

sam

 

[VanDalsenReef]

I have been saying this for a while. Gyres are prone to getting clogged easily. I just trashed them after 2 years of struggling. Pulling the two sides apart was a nightmare.

I am back to Tunzes and MP40s. Super happy. Nothing beats tunzes and Ecotech in longevity and low maintenance

sam

See and I hate ecotech. Cheap crap. I've never had good eexperience, but that's just how it works sometimes. Tunze are great pumps but hard to really compare pumps to eachother when they are built completely different and make totally different flow. But yes tunze knows how to make pumps because that's where they started. Like sicce. Or bose. Their products may not look very stylish or fancy but they stand the test of time on build and quality as they've kept just mastering what they started in the market.

 

[landlubber]

the programming, the disassembly and reassembly all take getting used to but junk... not even close. i'm going on 5 years with the same pumps and few very minor issues. regardless, i'm sorry to read OP is having issues.

 

[SamsReef]

Here is what I settled on after a lot of experimentation over decades - Tunze plus Sea Sweep

Tunze plus Sea Sweep