Neptune Systems WAV Powerhead

[OriginalUserName]

Sometimes this industry is very frustrating. At a price point of hundreds of dollars quality should be consistent. If half the users say a pump is junk and the other half say they work perfectly, there are issues there. This applies to the Ecotechs and the Wavs apparently. At least Jebao you know you are rolling the dice on getting something that lasts.

Maybe I'll just go with a Tunze. (waits for 50/50 reviews)

 

[chargingxray]

I’ve used 3 WAVs since they were first released. All three have had to be replaced by Neptune as they just stopped working. Didn’t cost me anything. But I did lose faith so I added 3 MP40 to the Reef. I now run 5 PHs on lower settings and keep one WAV as a back up and to blow off rocks and corals every week.

The WAVs do move some water, moreso than the MPs but I prefer the MPs. I’ve only run them since feb so the jury is out on durability. Last night I noticed an MPs just fell off the magnet and won’t stay attached so now I have that to deal with.......

In clean them every 6 weeks. Any powerhead needs a good soak and cleaning to keep them humming efficiently.

Yea it looks to be a hit or a miss on the WAVs longevity. Maybe I get one of each and just test them and see. If you find out the magnet issue post back that would be good to know to avoid that from happening to others.

 

[chargingxray]

Sometimes this industry is very frustrating. At a price point of hundreds of dollars quality should be consistent. If half the users say a pump is junk and the other half say they work perfectly, there are issues there. This applies to the Ecotechs and the Wavs apparently. At least Jebao you know you are rolling the dice on getting something that lasts.

Maybe I'll just go with a Tunze. (waits for 50/50 reviews)

That's a good point. Anyone out there used Tunze or Jebao and whats there input?

 

[OriginalUserName]

That's a good point. Anyone out there used Tunze or Jebao and whats there input?

I owned 2 of the first generation Jebao wave makers. They were a little bit loud (but I'm more sensitive to that than most people) when ramping up. More of a vibration sound than anything. 1 worked for 2 years, the other lasted 6 months. Granted I did not keep them very clean, but they were cheap and moved a lot of water.

I recently added one of their new SW-2s to my tank to supplement the Icecap 1k gyre and so far so good. Very quiet, but the controller is cheaper (it works though).

 

[Johnson556]

I was in your same situation a week ago. Upgraded to a 180 and own an apex. Really wasn’t sure how I was going to generate the flow I wanted for an SPS dominant tank. I had two Jabeo PP-20’s (one which has been cranking for a year) and wasn’t happy with the controllability and potential longevity of the pumps.

One of the 180’s I bought came with an MP40QD. The plan was to sell it and use the money to buy the WAV package. After hours of research, texting some friends and unnecessary aggrevation I decided to get another MP40QD. I now understand the hype and why they are so expensive. They’re incredible and silent. Currently running on the sides in reef crest mode, anti sync, at about 90% with the Jabeo’s above for added flow.

In he next month I will be adding 2 more MP40’s and the WXM module. I have never seen polyp extension on my SPS like this before. Well worth it.

 

[chargingxray]

I was in your same situation a week ago. Upgraded to a 180 and own an apex. Really wasn’t sure how I was going to generate the flow I wanted for an SPS dominant tank. I had two Jabeo PP-20’s (one which has been cranking for a year) and wasn’t happy with the controllability and potential longevity of the pumps.

One of the 180’s I bought came with an MP40QD. The plan was to sell it and use the money to buy the WAV package. After hours of research, texting some friends and unnecessary aggrevation I decided to get another MP40QD. I now understand the hype and why they are so expensive. They’re incredible and silent. Currently running on the sides in reef crest mode, anti sync, at about 90% with the Jabeo’s above for added flow.

In he next month I will be adding 2 more MP40’s and the WXM module. I have never seen polyp extension on my SPS like this before. Well worth it.

Let me start out by saying beautiful tank. So you have had no issues so far with the jabeo's? Comparing the jabeo to the MPs is it a huge difference in noise? One more voter for MP40QD's it looks like.

 

[chargingxray]

I owned 2 of the first generation Jebao wave makers. They were a little bit loud (but I'm more sensitive to that than most people) when ramping up. More of a vibration sound than anything. 1 worked for 2 years, the other lasted 6 months. Granted I did not keep them very clean, but they were cheap and moved a lot of water.

I recently added one of their new SW-2s to my tank to supplement the Icecap 1k gyre and so far so good. Very quiet, but the controller is cheaper (it works though).

Do you think the reason they failed was due to bad maintenance schedule or just bad build quality on jebao part? What made you stick with jebao if the others failed so soon?

 

[Johnson556]

Let me start out buy saying beautiful tank. So you have had no issues so far with the jabeo's? Comparing the jabeo to the MPs is it a huge difference in noise? One more voter for MP40QD's it looks like.

Thank You, it was a week old yesterday and still doing well. Rock work has already changed since that photo haha. I haven't had any issues with the Jabeos, they move water and a lot of it but i'm looking forward to switching to all MP40's.

 

[chargingxray]

Thank You, it was a week old yesterday and still doing well. Rock work has already changed since that photo haha. I haven't had any issues with the Jabeos, they move water and a lot of it but i'm looking forward to switching to all MP40's.

How many gallons is that setup? So are you thinking four MP40 total?

 

[Johnson556]

Display tank 180G, standard 72x24x24 with a 60G sump. I will have 4 MP40’s with two random flow nozzles on my returns. Moving about 1000GPH through the sump.

 

[RobertP]

I own 3 WAV pumps and been running them 24/7 for over a year now on my 130 gal. I love the fact that they plug directly into the energy bar so no extra power bricks. I love the direct programming from my apex. I have them on the back glass so I dont notice how big they are...definitely noticed when I tried to put them on the sides. Why does my Apex not tell me how much power they are using? I want to be able to tell when they are getting clogged up and using less power like I can with my skimmer and return pumps! I do NOT like the cord in the water and it is already stiffening up. To clean it I pull the whole thing out (removing and rerunning the cords is a real PITA) and put it in vinegar overnight but that is a pain and I have a dead spot in the tank while it soaks. This is the first set of powerheads I have ever owned. Do they all click on and click off in wave modes? Do they all make noise in certain modes that I can hear two rooms away? I have not heard the ecotechs at the LFS do that but maybe they are on the quiet modes in the daytime? Doubtful but possible.

If I had it to do over, and I will be at some point, I will probably go with the Ecotech wave pumps. I am in love with no cords and I can buy an extra head to replace while cleaning the dirty ones.

 

[RobertP]

Forgot to mention that with the cords inside the tank, my screen lid does not sit flush. Yes, I could have cut out a spot for the cords in the lid's frame but still a eye sore and ticks me off every time I think about it.

 

[ca1ore]

Are they silent? I've never owned a vortech but so many say that they are fairly loud.

Depends on the model (MP60 are louder than MP40), the generation (QD quieter than ES) and how hard you run them (ramping to 100% is louder than ramping them to 40%).

 

[OriginalUserName]

I own 3 WAV pumps and been running them 24/7 for over a year now on my 130 gal. I love the fact that they plug directly into the energy bar so no extra power bricks. I love the direct programming from my apex. I have them on the back glass so I dont notice how big they are...definitely noticed when I tried to put them on the sides. Why does my Apex not tell me how much power they are using? I want to be able to tell when they are getting clogged up and using less power like I can with my skimmer and return pumps! I do NOT like the cord in the water and it is already stiffening up. To clean it I pull the whole thing out (removing and rerunning the cords is a real PITA) and put it in vinegar overnight but that is a pain and I have a dead spot in the tank while it soaks. This is the first set of powerheads I have ever owned. Do they all click on and click off in wave modes? Do they all make noise in certain modes that I can hear two rooms away? I have not heard the ecotechs at the LFS do that but maybe they are on the quiet modes in the daytime? Doubtful but possible.

If I had it to do over, and I will be at some point, I will probably go with the Ecotech wave pumps. I am in love with no cords and I can buy an extra head to replace while cleaning the dirty ones.

None of the wave pumps I've owned have clicked.

 

[OriginalUserName]

Do you think the reason they failed was due to bad maintenance schedule or just bad build quality on jebao part? What made you stick with jebao if the others failed so soon?

I think it's a combination. For comparison, I neglected the heck out of my koralias and when they stopped working I'd clean them and they would be fine. I picked up the SW-2 because it was small and cheap. Compare the SW-15 at $85 to the MP10 at $235. Especially since it's not like there aren't plenty of vortech breakdown stories. You have to figure out the odds of breaking vs how much hassle it is vs features like form factor etc.

Lately I've been more in the spend more money and get more quality mindset, but I could definitely see using Jebao for supplemental applications.

 

[leepink23]

I own 3 WAV pumps and been running them 24/7 for over a year now on my 130 gal. I love the fact that they plug directly into the energy bar so no extra power bricks. I love the direct programming from my apex. I have them on the back glass so I dont notice how big they are...definitely noticed when I tried to put them on the sides. Why does my Apex not tell me how much power they are using? I want to be able to tell when they are getting clogged up and using less power like I can with my skimmer and return pumps! I do NOT like the cord in the water and it is already stiffening up. To clean it I pull the whole thing out (removing and rerunning the cords is a real PITA) and put it in vinegar overnight but that is a pain and I have a dead spot in the tank while it soaks. This is the first set of powerheads I have ever owned. Do they all click on and click off in wave modes? Do they all make noise in certain modes that I can hear two rooms away? I have not heard the ecotechs at the LFS do that but maybe they are on the quiet modes in the daytime? Doubtful but possible.

If I had it to do over, and I will be at some point, I will probably go with the Ecotech wave pumps. I am in love with no cords and I can buy an extra head to replace while cleaning the dirty ones.

Mine close click on pipeline.

 

[RobertP]

Yeah I think pipeline was my issue as well. I had the left and right alternating so was hearing the click each time they changed...click on the right, then click on the left. I switched to Terrance's scheme which does not have pipeline so I dont hear the clicks. Now I get vibrations when Mavericks is running...but then again I know they need a cleaning since it has been about 6 months since the last vinegar dip. I can definitely tell they are not pushing as much water but that is not Neptune's fault.

 

[ksfulk]

Curious what your source was for the new prop design claim?

I dont know if it was a "new design" exactly, but what I was told by the technician during my first return is that my prop assembly was the older prop and they replaced it with a newer version. The original was an entire black assembly (including the magnet and spacers), and the newer version that I recieved on both of the powerheads was the one you can now source from BRS and the like with a gray colored magnet for the prop and white spacers.

 

[ca1ore]

Ok, thanks, interesting to know. I'll have to check to see which mine are.

 

[Highgrade]

I dont know if it was a "new design" exactly, but what I was told by the technician during my first return is that my prop assembly was the older prop and they replaced it with a newer version. The original was an entire black assembly (including the magnet and spacers), and the newer version that I recieved on both of the powerheads was the one you can now source from BRS and the like with a gray colored magnet for the prop and white spacers.

I noticed the newer prop assembly when I received both of my replacement pumps. My original pumps had the older version. According to Neptune the props had nothing to do with my dead pumps.