New Return Pump! Neptune COR-20 or Jebao DCT 8000 ???

[tylr9m482]

Like it says, I'm torn if I should go with the bells and whistles of the Neptune COR-20 or keep it cheap and simple with the Jebao 8000!

I know these two pumps are widely different and Jebao has a reputation of hit or miss equipment. I personally have had their wavemakers die on me in the first year and I've also had some last upwards of 5 years. But I am reading reviews that the COR is just as unreliable and will die within the first 1-2 years which makes me uncomfortable spending nearly $400 when i can get a Jebao for $100.

Background on my system, 75 gallon mixed reef, with 55 gal custom sump underneath. Currently I have been running a Mag Drive 9.5 for the past 5 years without issue, the reason for the upgrade is I am looking to plumb in a UV sterilizer and anticipate I'll need some extra juice to get the flow right, the controllability of a DC pump sounds perfect.

I do have an APEX and while I wouldn't say it's an APEX heavy system, I do like the controllability the apex provides and the different configurations I could create with the COR. I'm just having trouble justifying the price of the pump if it is not going to last me years to come!

Just looking for honest feedback here from anyone who has owned either of these pumps and their experience with them. Please feel free to chime in with your 2 cents and a vote for one way or the other.

Thanks guys!

 

[User1]

I have owned a Jebao DCT 15000. I think I paid around 140 bucks give or take. Heavy. Moved a lot of water. Plan was to use it for my 210 gallon tank. During the initial plumbing and leak checks it ran fine. However, here is my honest feedback after owning it.

1. It moved water
2. It was affordable (remember this though in a minute)
3. DC, control flow
4. Poor quality
5. Paper thin body - reminded me of recycled plastic. Hostess cupcake holder thickness
6. During the unboxing I made the mistake of using the handle on the body - it broke. It isn't a handle and only slides into the back cap of the pump
7. After leak check was done I disconnected it and saw a leak near the neck thread area. Turns out the body is thin and somehow I cracked the neck area on the output connection. Pump is unusable and I tossed it.

It didn't make it past the leak and plumbing checks. Very poor quality of this model. Very thin body. It doesn't matter of the cost if you have to replace it. Please note that I also ran 2 x Jebao RW4's and a RW8 on my 40 breeder. They work. One failure within a year. 2 others worked fine. However, need cleaning every three weeks due to output fall off rate. They are ok, but do not like being dirty. So my experience with Jebao is that they are a cheaper entry point but you get what you pay for in this case and do not save money in the long run.

Point 2.

I have 3 Neptune Cor pumps. 2 x Cor 15 and 1 x Cor 20. Great pumps. Thick body. Built F-150 tough. Every piece of the pump is built heavy duty. They include all plumbing components minus a intake screen. Cor 15's do not require a power brick while the Cor 20 does. I can let them run 2 or more months without cleaning. They just work and move water. One is on my skimmer. 2 on my return lines. I can hot swap any of them since they all use the same size unions.

1. Move water
2. Long time between cleanings
3. Cor 15's direct connect to Apex
4. Smart mode to reduce water flow yet stop gurgling
5. Thick body, heavy
6. Small form factor
7. Easy to clean

Cor's are a bit more expensive. The o-ring inside when cleaning can be a pain in the rear to set. However, o-ring seal grease is the way to go. Works and solves that problem. They are good and you get what you pay for. At least I have. No failures yet and I've owned them since retail launch. Are they royal exclusive or abyss? No. But they are a fine pump and "I" have had success with them.

TL;DR - you will save initially but after replacing it you will end up spending more I'm afraid. At least that is my experience. Best of luck.

Note: it doesn't mean all models are bad or people can't have success. Just giving you my experience. I'm also fond of the original iwaki Japanese return pumps to put it into perspective.

 

[tylr9m482]

I have owned a Jebao DCT 15000. I think I paid around 140 bucks give or take. Heavy. Moved a lot of water. Plan was to use it for my 210 gallon tank. During the initial plumbing and leak checks it ran fine. However, here is my honest feedback after owning it.

1. It moved water
2. It was affordable (remember this though in a minute)
3. DC, control flow
4. Poor quality
5. Paper thin body - reminded me of recycled plastic. Hostess cupcake holder thickness
6. During the unboxing I made the mistake of using the handle on the body - it broke. It isn't a handle and only slides into the back cap of the pump
7. After leak check was done I disconnected it and saw a leak near the neck thread area. Turns out the body is thin and somehow I cracked the neck area on the output connection. Pump is unusable and I tossed it.

It didn't make it past the leak and plumbing checks. Very poor quality of this model. Very thin body. It doesn't matter of the cost if you have to replace it. Please note that I also ran 2 x Jebao RW4's and a RW8 on my 40 breeder. They work. One failure within a year. 2 others worked fine. However, need cleaning every three weeks due to output fall off rate. They are ok, but do not like being dirty. So my experience with Jebao is that they are a cheaper entry point but you get what you pay for in this case and do not save money in the long run.

Point 2.

I have 3 Neptune Cor pumps. 2 x Cor 15 and 1 x Cor 20. Great pumps. Thick body. Built F-150 tough. Every piece of the pump is built heavy duty. They include all plumbing components minus a intake screen. Cor 15's do not require a power brick while the Cor 20 does. I can let them run 2 or more months without cleaning. They just work and move water. One is on my skimmer. 2 on my return lines. I can hot swap any of them since they all use the same size unions.

1. Move water
2. Long time between cleanings
3. Cor 15's direct connect to Apex
4. Smart mode to reduce water flow yet stop gurgling
5. Thick body, heavy
6. Small form factor
7. Easy to clean

Cor's are a bit more expensive. The o-ring inside when cleaning can be a pain in the rear to set. However, o-ring seal grease is the way to go. Works and solves that problem. They are good and you get what you pay for. At least I have. No failures yet and I've owned them since retail launch. Are they royal exclusive or abyss? No. But they are a fine pump and "I" have had success with them.

TL;DR - you will save initially but after replacing it you will end up spending more I'm afraid. At least that is my experience. Best of luck.

Note: it doesn't mean all models are bad or people can't have success. Just giving you my experience. I'm also fond of the original iwaki Japanese return pumps to put it into perspective.

Awesome response, very cool that you had basically both pumps I am looking at! Thank you for the info. Interested to see what others have to say!

 

[Quoc Vu]

I currently have a Dcp-8000 which is similar to what you are thinking of and have zero issues for 18 months. For the price i think Jebao does the job fine if you just keep up with maintenance. The neptune is almost double price but from BRS reviews isnt worth the price in my opionion. If it comes down to price vs quality only you know the answer. if you are going for a higher end pump and want to pay the price then find something with better reviews hope that helps.

 

[jstephens24]

Iv only had the Cor-20 for a few months but no complaints so far

 

[User1]

I currently have a Dcp-8000 which is similar to what you are thinking of and have zero issues for 18 months. For the price i think Jebao does the job fine if you just keep up with maintenance. The neptune is almost double price but from BRS reviews isnt worth the price in my opionion. If it comes down to price vs quality only you know the answer. if you are going for a higher end pump and want to pay the price then find something with better reviews hope that helps.

This reminded me of the best of 2019...may be of value to the OP.

 

[Quoc Vu]

This reminded me of the best of 2019...may be of value to the OP.

Agreed that is a good one to watch.

 

[tylr9m482]

This reminded me of the best of 2019...may be of value to the OP.

Thanks guys! I totally forgot to rewatch this video, definitely helps. I am sorta leaning toward the COR so I can hook it up to my APEX, just hoping that the high rating by BRS in this video isn't due to branding and more people can speak to it's reliability when used properly. I'm also hoping the customer reviews on BRS that talk negatively about this pump are just due to a few people's poor experiences, if I do decide on this pump, and I don't get stuck with a dead pump within a year. Granted we all know all products have the possibility to be detective from time to time and most ppl are more likely to post a bad review than a good one, so I try to keep that in mind as well.

 

[User1]

Thanks guys! I totally forgot to rewatch this video, definitely helps. I am sorta leaning toward the COR so I can hook it up to my APEX, just hoping that the high rating by BRS in this video isn't due to branding and more people can speak to it's reliability when used properly. I'm also hoping the customer reviews on BRS that talk negatively about this pump are just due to a few people's poor experiences, if I do decide on this pump, and I don't get stuck with a dead pump within a year. Granted we all know all products have the possibility to be detective from time to time and most ppl are more likely to post a bad review than a good one, so I try to keep that in mind as well.

The best of 2019 covers a wider spread of pumps. So not really biased. Please don't hold me to this but I thought in the video, or maybe it was for another product, they noted sales data. I mean they have all that information so I don't believe they are saying it is the best just because. However, you are doing the right thing by exploring your options.

Here is another they did within the past month I think. I'm really not trying to push you to the Cor pump. I was just thinking of this when the other fella noted BRS

 

[tylr9m482]

The best of 2019 covers a wider spread of pumps. So not really biased. Please don't hold me to this but I thought in the video, or maybe it was for another product, they noted sales data. I mean they have all that information so I don't believe they are saying it is the best just because. However, you are doing the right thing by exploring your options.

Here is another they did within the past month I think. I'm really not trying to push you to the Cor pump. I was just thinking of this when the other fella noted BRS

Much appreciated. I've been wanting to lean toward this pump from the get go. I just got a bit worried by the customer reviews and was hoping to get more feedback here from people who own it for a longer period of time.

 

[User1]

Much appreciated. I've been wanting to lean toward this pump from the get go. I just got a bit worried by the customer reviews and was hoping to get more feedback here from people who own it for a longer period of time.

Hopefully more will come. One idea if you haven't already is cruise through the member tank sub forum. A lot of hobbyist list their threads there that may give other ideas. May be able to take those pumps and divert it back to the BRS best of and get some other choices.

Good news is you have options Have a great day!

 

[ScottB]

I think @saf1 covered it well.

I will add one tidbit in case you are susceptible to LARS, like I am.

The Jebao must be kept clean -- preemptively -- in order to keep service life.

I've been running the COR 20 for six months at 55% without cleaning it. Once I notice power consumption change, then I'll have my first indication that I should clean it.

 

[tylr9m482]

I think @saf1 covered it well.

I will add one tidbit in case you are susceptible to LARS, like I am.

The Jebao must be kept clean -- preemptively -- in order to keep service life.

I've been running the COR 20 for six months at 55% without cleaning it. Once I notice power consumption change, then I'll have my first indication that I should clean it.

I do like that feature of the COR, to be totally honest and air my dirty laundry, I think I went about 3-4 years at one point without cleaning my mag drive 9.5. Just cleaned it out for the first time since then at the beginning of quarantine. So some reminders wouldn’t hurt haha!

 

[tylr9m482]

Thanks to everyone who offered input. I ended up buying the Neptune COR-20 from my LFS along with an Aqua UV 25W sterilizer. Just got it all set up and hard plumbed in my system, so far so good! Will be looking for advanced cor programming threads, if anyone has any good ones, looking to for ramping up after feed mode or being turned off specifically! Thanks again!

 

[ca1ore]

I do like that feature of the COR, to be totally honest and air my dirty laundry, I think I went about 3-4 years at one point without cleaning my mag drive 9.5. Just cleaned it out for the first time since then at the beginning of quarantine. So some reminders wouldn’t hurt haha!

Just keep in mind that none of the current crop of DC pumps are likely to have the same longevity as a mag drive. There are certainly things to not like about mag drives, but they do last a long time. Always good to ask yourself whether your tank can survive a protracted main pump outage. If the answer is no, or maybe no, then reliability (or having an on hand spare) becomes a more important consideration. Although I note that neither are on your list, I use a Vectra on a closed loop and a PanWorld as main return. The vectra is close to 5 years of flawless service (haven’t cleaned it either), if it fails .... no impact to the tank. Main return pump would be more problematic so I use a decades reliable pump .... and have a spare on hand.

The main appeal of the COR to me is apex integration. When my Vectra fails I’ll likely go that route. In fact, when I bought my M2 in 2015 (?), I had intended to get a COR but just grew weary of all the delays.

 

[01xp]

Off topic but I use a current usa pump it's built very nice it's not noisy and I pains 160 for a 1900gpd

 

[tylr9m482]

Just keep in mind that none of the current crop of DC pumps are likely to have the same longevity as a mag drive. There are certainly things to not like about mag drives, but they do last a long time. Always good to ask yourself whether your tank can survive a protracted main pump outage. If the answer is no, or maybe no, then reliability (or having an on hand spare) becomes a more important consideration. Although I note that neither are on your list, I use a Vectra on a closed loop and a PanWorld as main return. The vectra is close to 5 years of flawless service (haven’t cleaned it either), if it fails .... no impact to the tank. Main return pump would be more problematic so I use a decades reliable pump .... and have a spare on hand.

The main appeal of the COR to me is apex integration. When my Vectra fails I’ll likely go that route. In fact, when I bought my M2 in 2015 (?), I had intended to get a COR but just grew weary of all the delays.

I did look at the Vectras before the COR but since Ecotech decided not to integrate this pump with apex the same way they did their Vortech and Radions, I run both off the WXM module, I wanted to keep my return pump on something I could run on APEX, leaving me with the COR as the obvious candidate. Hopefully this pump lasts a long time, enough to get its money's worth anyway, but I will have the Mag 9 laying around for a back up if needed.