Powerhead / wave maker recommendations

Hifi Guy

New Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 17, 2023
Messages
10
Reaction score
19
Location
Chicago
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Hello everyone! My tank is 6 months old (125g) 6 feet long. I'm planning on adding corals this weekend, I purchased a wave maker on Amazon, but I think its much to strong, the moment I plug it in, all the fish go and hide in the caves etc. I ran it for 6 hours and they never came out.

. Link to what I purchased.

Does anyone have any suggestions on which product is good for my situation? I don't want to keep buying and experimenting :p

Thank you kindly in advance!
 

Gtinnel

10K Club member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 20, 2020
Messages
21,301
Reaction score
29,878
Location
Charleston, WV
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I doubt a single cheap powerhead from Amazon is too much flow. It also doesn’t appear to be controllable so it’s not ideal because you can’t have the flow fluctuate.

What powerhead gets recommended will depend greatly on your budget, but if not wanting to spend too much Jebao makes generally reliable powerheads for reasonable prices. If money is no object then I’d personally recommend Vortech pumps.

I have the same sized tank and I have two Jebao scp150 gyres and two Neptune WAV pumps.
 

Reefbuds

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 8, 2017
Messages
1,440
Reaction score
1,822
Location
Mount Olive, NC
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I’ve had an icecap gyro for years and i LOVE it. Very strong adjustable flow and has held up to the test of time and my janky maintenance on it. They are about mid tier in price but very much worth it in the long run. They look slick as well. Highly recommended.
As a side note you want good strong flow for most corals, depending on what you are trying to keep.

What are you trying to keep btw?
 

shakacuz

hang loose, cuz
View Badges
Joined
Aug 7, 2021
Messages
8,972
Reaction score
34,235
Location
Eastern PA
Rating - 100%
6   0   0
jebao if you want cheap pumps that will last. maxspect/ai/ecotech for quality (ecotech owns AI, so quality is similar. performance is different). i currently use 2 AI nero 3's and 1 jebao scp70 in my 40B.
 
OP
OP
H

Hifi Guy

New Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 17, 2023
Messages
10
Reaction score
19
Location
Chicago
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
thank you for your suggestions! I'll look into those, the VorTech looked awesome, but don't want to spend that much right now.

Appreciate the advice!
 

bblumberg

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 19, 2016
Messages
710
Reaction score
761
Location
Irvine, CA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Tunze are extremely durable and well worth the extra cost compared with some others.
 

Mark3

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Nov 9, 2015
Messages
409
Reaction score
297
Location
SPRING HILL
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I have the exact same size tank as yours (72" long) and I bought 2 of these about a year ago and they're working great. And at this price if they break down you can just buy another one after a year or 2 of use and still be money ahead.
Screenshot_20231020-180831_Amazon Shopping.jpg
 

Mark3

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Nov 9, 2015
Messages
409
Reaction score
297
Location
SPRING HILL
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
This is working for me.
 

Attachments

  • Screenshot_20231020-181518_Amazon Shopping.jpg
    Screenshot_20231020-181518_Amazon Shopping.jpg
    101.4 KB · Views: 32

FUNGI

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 2, 2023
Messages
870
Reaction score
772
Location
COMPTON CALIFORNIA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
This is working for me.
I have the bigger one (3400gph)....works like a charm and the controller is super easy. I use it a a 6ft tank. "wave" almost to the end of the other side. I replaced my 2 Maxspects Gyres with ths one.
 

Mark3

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Nov 9, 2015
Messages
409
Reaction score
297
Location
SPRING HILL
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I have the bigger one (3400gph)....works like a charm and the controller is super easy. I use it a a 6ft tank. "wave" almost to the end of the other side. I replaced my 2 Maxspects Gyres with ths one.
Yes... I have 2 of the 3400 ...one each side and run them at about 30% power... can crank them to full power to kick it into hurricane season...stir things up
 

nursingcoral

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Nov 8, 2022
Messages
42
Reaction score
19
Location
NYC
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Hello everyone! My tank is 6 months old (125g) 6 feet long. I'm planning on adding corals this weekend, I purchased a wave maker on Amazon, but I think its much to strong, the moment I plug it in, all the fish go and hide in the caves etc. I ran it for 6 hours and they never came out.

. Link to what I purchased.

Does anyone have any suggestions on which product is good for my situation? I don't want to keep buying and experimenting :p

Thank you kindly in advance!

I'm currently using 3 different powerhead brands in my 250G. I have 2 Ecotech MP40s , a Tunze, and a Jebao. All three work well, but I have used various Tunze's for many years and have been satisfied with them.
 

tzabor10

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 21, 2023
Messages
1,133
Reaction score
1,371
Location
Syracuse
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
thank you for your suggestions! I'll look into those, the VorTech looked awesome, but don't want to spend that much right now.

Appreciate the advice!
Not only are vortech expensive, you should get extra wet sides and anemone guards. $$
 

Reefing threads: Do you wear gear from reef brands?

  • I wear reef gear everywhere.

    Votes: 20 13.4%
  • I wear reef gear primarily at fish events and my LFS.

    Votes: 10 6.7%
  • I wear reef gear primarily for water changes and tank maintenance.

    Votes: 1 0.7%
  • I wear reef gear primarily to relax where I live.

    Votes: 23 15.4%
  • I don’t wear gear from reef brands.

    Votes: 84 56.4%
  • Other.

    Votes: 11 7.4%
Back
Top