Will one gyre pump work with my aquascape?

Jcon82 · Mar 9, 2023

Hi All,

This 40 breeder mixed reef has been running about a year. I started it with three Jebao SW-4 pumps and cleaned them every 2 months with citric acid. A few days ago one of them died on me and I fear the other two aren't far behind. The decreased flow is starting to cause some issues so I'm researching a replacement. My LFS recommended a Nero 5 but I dont think just one will cut it. So I'm considering a Maxspect Jump 2k gyre pump.

I attached a pic of my scape. As you can see there are 3 coves and the top and front is open. This is an older pic and there's some acro and SPS on the highest peaks that really need to get blasted by flow. I'm pretty sure that the 2000gph gyre will give me excellent flow up top but I'm unsure about how it'll hit the bottom areas. I dont want a lot of flow down there but some is needed.

I also run HOB gear on the left side that may be a problem. I would put the pump on the right side and I'm worried that the output of my HOB filter and skimmer will ruin the gyre effect. If anyone has run a similar setup I'd love to hear your opinions.

o2manyfish · Mar 9, 2023

I run the jebao pumps in an abusive situation - They are in outdoor frag tanks and get pummelled with sunlight and intense algae and coraline growth. I find that cleaning them 2x a year I get about a year or so out of them and then they die.

I know many people swear that they are running them for years and years. But using about 6-8 of these pumps a year, while a couple may last 2 years, the majority get tossed annually. And at the price point you can't complain too much about it.

I played with the Gyre, and in an exaggerated algae growth situation (Outside in the sun) the maintenance was ridiculous. It REQUIRED a citric bath every 6-8 weeks to work. But efficiency and the output of the pump decreased dramatically within a couple of weeks.

I'd much rather have a pair of powerheads for less money pushing water 2 different directions on a timer, and a lot less required maintenance.

Dave B

TheBear78 · Mar 9, 2023

I run a single gyre (Maxspect 4k) on one end of my 4' tank. It certainly has enough potential flow to keep the whole tank clear but its difficult to maintain lower flow areas for more sensitive coral/Nems.
I added a twin output random flow nozzle to the return which enables additional directional control for higher flow areas (GSP, Zoas) to get the flow they like. The Gyre is currently flowing quite slow, just for surface turnover more than anything and since adding the mesh 'nem guard even 100% is quite restricted.
The tank seems to be OK with this as there are no obvious dead spots but it would be nice to keep more detritus from settling on the rocks. I may have to add more directed flow if things turn for the worse.
My rockscape isn't dissimilar to yours.