AI Nero 3, is it worth it?

[CBonito]

What causes them to fail? Because from a general perspective it seems they just stop turning?

They have a tight clearance between the impeller and body which makes them susceptible to getting a piece of sand jammed in there, but it comes out easy enough. And it's not a failure. It's just a simple jam. They flow a decent amount of water for what they are and they are worth the money for sure.

 

[DrkNMighty]

I thought 24x24x24 is 60 gallon? That’s the same dimensions as my old cube that I thought was 60..

I misspoke. It’s closer to 22 all the way around. It’s an all in one so some of that is the back chamber area.

 

[boisblancboy]

I just read through this whole post. Anyone that has had issues really didn’t explain things to clearly. Not saying they didn’t have issues but makes me wonder what type of maintenance was done if any at all or what the actual issue was.

My take away from this post is the Nero’s are pretty solid. Anything mechanical that runs 24/7 is going to have issues and break down.

 

[CBonito]

I just read through this whole post. Anyone that has had issues really didn’t explain things to clearly. Not saying they didn’t have issues but makes me wonder what type of maintenance was done if any at all or what the actual issue was.

My take away from this post is the Nero’s are pretty solid. Anything mechanical that runs 24/7 is going to have issues and break down.

They are indeed pretty solid. I have 2 nero3s and a nero 5. No problems from any of them. The wifi is solid and they just keep working.

 

[AquaLogic]

It would be a plus since two other items on my tank are connected to the my ai app.

Fair enough. If you do buy it, I would buy it from Amazon and check the 4 year warranty box for 38$ personally. I see a lot of reports about these dying in about a year or two. I'm not usually an extended warranty guy, but on items with high failure rates it can end up saving you a lot of money.

 

[KC2020]

Hah! I just started a thread on another forum (a nano forum ) asking the same question. You'd think BRS would have some positive reviews to balance the bad. They do own AI after all.

 

[ItouchedThebutt]

Fair enough. If you do buy it, I would buy it from Amazon and check the 4 year warranty box for 38$ personally. I see a lot of reports about these dying in about a year or two. I'm not usually an extended warranty guy, but on items with high failure rates it can end up saving you a lot of money.

Didn’t even know that was an option, how does that work through Amazon? Is it like buying an extended warranty at Walmart? Amazon just sends you a new one?

 

[ItouchedThebutt]

Hah! I just started a thread on another forum (a nano forum ) asking the same question. You'd think BRS would have some positive reviews to balance the bad. They do own AI after all.

Didn’t know BRS owns AI. But yeah their reviews are exactly what made me post this. I love my other AI products. Just recently bought the axis pump and so far I like it.

 

[ItouchedThebutt]

Do y’all think a Nero 3 would be enough flow for a 30 gallon? I won’t have fish in it for about a month and coral for longer so I got time to research and save for it.

 

[AquaLogic]

Didn’t even know that was an option, how does that work through Amazon? Is it like buying an extended warranty at Walmart? Amazon just sends you a new one?

Yeah, when you look at the page, to the right under the price there's a box to check to add a warranty. It will be through Asurion or All State usually I think. You buy it on the same order and register on the insurance website, easy peasy. If it breaks you make a claim and they either fix it (unlikely) refund you, or send you a new one.

I did the same when I bought a Kessil a500x because I see people fussing about their Kessil lights dying a now and then. I think it's from lack of taking care of them and running them too close to the water personally, but I figured for 80$ I would just get the peace of mind for 4 years.

 

[ItouchedThebutt]

Yeah, when you look at the page, to the right under the price there's a box to check to add a warranty. It will be through Asurion or All State usually I think. You buy it on the same order and register on the insurance website, easy peasy. If it breaks you make a claim and they either fix it (unlikely) refund you, or send you a new one.

I did the same when I bought a Kessil a500x because I see people fussing about their Kessil lights dying a now and then. I think it's from lack of taking care of them and running them too close to the water personally, but I figured for 80$ I would just get the peace of mind for 4 years.

That’s not a bad idea tbh. I don’t usually buy into that but I know some of the frustrations has been with AI customer service and handling the problems or taking care of it.

 

[boisblancboy]

Do y’all think a Nero 3 would be enough flow for a 30 gallon? I won’t have fish in it for about a month and coral for longer so I got time to research and save for it.

I’ve watched a lot of videos regarding the flow and it appears there will be plenty for a 30 gallon tank.

 

[CBonito]

Do y’all think a Nero 3 would be enough flow for a 30 gallon? I won’t have fish in it for about a month and coral for longer so I got time to research and save for it.

Yes. But if you want to eliminate all doubt a Nero5 can be a nero 3 by turning it down...until you turn it up.
I have one blasting across my 3x2 foot 45 gallon and it kicks butt man.

 

[ItouchedThebutt]

Yes. But if you want to eliminate all doubt a Nero5 can be a nero 3 by turning it down...until you turn it up.
I have one blasting across my 3x2 foot 45 gallon and it kicks butt man.

I feel yeah. I almost may stick with it cause if it’s not enough I can get a second Nero 3. I have a feeling I may need a second one because of the center over flow box detritus may settle on the left and right of it.

 

[Aquachristik]

I have 2 Nero 3's on my RS 170 and they've been good to me. Being so small, you have to clean them often to keep optimal GPH up. Besides that, they're a bit expensive compared to Jebao/Hygger options, but the connectivity and syncing features are nice. I know the Jebaos of the world have caught up in terms of connectivity technology, but when I bought mine, the ease of use was a big plus. Their app could be better, but you get used to it, I guess.

Edit: aiming sucks. You can position it slightly, but I've found that small vibrations reset the position anyway. Something like a Tunze lets you aim much better.

 

[CBonito]

I feel yeah. I almost may stick with it cause if it’s not enough I can get a second Nero 3. I have a feeling I may need a second one because of the center over flow box detritus may settle on the left and right of it.

Well, that's what I did. I started with one nero3, then went to 2 of them and then I added a 5 because I wanted something that would really kick up stuff and make all my acropora happy. The nero3 for me at max is sufficient, but the nero5 makes me a lot happier. 3s work nicely on the back wall of the tank and the 5s are excellent for blasting across the tank.

 

[ItouchedThebutt]

I’d post here, but I have photos of my scape on a build thread I’ve put up if you guys think my scape may make a difference for what power heads could be optimal. Do you think you can get a nice sway or pulse out of the Nero’s? Thats one thing with my old tank and the gyres I was able to get my old Duncan the size of a soft ball to sway back and forth like a willo in the wind and it was just mesmerizing?

 

[Biggie&Dinkles]

I have a love hate relation with them... I used to have 4 on my Reefer250, along with some other pumps, but not anymore.

The good:

• They look good
• Neros will put out a lot of flow considering their size. It's also easy to fit a large number of them in smaller tanks.
• The controller is tiny as well, which is a plus.
• They're very intuitive to setup and program through the myAI app. Much easier than the Reefwaves
• If you're interested in using feed mode, neros are the best. No need to open an app on the phone, just hold down the button on any one of the controllers, and all your neros and AI lights will enter feed mode
• They're quiet unless on 100% and pulse mode

The bad:

• There's not much adjustment possible to the angle they blast away from the glass. The inside magnet is slightly domed, but this gives only 10 degrees or so to play with
• They're not the best value for money. Cheaper than MP10s and others, but still over priced given their lifespan
• The controller will enter "lock detection" error mode far to easily, when this happens the pump just turns off. Bluetooth only, so there's no push notifications. I've come home to find 3 out of 3 Neros not running at all; I don't trust them to keep my water moving.
• Disassembly and cleaning is simple enough (often prompted by the "lock detection" error), but sometimes they need factory reset to get spinning again
• I've ended up binning 3 out of 4 Neros I've owned due to them becoming stuck in the lock error state. The pump might be freely spinning by hand, but won't stay running. This is after ~ 2 years use

They're would be awesome if more reliable and longer lasting. I can't justify buying anymore given the lifespan I've got from mine, so I have ended up replacing with Jebao MLWs.