Any experience with the Reef Breeders RP-M?

[DeepSeaReefer7]

i was looking around for a new power head for my IM 40 and came across the Reef Breeders, Reef Power RP-M the reviews on the site seem to be good and well liked besides the controller being basic.
anyways I am on a tight budget( i know wrong hobby for that)
but its only $129 and wanted to get some opinions here since i know sometimes websites can have deluded reviews in there favor.

Thanks everyone

 

[mta_morrow]

I have purchased a few items from Reefbreeders- Pumps, battery backups, and most recently a RP-M.

I needed a wide, gentle flow for my nems.

I discussed with Logan (owner) and he recommended the RP-M.

I am very pleased with it. Super easy to use, and clean and does exactly what I needed it to do.

Please ask any specific questions if you like and I will do my best to answer for you.

 

[Silver14SS]

Moves a lot of water in a very wide flow pattern.

They run on the hot side, 2 of them in my tank increased the temp 3.5* compare to Tunze or Gyres in a 45 gallon tank.

 

[serwobow]

I have had 2 of these for about 5 months. I think they are great. Wide stream is easy on nearby corals, and slim profile is good for my crowded tank.
The only small issue I had was that they were noisy at first. Logan was super helpful in trying to troubleshoot this issue. I ended up putting some padding between them and the glass, and they were quiet after that.

 

[TheHarold]

I would rather purchase a Jebao SLW-20 for half the price and a pretty much identical footprint and output. Either go for the AI Nero, or a knockoff in my opinion. $250, or $70. But why bother with $120, or whatever the ReefBreeders version sells for.

 

[DeepSeaReefer7]

Thanks everyone I'm going to place my order today,
i have a basic tank for now its going to develop into a true mixed reef
right now its just softies and LPS

 

[mta_morrow]

Thanks everyone I'm going to place my order today,
i have a basic tank for now its going to develop into a true mixed reef
right now its just softies and LPS

Good choice with lots of features.

 

[mta_morrow]

@Reef Breeders is traveling back from Reefapalooza today I believe.

I have been in contact with them as I just ordered the CoralBox doser package.

As with most vendors they had a couple day delay in shipping but it’s supposed to ship today or tomorrow. It’s also posted on their website.

 

[DeepSeaReefer7]

@Reef Breeders is traveling back from Reefapalooza today I believe.

I have been in contact with them as I just ordered the CoralBox doser package.

As with most vendors they had a couple day delay in shipping but it’s supposed to ship today or tomorrow. It’s also posted on their website.

yea i saw that Im in CT so im sure shipping will only take a day or so anyways

 

[mta_morrow]

yea i saw that Im in CT so im sure shipping will only take a day or so anyways

Be sure to report back here what you think of it!

 

[DeepSeaReefer7]

Be sure to report back here what you think of it!

I will im sure this will be a huge improvement over my 2 small 2nd hand jabeos

 

[Victoria M]

I have had 2 of these for about 5 months. I think they are great. Wide stream is easy on nearby corals, and slim profile is good for my crowded tank.
The only small issue I had was that they were noisy at first. Logan was super helpful in trying to troubleshoot this issue. I ended up putting some padding between them and the glass, and they were quiet after that.

What did you use for padding? I am not sure it would tolerate anything for mine as my acrylic is 3/4” thick.
Just recently ReefBreeders sent me a new impeller. Great customer service. I got this power head in Dec 2018, and it has been loud since then. Recently got weirdly loud. I reached out to ReefBreeders and bam, couple days later a new impeller arrived. Got much quieter, no weird screeching. It is still loud at 100%. Way louder than my Tunze. Perhaps I should reach out to Logan for advise?

 

[ca1ore]

I have generally liked the RP-M. Been running a pair for about a year. Had a couple of issues with them. One controller failed and I needed a new impeller to fix the screeching problem that Mrs. Music noted with hers. In both cases I had the replacement parts within a few days. THAT is why I pay the premium over something like a Jebao. Plus Logan is a stand up guy and I’m happy to support his business.

Mine are mounted to my overflow so a low profile is important. I use MP60 otherwise.

 

[Victoria M]

I have generally liked the RP-M. Been running a pair for about a year. Had a couple of issues with them. One controller failed and I needed a new impeller to fix the screeching problem that Mrs. Music noted with hers. In both cases I had the replacement parts within a few days. THAT is why I pay the premium over something like a Jebao. Plus Logan is a stand up guy and I’m happy to support his business.

Mine are mounted to my overflow so a low profile is important. I use MP60 otherwise.

I like that too. Do you find yours are louder than you would like?

 

[serwobow]

What did you use for padding? I am not sure it would tolerate anything for mine as my acrylic is 3/4” thick.
Just recently ReefBreeders sent me a new impeller. Great customer service. I got this power head in Dec 2018, and it has been loud since then. Recently got weirdly loud. I reached out to ReefBreeders and bam, couple days later a new impeller arrived. Got much quieter, no weird screeching. It is still loud at 100%. Way louder than my Tunze. Perhaps I should reach out to Logan for advise?

I bought a silicone dish mat from the hardware store that had a raised honeycomb pattern on it. I forget the brand. It was about 1/4" thick. I cut it to shape, and used it on the inside of the tank, between the pump and the glass. It reduced the noise by more than 90%. Logan also sent me a new impeller, and other new parts, but none of those things really did the trick. There is a lot of vibration with most pumps, and the plastic housing of the pump transmits that sound efficiently through the glass of the tank. I think that with this style of pump, the vibration noise can be worse than other styles, because the pump motor is pressed snugly against the tank wall. My tank is about 1/2" thick, and the magnet still holds the pump in place with the padding there. You might need to get a more powerful magnet to use this strategy.

 

[Victoria M]

I bought a silicone dish mat from the hardware store that had a raised honeycomb pattern on it. I forget the brand. It was about 1/4" thick. I cut it to shape, and used it on the inside of the tank, between the pump and the glass. It reduced the noise by more than 90%. Logan also sent me a new impeller, and other new parts, but none of those things really did the trick. There is a lot of vibration with most pumps, and the plastic housing of the pump transmits that sound efficiently through the glass of the tank. I think that with this style of pump, the vibration noise can be worse than other styles, because the pump motor is pressed snugly against the tank wall. My tank is about 1/2" thick, and the magnet still holds the pump in place with the padding there. You might need to get a more powerful magnet to use this strategy.

Thank you for the detailed response.

 

[mta_morrow]

I like that too. Do you find yours are louder than you would like?

I purchased mine after asking you about yours.

Mine is very quiet?

 

[Victoria M]

I purchased mine after asking you about yours.

Mine is very quiet?

I would not descibe mine as very quiet. I cant remember if it was in the beginning. It has been screeching loudly intermittently for awhile, then recently constantly screeched. I remember for the money I liked it a lot, as a first impression. I am back to like it. But my whole family agrees the Tunze is silent compared to the RP-M.

 

[Silver14SS]

I like that too. Do you find yours are louder than you would like?

One of mine had a knocking noise, the other made a noise like a car belt squeaking. ReefBreeders had excellent service though and there were no issues with returning them.

 

[ca1ore]

I like that too. Do you find yours are louder than you would like?

Other than screeching from one, they’ve been essentially silent. I do have them mounted on the overflow, so 1/4” acrylic, which keeps them rock solid.