Are Jeabo pumps junk?

[Cary Hover]

I have 1 inch plexi-glass on my 450 reef tank with two vortech mp-60, one at each end and want to get two more pumps for more flow but don't want to spend another $1,350. Will the Jeabo pumps work on 1 inch plexi?

 

[PSLReefer]

Lame my pp8 just went out today 6,month use and my rw15 only lasted me 13 months on off event as if it's trying to start but won't kick over even after a vinegar bath. My tunze last past all the jebao and still working for 3-4 years

I find it completely amazing at the shear number of Jebao's that SUPPOSEDLY suddenly stop working when these threads come up, [emoji23] coincidence or fake?

 

[Kyl]

I've had problems with my SW-2 powerheads on external 0-10v control, but they work very well stand-alone with the native controller. I also have a DCS7000 running my 65 gallon tank for about 16 months, never cleaned and still working flawlessly, inaudible on ~80% power.

Haven't regretted any of the purchases per-se, though the SW-2 <> 0-10v Apex control issues were a big let-down.

 

[Jorge Linares]

I have 2 rw-4 wavemakers hooked up to a JBWave going two years. I have it set to not go below 30% and a self clean mode.

 

[Biofilm]

I've run the circulation and return pumps for years and I've never lost one. Keep up maintenance and they'll run forever. I have a DC3000 that I've had for 4 yrs., still strong as new and

I am thinking about trying a Jebao pump, but I have a hard time believing they are quality for the price. What are your experiences?

If they are junk and don't last, how do they fail? I can possibly deal with a pump not starting, but I can't deal with a cracked housing shorting out in the water. When they fail, do they show symptoms or just stop working. I am planning on using one on a UV sterilizer and one on my reactors. If the UV pump fails and I don't notice it, it can cause the UV to overheat causing damage so that is not desirable.

How long do they last? When you buy an Eheim, you buy it for life. What are the expectations with these?

Can I use 1/2" tubing with these?

http://www.fish-street.com/jebao_dct3000_water_return_pump
http://www.fish-street.com/jebao_dcs2000_return_pump?search_string=dcs+2000

I've never had any issues with jebao return pumps or circulation pumps. I have been using them for several years now. The new dc pumps are even better now. I just upgraded to the wireless wave pumps on all my tanks.
they're very quiet.

 

[Biofilm]

Still, no one has answered my question. Does the pump ever short out in the water?

Never had any short out.

 

[Forsaken77]

What do you do for maintenance? Just clean the impeller?
Do you recommend an alternative?
Like I said, I buy things to last for years, not one year at a time. @Salty1962 says he has had one for 4 years. That's a good start.

Also, do they remember their settings if there is a power outage or do they return full blast.

I also look at Jebao pumps as playing Russian Roulette. Some fail, some don't.

A decent dc pumps that I have experience with is the Deepwater Aquatics pump. Got it from Marine Depot and their customer service is great. They use bsp threading, but if you buy a pump Deepwater will send you a proper screw-on barb if you need it.

Another pump I was considering, because I'm also setting up 2 UV's on my 180 (dual overflows with a 25 watt uv on each), was the Reef Octopus Varios pump. Comes with a lot of accessories that you usually have to pay extra for.

However, with all of the head pressure and 2 uv's split off one return pump, I decided on the Ecotech L1, but they offer the M1 also, which is less gph's and less head height.

But I would give the RO Varios pump a serious look.

 

[psiconauta]

I love these pumps! I use these for a return, wave makers, my skimmer pump. All with zero issues.

And here's my thoughts:

Take the new reef octopus varios pumps, awesome product, built to last, not Chinese etc etc. But I can buy almost 4 pumps for the price of one of them if I go the jebao route. So if one fails in a year... which hasn't happened to me yet, I can toss in a spare... or drop a car payment on an ecotech or reef octopus. It's just a no brainer for me.

It doesnt make any sense, What is the point, yo say you can buy 4, but you are endigg up paying way more for 4, maybe not in money, but in time, effort and risk or mutiple things.
Lets say you go the 4 pumps route, yo still spend the same amount of money, but one fails, your home, no big deal, because you happened to be looking at the pump, you change it, because you happened to have all the time in the world, just until the moment it breaks and you are not home and you dont have the time, thats when problems happen. If it happens again and you are on vacation, or simply not home, what happens then?
Whats the point of paying the same amount of money for something thats going to cost you more, your peace of mind, your time and effort, and even maybe your whole investment?

 

[andrew james]

I have 1 inch plexi-glass on my 450 reef tank with two vortech mp-60, one at each end and want to get two more pumps for more flow but don't want to spend another $1,350. Will the Jeabo pumps work on 1 inch plexi?

No, they wont work.

 

[andrew james]

It doesnt make any sense, What is the point, yo say you can buy 4, but you are endigg up paying way more for 4, maybe not in money, but in time, effort and risk or mutiple things.
Lets say you go the 4 pumps route, yo still spend the same amount of money, but one fails, your home, no big deal, because you happened to be looking at the pump, you change it, because you happened to have all the time in the world, just until the moment it breaks and you are not home and you dont have the time, thats when problems happen. If it happens again and you are on vacation, or simply not home, what happens then?
Whats the point of paying the same amount of money for something thats going to cost you more, your peace of mind, your time and effort, and even maybe your whole investment?

I think the point is all pumps fail, even the expensive ones. So if you choose to run a Vectra or a Varios having a Jebao as a backup it a great idea. I'd never be so bold as to only have one return pump you're just asking for a tank crash.

 

[jeff howard]

my main pump is a jebao 15000. it pumps water from the basement to the tank, maybe 12'. it is four years old and has never missed a beat. most of my power heads are the older w models. I clean them every month by soaking in vinegar solution overnight and then rinsing. they are also over 4 years old now. that being said the newer models look a lot more fragile, and I cant really speak to those, but the ones I bought to run our shop have done very well.

 

[sebastiaan1985]

In my tank I have a DCS-4000 as a return, which is working fine, even with irregular maintenance. The controller is not very good quality, unfortunately, plugging in causes a spark, which is not safe at all...

For my QT I have a RW8 or RW4 as wave maker, this pump is lesser in quality, but might be a maintenance issue, since I rarely clean this one.. Also for this pump, I feel the controller is not as good as it should be, sometimes the pump does not respond to adjustments I make with the controller.

So I guess, you get what you pay for. And for this money, I intend to keep one return pump spare, as I am looking to upgrade to the Vectra M1.

 

[Radman73]

I've bought a few Jebao products over the years. A return died on me, while on vacation. Thankfully a reefer friend was able to come over and swap it out for the Eheim I'd had on it before. That exact same Eheim, 2 years later, is still going strong. My Jebao power heads didn't last either. Both less than 2 years.

Everyone's experience is different and I think the risk you are willing to take is dependent on the size of the investment you have in your tank as well as some other factors. For instance, some people turn to DC pumps in an attempt to keep a tank cooler. Just like moving from MH to LED's. The Jebao's are too hit or miss for me to trust them for my DT. I'll stick to more reliable brands. And yes, every brand has an issue, but to imply that ALL brands have the same number of issues seems like a leap to me.

Perhaps their quality has improved but it's not a risk I'm willing to take at this time, especially with something as critical as a return. If I was setting up a new QT I might be willing to give them a shot again.

 

[Minnow]

I don't trust them anymore. I have bought five circulation pumps over the last couple of years from different sources and all but one are dead. They just stop working. I did maintenance and kept them clean for the most part. I am not trusting my investment to them anymore. I hear people say they have had them for years with no issues. I don't see how.

 

[jasonrusso]

In my tank I have a DCS-4000 as a return, which is working fine, even with irregular maintenance. The controller is not very good quality, unfortunately, plugging in causes a spark, which is not safe at all...

For my QT I have a RW8 or RW4 as wave maker, this pump is lesser in quality, but might be a maintenance issue, since I rarely clean this one.. Also for this pump, I feel the controller is not as good as it should be, sometimes the pump does not respond to adjustments I make with the controller.

So I guess, you get what you pay for. And for this money, I intend to keep one return pump spare, as I am looking to upgrade to the Vectra M1.

You say plugging in causes a spark, why are you unplugging?

 

[ca1ore]

I don't buy Jebao (or other cheap knockoffs) simply because I don't trust them. I have used their circulation pumps on a few of my tanks, and four out of the six failed after less than two years (both of the smaller ones are still running). My other circulation pumps of observably better quality are all running and are mostly older. I would, however, never consider using one as my main return pump. First off, they won't handle the head requirements; but more importantly I simply won't trust such an important function to a pump of undetermined reliability. I still use the bullet-proof Iwaki and PanWorld pumps and can be quite confident of 10-20 years of use. I have also suggested, on that other forum, that for folks in the hobby for the long term, the cost savings from buying cheap are an illusion.

 

[Radman73]

I don't buy Jebao (or other cheap knockoffs) simply because I don't trust them. I have used their circulation pumps on a few of my tanks, and four out of the six failed after less than two years (both of the smaller ones are still running). My other circulation pumps of observably better quality are all running and are mostly older. I would, however, never consider using one as my main return pump. First off, they won't handle the head requirements; but more importantly I simply won't trust such an important function to a pump of undetermined reliability. I still use the bullet-proof Iwaki and PanWorld pumps and can be quite confident of 10-20 years of use. I have also suggested, on that other forum, that for folks in the hobby for the long term, the cost savings from buying cheap are an illusion.

Buy once, cry once. Well, maybe twice for the back up lol!

 

[wranodj]

I bought 2 power head pumps that are no longer operating.

 

[sebastiaan1985]

You say plugging in causes a spark, why are you unplugging?

I unplugged to redo my wire management, wasn't fully satisfied, so ended up doing that more often than I wanted...

 

[Violetdasy]

the return pumps seen to work fine. the wave makers however are not so reliable. the company states that the wave makers need replacement every year. I have had to replace one after one year, the other is still going. so save your money and get something else..................