Flow fans/ wave makers

[Brutal669x]

Hi, I'm Sean, I'm about a year into the hobby and now I'm attempting to upgrade equipment. I have a standard 90 gallon reef ready tank, an eshopps E75 sump, an Octo 150 classic protein skimmer , (2) AI HD prime lights and around 180 lbs of live rock. Next on my list is flow fans. I am currently using (2) hydor 1250 gph. They work well enough, but they scale easily, take up quite a bit a real estate , and I feel limited on placement. I'm looking at either a Votech MP40 or a Nero 5. I'd like hear the pros and cons besides the 170.00 difference. I currently have 2 rose bubble nems, 2 cleaner shrimp , a banded shrimp, a large spiny urchin, 2 tuxedo urchins, a starfish ,2 Large angels, a pigmy angel, a sunset wrasse and 4 clowns....and an extensive clean up crew..im hoping to add some coral in the future....thanks in advance

 

[reefwiser]

I vortex’s are great pumps. Just need to keep them clean. They come apart easily and can be found used too.

 

[Oscar47f]

Why don’t you try gyres ? The ice cap gyre 1k is one that I have and if you mount them vertically in the back corners you can get some pretty good flow patterns!

 

[BighohoReef]

The two wavemakers you choo=sen are in different classes of wavemakers the MP40 is more of a competitor to they Gyres whereas the Nero is more aligned with the MP10. I wrote a quick break down of my pros and cons for each device. I might suggest you also look at gyres as they have a good spread on flow.

Water movement comparison:
MP40 GPH: 4500
Nero: GPH: 3000

MP40 Pros:

• Quiet operation
• Generates a good flow in a 90g
• No cords in the tank
• Multiple wave type options
• Can control remote via reeflink
• Reliable
• DIY repairable

MP40 Cons:

• Price (if you add the wireless control it's even more)
• Narrow flow pattern
• Can't adjust the direction of flow, need to move the whole unit.
• If the wetside breaks replacement is expensive

Nero 5 Pros:

• Strong widespread, would be perfect for water movement front to back
• Wavemaker control
• Multiple wave type options
• limited but adjustable directional flow control
• Quiet operation
• Small form factor
• Good build quality

Cons:

• Poor flow for longer tanks lengthwise
• Limited directional flow control
• Cord in the tank
• Limited control options via the device

Let me know if you have other specific questions, I've had both wavemaker before and have sold them to upgrade to Maxspect XF330 gyre's in our 100g. In our smaller tanks we use 30g MP10 and SLW-20s 13.5g.

I also recommend watching this BRS video it convinced me to move to gyre pumps:

BRStv Investigates: Can any pump create a Gyre in a reef tank, or is Maxspect still king?

Today on BRStv, we have a brand new episode of our series, BRStv Investigates. In this series, we explore popular reefing theories, products, methods, and what the manuals are missing, with a focus on putting them to the test! Creating a gyre flow pattern in a reef tank is simply a circular...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

 

[Brutal669x]

The two wavemakers you choo=sen are in different classes of wavemakers the MP40 is more of a competitor to they Gyres whereas the Nero is more aligned with the MP10. I wrote a quick break down of my pros and cons for each device. I might suggest you also look at gyres as they have a good spread on flow.

Water movement comparison:
MP40 GPH: 4500
Nero: GPH: 3000

MP40 Pros:

• Quiet operation
• Generates a good flow in a 90g
• No cords in the tank
• Multiple wave type options
• Can control remote via reeflink
• Reliable
• DIY repairable

MP40 Cons:

• Price (if you add the wireless control it's even more)
• Narrow flow pattern
• Can't adjust the direction of flow, need to move the whole unit.
• If the wetside breaks replacement is expensive

Nero 5 Pros:

• Strong widespread, would be perfect for water movement front to back
• Wavemaker control
• Multiple wave type options
• limited but adjustable directional flow control
• Quiet operation
• Small form factor
• Good build quality

Cons:

• Poor flow for longer tanks lengthwise
• Limited directional flow control
• Cord in the tank
• Limited control options via the device

Let me know if you have other specific questions, I've had both wavemaker before and have sold them to upgrade to Maxspect XF330 gyre's in our 100g. In our smaller tanks we use 30g MP10 and SLW-20s 13.5g.

I also recommend watching this BRS video it convinced me to move to gyre pumps:

BRStv Investigates: Can any pump create a Gyre in a reef tank, or is Maxspect still king?

Today on BRStv, we have a brand new episode of our series, BRStv Investigates. In this series, we explore popular reefing theories, products, methods, and what the manuals are missing, with a focus on putting them to the test! Creating a gyre flow pattern in a reef tank is simply a circular...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

Thanks for the breakdown. I also watched the video. My local store is confusing me. They told me I would only need either an MP40 or a Nero 5. If I understood properly, since my tank has massive amounts of rock which is up against the back wall, I'd still need 2 fans to get a decent flow. My budget can only support one at the moment which is why I was glad to hear the store tell me 1. The icecap/ max spec see like they'd do the job , but only if I eliminated rock.

 

[BighohoReef]

Thanks for the breakdown. I also watched the video. My local store is confusing me. They told me I would only need either an MP40 or a Nero 5. If I understood properly, since my tank has massive amounts of rock which is up against the back wall, I'd still need 2 fans to get a decent flow. My budget can only support one at the moment which is why I was glad to hear the store tell me 1. The icecap/ max spec see like they'd do the job , but only if I eliminated rock.

For it to be most effective yes you'd want to move the rocks around. I have seen folks point the gyre from the back to the front of the tank which would give you a ton flow and spread... it just might be too much. Just looking at your tank and aquascape there is plenty of places for detritus to build-up a two-pump option might be the way to go.

 

[Brutal669x]

For it to be most effective yes you'd want to move the rocks around. I have seen folks point the gyre from the back to the front of the tank which would give you a ton flow and spread... it just might be too much. Just looking at your tank and aquascape there is plenty of places for detritus to build-up a two-pump option might be the way to go.

Lol..yeah..local store kept telling me live rock would be completely unavailable, so I should buy now...so I did, as you can see @ 8.99 a pound..Is lots of live rock no longer a thing?

 

[BighohoReef]

Lol..yeah..local store kept telling me live rock would be completely unavailable, so I should buy now...so I did, as you can see @ 8.99 a pound..Is lots of live rock no longer a thing?

I'd say it's all personal preference, the general rule of thumb is 1-1 1/2 pound per gallon. That can be a lot of rock...

 

[Brutal669x]

I'd say it's all personal preference, the general rule of thumb is 1-1 1/2 pound per gallon. That can be a lot of rock...

That's about right then..i have 180- 200lbs

 

[billwill]

That much live rock means you’re going to have trouble keeping waste stirred up, and will trap a lot of waste. That will become a problem eventually, plus it doesn’t give much room for corals to grow out.
To answer your question though, I had an MP40 and it was too loud for my living room and external wires are uglier to me than internal wires. I ran a pair of gyre 230’s for a few years and really liked them, though the controller always got the best of me and it’s difficult to get the magnet out for cleaning. One finally seized up/split. I’m running a pair of Nero’s now, and pretty impressed with them and they’re dead quiet. My only gripe is no master/reverse slave function. 48” long 90g myself

 

[Oscar47f]

So while many people use the general rule of thumb you don’t have to I’m well under the 1 pound per gallon rule I’m actually at 20 lbs of rock no sand either so as previously mentioned it’s personal preference, listen to your local fish store but take it with a grain of salt as they are in the business of selling so do other research as well like you are here, and I find most people (that I’ve talked to in Orlando and Miami) like you have dry rock because it’s free of pests etc and cheaper than live rock, so again personal preference lol

 

[Oscar47f]

Also to clarify 20 lbs of rock in a 50 gallon tank and my corals and nutrients are well under control... and as far as flow My gyre 1k was actually way too strong so I had to take one of the blades off and use one instead of the full setup, I also have a rather open scape, but I’m adding a Nero 5 to oppose the gyre so I can randomize the flow better but for 1 year the gyre on its own coupled with random flow nozzles on my returns was more than fine for my setup... I had a 120 where I only ran a gyre for about a year before adding more flow you may be ok until your budget allows for more !