Hydor evolution powerheads I'm done

[Tab28]

This is the third time they have failed in less than a year. I have 4 on my red sea wavemaker and it gets too much. Granted Hydor has sent me replacement grills but they needed replacing about every 3-4 months and you have to have backup powerheads until they arrive.

I wanted 2 mp40's real bad. But at about $450 a piece that is a power bill payment. I also want to add some LED to my setup so I have been saving but now these powerheads failing again changed my plans. I opted for JBJ oceanstreams. I need to powerheads now and the addition of LED seemed a more logical approach. I have not read many reviews on the JBJ's but they are the same powerheads that have been around in Europe for awhile. They just added the JBJ name. My plans for the mp40's have fallen through again and I will tell myself the wetside does need replacement and is about $100. I am bumbed but there is always tomorrow or next year.

 

[Dave3112]

Sorry to hear about your troubles. Especially the Hydors. I ran mine on a wave timer for about 6 months without problems. I just saved up as much money as I could and finally took the leap to MP40's. I still question the cost but I am glad I did it. I have never used the JBJ powerheads so I can't give you any reviews on those. Hope things turn around for you.

 

[KrautBurner]

what is it that's failing on your Hydor's?

motor?
you mentioned they have sent you new grills

I've had mine in my tank for a year and a half (on continuious duty, not on a wavemaker)
and the only issue I've had is the build up of Coroline algea (I just run them in viniger water every few months, then scrub them with a nylon brush)

 

[Tab28]

The issue with them seems to be on wavemakers. There is a small rubber stop that gets worn down and or break off. When they turn off and on this rubber stop somehow prevents them from running backwards. The first time it happened I did not notice rightaway since they still turned off and on. But after I the last two sets of replaement grills I tied a small string to the front of each. When the string stopped flowing it told me they are spinning backwards. It seems this is a problem lots of people are having whith wlth them on wavemakers. Hydor has good PR work but I am surprised they have not solved this issue other than providing new grills. The cost of sending grills out to thousands a fee times a year is not cost effective. I mean the older Hydors work great but these new ones were made for wavemakers. And they seem to fail for thousands.

 

[el richie]

I'm on my second replacement for a 750 and the 1050 is still working great

 

[spscrazy]

had the same problem you are with the red sea wavemaker & the koralias I have 3 of the 1050 & 1 of the 1400 it's tiresome to have them fail several times a year I probably will never be able to afford the MPs so I got a sicce voyager 4 to try not as much direct flow as the koralias more spread out so far after 4 months it's going strong but I am tired of seeing these pumps in the tank next year my goal is to get a sump & get some of the ocean moceans to put on the return

 

[Aquaph8]

Im not even using a wave maker and Ive had nothing but problems with them. I even had to replace an impellar. I yanked them out and only use them to mix salt water now.

 

[CUNAReefer]

Oh how I know about these power heads. I own 9 Koralia Evolution 1400. These power heads are NOT SUITABLE for wavemakers. Save yourself the heartache and get a Tunze or MP if you want a wavemaker. Each and every Koralia Evolution I have owned has failed like CLOCKWORK. 9 seperate powerheads and 9 seperate fails. With that said, I have learned to remove both rubber stoppers. I take a razor blade or dremel (the shaft will melt slightly due to the friction) to the magnetic piece of the shaft and shave it down slightly. Calcium deposits will form on this magnetic piece which also cause this PH to fail. Of course this is after several months of use. I still use 3 Koralia Evolution 1400 power heads with my TUNZE 6205 in my 110g SPS only display. After modding these, they work fine. They still stop occasionally and I need to take the grill off to give the propeller some motivation to get going. These Power Heads are NOT reliable unless you mod them. Just incase you missed my last statement... These powerheads are NOT NOT NOT reliable unless you mod them. And after you mod them, they still fail occasionally. Just an FYI.

Warmest Regards,
James

 

[Dave3112]

Oh how I know about these power heads. I own 9 Koralia Evolution 1400. These power heads are NOT SUITABLE for wavemakers. Save yourself the heartache and get a Tunze or MP if you want a wavemaker. Each and every Koralia Evolution I have owned has failed like CLOCKWORK. 9 seperate powerheads and 9 seperate fails. With that said, I have learned to remove both rubber stoppers. I take a razor blade or dremel (the shaft will melt slightly due to the friction) to the magnetic piece of the shaft and shave it down slightly. Calcium deposits will form on this magnetic piece which also cause this PH to fail. Of course this is after several months of use. I still use 3 Koralia Evolution 1400 power heads with my TUNZE 6205 in my 110g SPS only display. After modding these, they work fine. They still stop occasionally and I need to take the grill off to give the propeller some motivation to get going. These Power Heads are NOT reliable unless you mod them. Just incase you missed my last statement... These powerheads are NOT NOT NOT reliable unless you mod them. And after you mod them, they still fail occasionally. Just an FYI.

Warmest Regards,
James

Nice first post, James! Welcome to R2R!

 

[Tab28]

As James has said Hydor can improve the design. The grill is way too thin. These were made for wavemakers but are falling short. Until my oceanstreams come in I am using my old Hydors which i love and my big ugly workhorse tunze 6100. None can go on a wavemaker. These oceanstreams have a paddle instead of a propeller. But the evolutions become more like impellers. I will post a review of them on the way they move water. They say it is less like the propeller's jet flow which has too much force up close. And more like a stream flow gentle up close. I guess they do have time tested ability. Since they are only new to the American market and have been used on wavemakers in other countries.

 

[CUNAReefer]

Thanks Dave!

Reef2reef has set the new bar for a centralized location of reefing knowledge. Also, dont use Koralia evolutions with a wave maker. Just putting it out there. :horse::bigsmile:
Thank you for the warm welcome.

James

 

[AZDesertRat]

I have two Evo 1400's on a RKL switching every 30 seconds. I did get replacement grilles one time about 6 months ago but they have been running since March 2010 so that calculates out to over 1,576,800 yes a million and a half starts in that time at 2880 starts a day. For what they cost it would not bother me a bit to replace them once a year, still much cheaper and much quieter than the MP powerheads.

 

[Tab28]

You are probably correct. But it is the inconvenience and caught with down for at least a week without powerheads that I am over. You mentioned you had one replacement over a year ago that warrants something I read. The time between stops and starts seems to be the sore spot. People who have a longer time between them have a longer grill life. On red sea wavemakers you can not control the speed between them. But I like the randomness of the red sea anyway. As for the price of the vortechs they are high price and from what I have read the wetside does need replacing more often when you use it on the pulse setting so I may have the same issue with being caught without a powerhead. At almost $100 for the wetside on a mp40 on top one cost. It is a bit hard to swallow. But I still would love a few mp40s but I want LEDs more.

 

[Dublo8]

It's not the grill that has the issue. There is a little stopper in the grill section. Actually it's a little piece that the impeller shaft rides on. There is a bushing that backs out overtime and even the "fixed" bushing piece wasn't a fix. If you pull that piece out you can superglue or epoxy the bushing in and it will fix your issue. Sux having to mod something that should have worked in the first place but what can you do.


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[AZDesertRat]

Those are two different issues. The bushing was noticed in some of the first units to hit the market and was corrected. Those who have this problem can get a replacement impeller from Hydor.
The grille and rubber bumper was a later issue discovered after time and get the grille replaced.

 

[Tab28]

The grills are a poor design. They are very thin and it seems if Hydor just made them a bit more rigid most of the issue would be solved for awhile. I have also noticed that the rubber piece seems to get worn down as well. The impact of the propeller against the rubber causes it to wear and this stress againt the rubber breaks the grill. So the entire rubber piece breaks off. So even if they designed a thicker grill it is only time before the rubber is so worn it can no longer prevent the propeller from spinning backwards. So you would still have to replace but maybe not as often.

On a side note my new JBJ's came in yesterday but it will not be till the weekend before I can rip everything out and start again. It takes me awhile to reposition the powerheads. It is like hair, somedays it looks perect and you can never get it that way again. So you have to keep playing with it. But first impressions of the JBJ's are they are solidly built and heavier.

 

[LegoZ81]

The grills are a poor design. They are very thin and it seems if Hydor just made them a bit more rigid most of the issue would be solved for awhile. I have also noticed that the rubber piece seems to get worn down as well. The impact of the propeller against the rubber causes it to wear and this stress againt the rubber breaks the grill. So the entire rubber piece breaks off. So even if they designed a thicker grill it is only time before the rubber is so worn it can no longer prevent the propeller from spinning backwards. So you would still have to replace but maybe not as often.

On a side note my new JBJ's came in yesterday but it will not be till the weekend before I can rip everything out and start again. It takes me awhile to reposition the powerheads. It is like hair, somedays it looks perect and you can never get it that way again. So you have to keep playing with it. But first impressions of the JBJ's are they are solidly built and heavier.

Own a Tunze 6125 and you'll love that these only break on a wavemaker.
ANY time the power blips one or both of my pumps start back up running backwards. Worked with Roger and we've replaced stuff but it is just easier at this point to use a plastic hanger to trip the prop to reverse it.

**just a side note I don't know if other have had these problems and my two waveboxes run VERY well... personally though I am disappointed in the 6125's

 

[Tab28]

Well I placed the new JBJ Oceanstreams in my tank and have my impressions. First to be fair. Hydors worked great when I placed them in the tank. It was not until about 4 months later when they started spinning backwards because of the little rubber piece breaking off from the grill. So these may have the same issue. Only time will tell.

First out the box the size and weight were noticeable. The size is an illusion the JBJ Oceanstream are actually not as long of the Hydor Evolution. The JBJ is 5.5" and the Hydor is 5.75". This is the length that will be in the tank and does not include the outside part of the magnet but does include the inside magnet. Where the illusion comes from is the diameter. Hydor is 2.75" and JBJ is 3.75". The weight is not an illusion they are heavier than Hydor. Not twice the weight but it is noticable. I was a bit worried about the magents of the JBJ. They were listed at a max of 1/2" and I have a 120 gallon and I think that is 3/8" thickness. But the magnet is wider and i had no issues with it falling. The other notable diffence is the Hydor has no propeller shaft. The JBJ has a ceramic shaft holding the paddle propeller.

First in the tank the Hydor I used were 2-1050 and 2-750. The JBJ are 4-1600. So I was a bit worried of the sand storm this would cause. This did not happen the JBJ may be rated at 1600 gph but the design of the powerhead seems to create a wider flow. When I compare it to my Tunze 6060 which is 1600 gph there is no comparing. The Tunze has enough force to hit the opposite end of the 4 foot tank and create a sandstorm. This is an issue since it will also knock over and frag within 3 feet of the stream. It also causes my fragspawn, bubble coral and Weslo corals to look as though they are caught in a rip current. If I place my hand in front of the Hydor 1050 I felt the stream force (skin on fingers was moving) for about 20-24" away from the powerhead. The Tunze 6060 that force was more than 3 feet away. The JBJ less than a foot. The JBJ also had a very wide fan close to the powerhead. The Hydor and Tunze both have a fan but it does not really get wide until you are feet away from the powerhead. The Hydor seems to have a longer stream and a narrow fan. The JBj stream to have a shorter stream but the gph is picked up by the wider fan. I think this wide fan is the reason the JBJ seems under power than the 1600 gph it is rated, the flow just is not carried as far. It is just what we are use to on the Hydor and Tunze. So I was able to place these powerheads and aim them right at a LPS coral on the sandbed and it was a gentle tissue movement. Not the rip it off the skeleton I had with the Hydor or Tunze. To get the same amount of flow in the tank I think I will have to add maybe 2 more JBJ 1600. Since the stream does not have the distance of the other two brands. I also do not have to bounce JBJ off the rocks to prevent the stream from ripping the corals that were less than 2 feet from the powerhead. My SPS polyps can now open without looking as though they are caught in a wind tunnel.

Since you need more JBJs to get the same flow as the lower rated Hydors I can not see the advantage in price not to say the look of having to add more powerheads. And only time will tell if the convience of not having to replace the grilles a few times a year and the down time of waiting for them to be shipped will pan out. So right now I have the 4 JBJ 1600 in the corners but I also had to add an old school Hydor 4 (not wavemaker compatiable) to pick up the center of the tank since the flow from the JBJs is not as great. My feelings are mixed I love the Hydors power but I also love my red sea wavemaker and the two do not get along. So I will continue with the JBJ since I do like the fact I get a better flow on my LPS and not having to bounce the flow off rocks to save my SPS from flesh damage. But I will keep the Hydors and just hope that Hydor will fix this grill/rubber issue. At that time I will request these improved grills. Maybe forgo the 2-750 for 2 JBJ 1600 since they seem to be flow distance without ripping apart corals that are too close to the powerhead.

 

[Bosco83]

Nothing but problems with the newer evolutions too. I bought two because my old K4's have worked so well. The new ones pretty much always start up in reverse it's so annoying. I don't even use them on a timer. Also the other day I was looking in my tank and noticed one of them wasn't on. So I pulled it out and it was completely frozen I couldn't even pull the magnet out of the housing. I replaced these with Sicce power heads but I don't really like them either the mounts suck! I'll be saving for mp40's.

Brian

 

[Dublo8]

Has any ody tried the aqueon powerheads on a wavemaker? They seem to have a smaller footprint than the koralia and seem from appearance to be more adjustable as far as the angle goes.


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