Hygger smart mini power head question.

Reefbeast · Mar 16, 2023

Hi all,

This power head - https://www.hygger-online.com/product/wave-maker-pump/ has 4 modes. Im just wondering what kind of benefits I can expect from each mode. Wondering what you guys have set on your smart power heads for day and night schedule?

1. Classic wave
2. Nutritional transfer
3. Random
4. Constant stream

nothing_fancy · Mar 16, 2023

For something like this that doesn't have in depth scheduling I personally like random which in conjunction with another pump or your returns can create a nice gyre effect. Classic wave is going to be a sine wave which will go from hi to low in a repeating pattern. Nutritional transfer is generally a 0-100% fast change more of a square wave and will rock the water back and forth to stir detritus etc, and constant stream is what it says. Most people myself included will run a more active flow setting during the day and then let it mellow out at night if you have the ability to set a schedule

Reefbeast · Mar 16, 2023

Thanks NF maybe I should just go with the Random one but the thing that scares me is there is no way to turn down the power when you set it on that mode. This little sucker has some power I dont want to blast my hammer corals with a ton of flow its only a 20 gallonish nano tank. Right now on the schedule I am running night with the classic wave on 40% power and the Nutrition mode during the day on 60% power

Hooz · Mar 16, 2023

The Hygger has tiny size going for it, but it's not really a "nano" powerhead at all. That max flow is legit (1600gph), and the control options are way limited. So much wasted potential.

I had one for a while but ditched it for a Jebao MLW-5. Max flow is only half the Hygger, and you have more options for programming so you can dial it in to the tank. Much more flexible.

Jebao also just released an ELW-3m that is even smaller and has less flow than the MLW-5, but still has all the programming flexibility. I just ordered one from AliE, so I won't have it for a month, but I'm super stoked to give it a try.

nothing_fancy · Mar 16, 2023

Well, looks like at 100% its 1600GPH so thats not bad for a20gal IMO if its you're only pump. 10x turnover is good. I have (3) Mp10's that I run at nearly 100% on a 40gal. I am not bragging, Im just on team "Never enough flow" Ofcourse there are hours throughout the day when it runs really mellow but Im a firm believer in getting the heads in the right spot for you and then positioning flow sensitive corals respectfully to that.

bradreef · Mar 16, 2023

The hygger 1600 and 2600 maybe flow 1/2 of what they say. The pattern is a very wide cone and the high/ low is the wave modes isnt that extreme imo. Not the worst powerhead though.

dansyr · Mar 16, 2023

I have this powerhead in a 20 long AIO, and current best I've found is it on the far end, opposite the return, in constant mode daytime at somewhere 60-80% (night at 60%). I liked sine mode but I disliked that the sine wave drops to zero each time, which kinda makes sense, but I have a decently strong return pump, and that wins out for setting the flow pattern if wavemaker regularly goes to zero for half the time regardless of the max.

What bradreef says is right, distance is it's main limitation. Shorter and deeper tanks would be better for this and allow use of all the modes I think, I wouldn't go longer than ~24" length of a 20L AIO.

Hooz · Mar 16, 2023

nothing_fancy said:
Well, looks like at 100% its 1600GPH so thats not bad for a20gal IMO if its you're only pump. 10x turnover is good. I have (3) Mp10's that I run at nearly 100% on a 40gal. I am not bragging, Im just on team "Never enough flow" Ofcourse there are hours throughout the day when it runs really mellow but Im a firm believer in getting the heads in the right spot for you and then positioning flow sensitive corals respectfully to that.

It really depends on the tank, though. I have 2x MP10s on an LPS dominant IM 30L. The display area is basically 36x10x11, so I don't have a ton of options for putting things out of the path of flow. I run Lagoon mode at a max of 10% in that tank. Previously I had Nero 3s which were WAY too much. If I hadn't already spent money on the MP10s, I'd probably just run more MLW-5s on that tank.

I have an IM 10 with a MLW-5 (792gph max) that runs in crossflow mode at a max of 40%, but that tank has anemones, and the rockwork allows me to deflect the flow better than the other tank. This is where I'm going to try the ELW-3m when it gets here.

The Hygger is rated at 1600gph and the minimum setting is 40% thanks to the limited control options. That's 640gph MINIMUM. Even with a wide cone, that's moving a lot of water for a small tank. I had one in my IM 10 and it was too much.

The downside of any DC wavemaker is that no matter how good the controller is or what the app says, the minimum setting is going to be roughly 30% of the max flow. That's just the physics of how DC pumps operate. IMO, the lower the lowend, the more flexibility you have from programming options.

Say the sweet spot for your nano tank is 800gph before corals get mad or sand starts blowing around... You have a Nero 3 and the 40% setting is roughly 800gph. If you set a sine wave pattern, your minimum if going to be 30% or 600gph, so the sinewave if going to fluctuate from 600-800gph.

Now look at a Jebao MLW-5 with MAX flow of 792gph and a minimum (30%) flow of 237gph. You set the same sine wave pattern, this time at 100% max, and the flow will fluctuate from 240-800gph. Same max flow as the Nero, but much more variable.

I'm actually not a Jebao superfan or anything. I've just tried a LOT of different wavemakers (Nero 3 and 5, MP10, Hygger, Hydor, Tunze, etc) in my nano tanks and the Jebao is the lowest max flow controllable wavemaker there is.

Reefbeast · Mar 16, 2023

Thanks guys for all the input maybe ill try it on random during the day to see how that plays out. Never really tried random. Should I mellow it out at night to like 40% or 60% in your opinion? or just crank on random all day and all night? When I build my 40 L I think Ill pick up a couple Nero 3s or MP10s to get more control.

Reefbeast · Mar 16, 2023

Now look at a Jebao MLW-5 with MAX flow of 792gph and a minimum (30%) flow of 237gph. You set the same sine wave pattern, this time at 100% max, and the flow will fluctuate from 240-800gph. Same max flow as the Nero, but much more variable.

Thanks Hooz I will check that one out as well

nothing_fancy · Mar 16, 2023

Hooz said:
It really depends on the tank, though. I have 2x MP10s on an LPS dominant IM 30L. The display area is basically 36x10x11, so I don't have a ton of options for putting things out of the path of flow. I run Lagoon mode at a max of 10% in that tank. Previously I had Nero 3s which were WAY too much. If I hadn't already spent money on the MP10s, I'd probably just run more MLW-5s on that tank.

I have an IM 10 with a MLW-5 (792gph max) that runs in crossflow mode at a max of 40%, but that tank has anemones, and the rockwork allows me to deflect the flow better than the other tank. This is where I'm going to try the ELW-3m when it gets here.

The Hygger is rated at 1600gph and the minimum setting is 40% thanks to the limited control options. That's 640gph MINIMUM. Even with a wide cone, that's moving a lot of water for a small tank. I had one in my IM 10 and it was too much.

The downside of any DC wavemaker is that no matter how good the controller is or what the app says, the minimum setting is going to be roughly 30% of the max flow. That's just the physics of how DC pumps operate. IMO, the lower the lowend, the more flexibility you have from programming options.

Say the sweet spot for your nano tank is 800gph before corals get mad or sand starts blowing around... You have a Nero 3 and the 40% setting is roughly 800gph. If you set a sine wave pattern, your minimum if going to be 30% or 600gph, so the sinewave if going to fluctuate from 600-800gph.

Now look at a Jebao MLW-5 with MAX flow of 792gph and a minimum (30%) flow of 237gph. You set the same sine wave pattern, this time at 100% max, and the flow will fluctuate from 240-800gph. Same max flow as the Nero, but much more variable.

I'm actually not a Jebao superfan or anything. I've just tried a LOT of different wavemakers (Nero 3 and 5, MP10, Hygger, Hydor, Tunze, etc) in my nano tanks and the Jebao is the lowest max flow controllable wavemaker there is.

I agree on the Jebao, not a huge fan of jebao but I run an SLW5 on its lowest power setting on random for my 10gal QT. Definitely more flexibility to keep it moving slow. It does depend on the tank and to me very dependent on the structure within as far as how the rock work is breaking up that flow. The MP10s running hot works for me in SPS dominant mostly due to the fact that the rock work is in front of them, its also a cube tank.