Maxspect Gyres are trash!!!

[VanDalsenReef]

Here is what I settled on after a lot of experimentation over decades - Tunze plus Sea Sweep

Tunze plus Sea Sweep

That combination is fantastic. Just may be too much for people to look at or see in their tank.

 

[Ryan3313]

I had a couple of 230's that I ran for awhile then sold. I got tired of cleaning them every month. They worked good but when they're dirty it's really obvious in the tank. It just seamed like a pain to clean them and set them up again once a month.

 

[SamsReef]

That combination is fantastic. Just may be too much for people to look at or see in their tank.

It was on the side and I moved to where it is right now. The random turbulent flow that it generates is impossible to create with anything else especially with all corals without blowing the flesh off the corals next to them. Difficult to explain without experiencing the awesomeness of the setup

but back to the topic - Gyre is a giant waste of money and a huge PITA. Let the discussion begin. LoL

sam

 

[fishybizzness]

It was on the side and I moved to where it is right now. The random turbulent flow that it generates is impossible to create with anything else especially with all corals without blowing the flesh off the corals next to them. Difficult to explain without experiencing the awesomeness of the setup

but back to the topic - Gyre is a giant waste of money and a huge PITA. Let the discussion begin. LoL

sam

Lol!

 

[newbie2014]

Just got a used 1k from a member here about a month ago, so I've no comments about its future reliability. So far it's been running silently (40% power, though). My retired MP10 QD always had a low hum when ramped.

In term of gyre maintenance, some people suggest not to disassemble it. Just let it run in citric acid solution for a while. And that's what I'll do.

 

[husemn]

I have tried them and have gone back to ecotech Mp's and tunzes.... They are hard to clean and noisy... just my opinion YMMV.

 

[Squidward]

That sucks. I got a couple mp40s though I hate the price... only cleaned them once in 2 years?

 

[Uncle99]

I got the cheap Jebao gyres….
Four years later, still running.

 

[ninjamyst]

Love my 130 till it died after 2 years. Motor issue. Cleaning was a pain but nothing moves water like a gyre. Even if I have to replace it every 2 years, it's a small cost for the value it brings.

 

[newbie2014]

That sucks. I got a couple mp40s though I hate the price... only cleaned them once in 2 years?

This I can attest to.

I clean mine maybe once a year. Disassemble the head takes maybe a minute, and another 5-10 mins to scrub the algae off of it. And if you have a spare head......no contest, the down time is down to maybe 30sec to swap out the head.

 

[DH78]

Mine actually work great. It takes me about 20 minutes once a month to clean them whichis no timein my opinion. They give great flow. I've owned the 230s, the 330s and installed some 350s a few months ago on my 120. Never had an issue with any of the power supplies or controllers.

pretty much the same for me. I've got 2 350's about 1 year old and 2 230's that are 3+ years old. never had any issue with them. I have not had to replace any bushings and i clean them once a month.
Note: I do put molykote in the bushings after cleaning them.

 

[Hydrored]

I’ve had nothing but problems with the 350’s, and they do not stay on the tank that’s 3/4” thick especially if out of water. Their answer was to send me 2 more outer magnets to stack on the inside magnet and looks pathetic. I also continued to have an issue where the controller fails to provide power to the B pump. I’m selling both of them now that I have a new controller and can not recommend them to anyone. Concerning cleaning and assembling the pumps it’s never been an issue. Sticking with MP60’s and Tunze.

The reefwave 45’s were a far better gyre IMO if stuck on these style of pumps.

 

[chopsuey84]

I have 1x230 for abt 3 yrs and 2x350 abt 2 yrs no issues cleaning or with bushings or disassembly so idk. I just soak them in vinegar and brush them like every 3-4 months

 

[fishybizzness]

Another angle of looking at the maintenance issue. Mp40 with extra wetside =$487. Gyre 330 with extra pump =$471. Mp60 with extra wetside =$943. Gyre 350 with extra pump =$545. Just buy an extra pump and swap out every month and drop the dirty one in a little water and citric acid for a day. Rinse off and the pump will be as good as new and ready for the next month. The 330 with extra pump is a little cheaper and the 350 with extra pump is almost half the price. Solves the problem of taking the pump apart every month. Swap should take a few minutes at most. Another great thing about the gyres is its like having 2 pumps in one unit so even a better deal cost wise.

 

[Greybeard]

While I wouldn't say they're trash... I won't own another one. Too high maintenance for me.

I bought an original Maxspect, shortly after they came out. Looked like a neat idea. Sold it back to the fish shop at half price six months later. Any device that won't run a quarter year without a cleaning is something I don't need in my tank, and even cleaning more often, it's a pain to disassemble and reassemble.

A buddy was running the Icecap version, and recently replaced them, due to noise levels and constant maintenance, with the Red Sea version. I didn't like either of them any better than the original Maxspect.

Just no thanks.

My Tunze 6155's will run, and run... no problems. A simple cable lets me attach them to my Apex, so I can set up a more complex wave pattern with them. Simple, clean, low maintenance, and plenty of flow. Add in a Tunze 6040 on the Safety Switch with a SLA battery, and I've got flow even when the power fails, reliable, simple, and reasonably inexpensive!

 

[alysak6075]

So i have both: a set of 2 350s and a set of 2 MP40s.
the 350s are trash, i had to replace BOTH pumps, CoraVue was no help, shelled out $156 per pump replacement, they required cleaning every 10 days or the performance declined sharply. And the 350s really did need an acid bath to get them to a semblance of "normal". I got tired of cleaning them quickly.
The MP40s have been in the tank for 4 months, I have yet to clean them. Work like a charm.
Both sets are silent (maybe not silent) I cant hear them. YMMV

 

[fishybizzness]

Seems like they both have their positives and negatives. I regularly see threads with mp issues so I know they aren't perfect. Maybe I'll try one one of these days when brs is having a sale. Who knows, maybe I'll fall in love with them! Lol! For now though, I'll stick with the gyres because in my opinion, no other pumps on the market can put out the linear flow of a gyre and that is what works for me!

 

[Brew12]

I have been running 4 of the 250's for over 3 years now. Initially I hated the maintenance to the point I stopped following the recommended cleaning instructions. That is when I switched from only loving the flow to loving the pumps too. I went over 18 months without taking any of the 4 apart.
The metal cannister they shipped in makes a great cleaning container. I use a food saver vacuum bag sealed on one end as a liner in the can and fill it with vinegar. Disconnect power to the pump and put the pump in the bag of vinegar. My set up allows me to put the can close enough to the pump that I don't have to do anything with the motor cord. 2 to 4 hours later I take the pump out, let it drain, and put it back in my aquarium. Actual labor time is well under 5 minutes per pump and by not taking them apart every month I greatly increased bushing life.
I finally did have to replace a bunch of the bushings and a few impellers in the last 2 or 3 months. They came with a complete spare set for each pump so no issues there. I'll be thrilled to get another 3 years out of the new ones but, if not, you can buy new bushings from Amazon for $10 and 2 day shipping. A set of replacement impellers is $35.

 

[minus9]

Sorry to hear of the problems with the pumps, sometimes things don't work out. Kinda how I felt about my Nyos 160, just too many moving parts and a PITA to clean. How often someone has to clean their pumps is solely based on the tanks biology, some get lucky with minimal buildup, while others need to clean more often. I have both 330's and MP40's in my tank and I need to clean both every few weeks. My MP40's have the limpet guards, so the smaller holes get clogged up faster, but I simply pull the wetsides and run them under tap water and scrub away, couple minutes later they are back in and running. As for the gyres, I recommend anyone that uses them to buy extra cages and impellers, it really makes cleaning them a breeze. I take out the impeller shaft once a month or so, otherwise I just take the pump out, flip out the dirty cages and impellers for clean ones and back in the tank. It takes 5 minutes to swap both pumps. A set of cages and impellers for two pumps is about the same cost as one wetside for a MP40, so it's a no-brainer. I also run all of my pumps from the Wave Engine, so no controller for the gyres and no power bricks. I'm with you on the controller, it's not very good and the 10% increments in intensity didn't work for me. If Tunze made a double ended version of the 6040, it would be my pump of choice, it's probably one of the best nano pumps out there.

 

[SamsReef]

There are more negative comments about gyre than positives so far. Trash might be overstatement but Gyres are not what it seemed originally. I am happy I ditched it rather than trying to make it work. Happy camper without it.

sam