So checking whether they're synced or not is a little tricky since there's no display in the app that shows both pump's speeds simultaneously, but here's what I'm doing:
1) Using my ears. I've got the 2 pumps on opposite sides of a 75 gallon tank and can hear them ramp up or down in speed.
2) Using my eyes. My tank is barebottom and I don't run filter socks so there's a fair amount of detritus that's swirling around. This makes it easy to see that the convergence point of the 2 pumps is always exactly dead center in the tank regardless of how the pumps are ramping up or down in speed.
3) Using the app. While you can't see both pump's speeds simultaneously, you can click on each pump individually to see its current speed. If you're quick, you can click back and forth between the 2 pumps to verify they're always synced up.
I currently have both pumps in random mode (independently). I can clearly hear the 2 pumps at different speeds, I can clearly see the convergence point of the 2 pumps shift around in the tank, and I can click back and forth between the 2 pumps in the app to verify they're not running at the same speed. Though this has been working alright, I'd really like to setup the random mode in anti-sync for a couple of reasons:
1) The flow of the 2 pumps will always add up to 100%. Right now (both random, independent), one pump could be at 5% and the second could be at 15% with very little overall flow in the tank. Similarly, one could be at 90% and the second at 100% (too much flow for my frogspawn near the convergence point in the middle).
2) Some "gyre" effect can take place (randomly on occasion, I know I can set this up manually using the pulse mode). If they're properly running random anti-sync, when one pump is 100% the second would be 0%, allowing for a nice alternating gyre sorta flow. I really got used to how awesome a gyre flow was with my old XF-230 pumps, but I got away from them due to maintenance and stalling issues.
3) If random worked in anti-sync the convergence point would always be shifting back and forth throughout the tank. Currently, the corals at the far ends of the tanks aren't getting much flow because the flow from the opposing side's pump, while powerful enough alone to reach the opposite side, never quite gets there since the 2 pumps are fighting one another. This results in lots of turbulence and flow in the middle of the tank, but very little flow and turbulence near the ends where the convergence point of the pumps rarely occurs.
I've emailed AI to ask about this setting and have only received a canned response explaining how the phase mode is supposed to work. The customer service person didn't address the fact that phase is working correctly in pulse but not random. I replied, emphasizing again that the issue is only in random anti-sync and am awaiting a response.
Thanks for your offer to help Tunic!! Looking forward to hearing back how your pumps handle the random anti-sync setting!
I guess 2 running in random mode but not as child and parent is similar but not a true anti-sync. But as you were saying if both hit random at the max setting at the same time that could be tons of flow which would not happen in anti-sync.
