Thinking about switching to gyre flow

[Jl330]

Tank is a 75 gallon. I'm running a couple of mismatched powerheads on opposite ends of the tank. Nothing seems out of place but I'm wondering if one big gyre flow head would clean up the look in the tank and give my sps better flow.

Opinions? What size for 75 gallon spa dominant

 

[glb]

I have an Icecap 1k gyre on my 40g and it provides plenty of flow, even though I run it at 50% max. I’m wondering if a 3k might work on your tank, or a pair of 1ks. Let’s ask the #reefsquad for more opinions!

 

[Scorpius]

They require more maintenance and have higher failure rates than other wave maker pumps I have heard and noticed by others posting on R2R.

 

[Demonic]

They require more maintenance and have higher failure rates than other wave maker pumps I have heard and noticed by others posting on R2R.

I've heard the new 300 series isnt that way. Less maintenance, not sure about longevity since it's pretty new though

 

[Ron Reefman]

As far as I've seen, NONE of the gyres has a motor with enough torque. Any little bit 'stuff' gets in the way and they stop. Take it apart, clean it, put it back together and be very careful because anything the least little bit out of alignment and they don't run.

As for flow and clean look, they are great. And the magnets they use to hold them to the tank are crazy strong.

 

[Reef_A_Lot]

I use an Icecap 3k on my 75 and I love it. You’ll have to watch the placement of some of your corals because the icecap is STRONG. You’ll have the option to adjust the flow percentage though. One complaint about them...they can be a bit loud depending on what setting you use.

 

[Jl330]

I use an Icecap 3k on my 75 and I love it. You’ll have to watch the placement of some of your corals because the icecap is STRONG. You’ll have the option to adjust the flow percentage though. One complaint about them...they can be a bit loud depending on what setting you use.

I have nothing but acros across the top. Can't imagine they'd be too unhappy in high flow. I have a few lps in the bottom.

 

[Reef_A_Lot]

I have nothing but acros across the top. Can't imagine they'd be too unhappy in high flow. I have a few lps in the bottom.

You’ll be golden with the 3k then

 

[SKYHIGGh]

I have a 1k in my tank and love it. Strong flow I run it random at 100% works well. Spot under it will have low flow depending on scape

 

[Seminoles76]

I ran into the same thing @Ron Reefman said. The maintenance on the gyre was a PITA. Enough for me that I would never run one again. For comparisons for you... I ran two 250s on a standard 120 cranked at 100%.

I always ran Vortechs before and could never get myself to like the flow of the gyre over the Vortechs.

 

[George81]

I too was looking at switching to gyres I ended up buying another powerhead. I bought a coral box qp16 only because I had 2 qp9s and having them operate off one master controller was a deciding factor for me. I must say the qp16 is actually quiet as advertised unlike the qp9s which has noise. I’m quite happy with the qp16.

 

[User1]

How mature is the tank and corals? Is the tank relatively new? How about the corals? Are they soft, LPS, or SPS? Mix? Do they have growth? And lastly how is the aquascape?

These are important questions to answer because they will more or less help guide you if a Gyre is a good solution for you. They move a lot of water regardless of the respected size. Some obviously more than others but the key is that they move water. Because of this you need a mature tank and coral growth to help break up the flow otherwise it is like a wave crashing against a rock in the ocean. A lot of unnecessary force.

I owned a pair of XF250's and saw this issue first hand with a new tank upgrade in my 210 gallon tank (54" L x 30" W x 30" H). I tried a couple different ways to break them up using alternate blades for forward and reverse, then mounting them vertical, then horizontal, then on the side, then on the back wall, etc. High flow, low flow, custom patterns ramp up, down, alternate flow, etc. Moved water but never found something that was not blowing my corals all around. When I did find something I needed to run them at a higher power setting and then I was hearing the whine of it ramping up, down, etc. Annoying.

I hear the new models are supposed to be better with regards to the whine / noise. It is also why they are not backward compatible. Had they been backward compatible with the XF2xx series controller I would probably be trying a 300 series. They are not, and my issues above I decided to take them off line for a bit and set them aside until I see some coral growth to help break up the flow. In the mean time I went with a second return pump for redundancy matted up to a pair of 1" sea swirls. Within the Apex I am simulating a virtual outlet with tides and alternate the pumps power respectively and my corals seem to enjoy that more.

Gyre's are nice but my personal opinion is that they need a mature tank. The controller are not the best things and take some getting used to. However, once you do it is a moot point and it works. Paddle change and flow can go forward and backward, both back, etc. Mount direction differently and again flow in different patterns. No other pump has these features. About the only thing it lacked that I missed from my previous controller and power heads was the nutrient transport and tidal swell modes. It has two pre-built but the power control over them was somewhat lacking although they worked.

TL;DR - they work, work well, a bit higher maintenance, may not be backward compatible with future upgrades, must have mature coral / tank.

Good luck.

 

[Chad3407]

I've ran 2-250s for a year with no problem. Cleaning them is quick and easy. I would recommend 2 instead of just one. You want flow from both directions not just one.

 

[Seminoles76]

I've ran 2-250s for a year with no problem. Cleaning them is quick and easy. I would recommend 2 instead of just one. You want flow from both directions not just one.

I’ve always seen some people say this and others say they have a tough time re assembling. Do you break yours all the way down when cleaning. When I would re assemble mine after complete break down was where I would run into problems. Could never get the cafe to seat right over the impellers and when it did finally seat the dang pump would be messed up and not throwing laminar flow pattern. Break down do it again, and after five times of doing this it would finally run right. Maybe they corrected that with the 350s. Not too mention I hated the the fact of having 30 pieces between two pumps.

 

[Chad3407]

I’ve always seen some people say this and others say they have a tough time re assembling. Do you break yours all the way down when cleaning. When I would re assemble mine after complete break down was where I would run into problems. Could never get the cafe to seat right over the impellers and when it did finally seat the dang pump would be messed up and not throwing laminar flow pattern. Break down do it again, and after five times of doing this it would finally run right. Maybe they corrected that with the 350s. Not too mention I hated the the fact of having 30 pieces between two pumps.

When I pull mine apart I do one side at a time. For me it only takes a few minutes and I've never had an issue reassembling them.

 

[fishybizzness]

When I pull mine apart I do one side at a time. For me it only takes a few minutes and I've never had an issue reassembling them.

Takes me about 1/2 hr to take my pair of 230s completely apart to clean and reassemble. I could probably go quicker but I wouldn't want to mess them up. One you do it once or twice it's easy after that. And you can't beat the flow! These pumps are beasts!

 

[reacclimating 2 the hobby]

I love my gyres... I have had no issues with anything getting stuck in them and the maintenance really isn't bad. It's not as easy as vortech, but I run mine in a bucket of vinegar and water once a month and have no issues. I've had to take them apart once in 8 months, it was very simple. For the price, I wouldn't go back to vortech again, the flow with the gyres is much better IMO. My two cents... good luck with whatever you do

 

[Seminoles76]

I never had issues with things getting stuck in them either. My only issue with them was the cage not seating right at the end of re-assembly. One of the cool things about reefing is there is so much equipment choices that you are almost sure to find the equipment you really like.

To the OP, I would definitely run two 350s if you decide to go with gyres.

 

[Jl330]

How mature is the tank and corals? Is the tank relatively new? How about the corals? Are they soft, LPS, or SPS? Mix? Do they have growth? And lastly how is the aquascape?

These are important questions to answer because they will more or less help guide you if a Gyre is a good solution for you. They move a lot of water regardless of the respected size. Some obviously more than others but the key is that they move water. Because of this you need a mature tank and coral growth to help break up the flow otherwise it is like a wave crashing against a rock in the ocean. A lot of unnecessary force.

I owned a pair of XF250's and saw this issue first hand with a new tank upgrade in my 210 gallon tank (54" L x 30" W x 30" H). I tried a couple different ways to break them up using alternate blades for forward and reverse, then mounting them vertical, then horizontal, then on the side, then on the back wall, etc. High flow, low flow, custom patterns ramp up, down, alternate flow, etc. Moved water but never found something that was not blowing my corals all around. When I did find something I needed to run them at a higher power setting and then I was hearing the whine of it ramping up, down, etc. Annoying.

I hear the new models are supposed to be better with regards to the whine / noise. It is also why they are not backward compatible. Had they been backward compatible with the XF2xx series controller I would probably be trying a 300 series. They are not, and my issues above I decided to take them off line for a bit and set them aside until I see some coral growth to help break up the flow. In the mean time I went with a second return pump for redundancy matted up to a pair of 1" sea swirls. Within the Apex I am simulating a virtual outlet with tides and alternate the pumps power respectively and my corals seem to enjoy that more.

Gyre's are nice but my personal opinion is that they need a mature tank. The controller are not the best things and take some getting used to. However, once you do it is a moot point and it works. Paddle change and flow can go forward and backward, both back, etc. Mount direction differently and again flow in different patterns. No other pump has these features. About the only thing it lacked that I missed from my previous controller and power heads was the nutrient transport and tidal swell modes. It has two pre-built but the power control over them was somewhat lacking although they worked.

TL;DR - they work, work well, a bit higher maintenance, may not be backward compatible with future upgrades, must have mature coral / tank.

Good luck.

Tank is a couple years old. My sticks are encrusted and starting to branch and my montis and birdsnest are growing. My lps are slowly growing.

 

[User1]

Ok so you could do one on the back of the tank wall pushing forward but less power or put one on the left or right side. In both cases it would be placed at the top 3 inches or so below the surface. Flow would work across the top of the tank reach the far side and then roll down the right wall and in turn tumble along the bottom reaching the other side again. I'll have to see if I can find the link handy but if you haven't seen it yet @pelphrey put together a thread with a video discussing the gyre's, flow, etc. It is a good thread to read along with the video.

I think you have a couple good options there with placement and even paddles to alternate a forward and reverse flow. I don't think you would need a high power level either so when or if you purchase a gyre then don't be surprised if you are not running it full blast. In fact before you buy consider if you have any tank upgrades in the future, what size that could be, then factor that when it may happen. Reason why I suggest that is because they do move water and the price point is such that it may make sense for you to buy in the middle of the product line rather than the smaller lower power so you can reuse later should you upgrade. The units are large and increase in size obviously has they increase model numbers. Something to be aware of.

Nice tank.