Thinking about switching to gyre flow

[Reefnman2]

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

I have the Ice Cap 3K on my 75 gal. and it's great so far but it's really overkill on a 75, it is powerful and I run it at 20% flow at night then bring it up to 30% during the day, at 50% it blew sand all over the place.

 

[jda]

I have a Maxspec and have never cleaned it other than the urchins in the tank. It is still strong. It moves a lot of water even in a 6' 225G tank.

I would not use one alone... they cause my SPS to "lean" in the direction of the gyre. I still use it, but it is too static alone, so I have a few tunzes in there too, and I also shut it off for 8 hours at night.

 

[RichReef]

Once you learn them and have the proper tools they aren't hard to break down and clean at all. It's just a learning curve. I can do the 2 I have in a half hour depending on build up. They spend more time soaking than it takes me to RnR it.

The problem is the alignment when you put them back together. The outer cages must be 100% FREE moving in the motor housing. If they bind at all you're going to have motor problems. Make sure the o-ring is cleaned and lubed. Make sure the cage moves freely in all directions and in and out. The motor will set the alignment once it spins up. I have had to use Scotch Brite on the motor housing to free them up.

 

[amoore311]

A lot of the information given here is on the older Gyre Pumps. Maxspect addressed the majority, if not all, of the maintenance and cleaning issues when they released the XF330 and XF350.

I'm running the XF350 now, it's been on the tank 3 months. Have not had to remove the pump yet for major maintenance. Just a cursory clean off with an old tooth brush every couple weeks.

 

[jda]

I should add that I have the XF350 - this is the one that has never been cleaned outside of the tank.

 

[CALI2949]

ONE 3K IS ALL YOU NEED I USE A 3K IN MY 120.

 

[Salty Lemon]

I have a couple gyres on my tank. One is place horizontally on one side and the other side it is vertical. I have the water moving in different directions on each gyre. As someone said earlier, once you do the maintenance on it a couple times, it becomes easy. I'm not a mechanical or techy person, and I can do it in no time.

 

[Rich Klein]

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

+1 I purchased 2 Maxspec Gyre and found them much more difficult to maintain, and failed about every 3 weeks. I went to MP40s and am much happier. The Gyre's were almost impossible to strip-down to the motor drive. Really poorly designed for maintenance.

 

[WVNed]

I have been running 2 XF 230s on my 75 for more than a year and have taken them apart only once. I bought 2 XF 350s for the new tank.
Not sure why anyone says they are hard to take apart and put back.

 

[fishybizzness]

I have been running 2 XF 230s on my 75 for more than a year and have taken them apart only once. I bought 2 XF 350s for the new tank.
Not sure why anyone says they are hard to take apart and put back.

Agree 100%!

 

[fishybizzness]

+1 I purchased 2 Maxspec Gyre and found them much more difficult to maintain, and failed about every 3 weeks. I went to MP40s and am much happier. The Gyre's were almost impossible to strip-down to the motor drive. Really poorly designed for maintenance.

I'm curious as to what you mean by failed? I've had my 230s for 2 years now and just recently had to change one of the propellers with the extra provided due to a blade breaking. Other than an occasional cleaning, they have been awesome.

 

[ReefAtlas]

My experiences - I have 2 xf250s on opposite sides of a 130 gallon Red Sea. Both running at 100% power, random mode for the last 2 years. I clean them every 6-8 weeks. The flow is significant but the randomness prevents pusing in one direction as a single pump can cause. In 2 other tanks, we are using xf330s, single per tank set to random at 60% power. The newer 300 series are easier to maintain and frankly unless they get something stuck inside of the cage probably can go for 6 months between cleanings. I do notice they are stronger when the slime is cleaned from the rotors and cages. The older 200 series need cleaned more often because coraline grows everywhere on them. I highly recommend the 300 series using some kind of random mode. Lunar Tidal or just straight random. I think the XF330 @90% random would be nearly perfect for a 75 gallon SPS tank. Easy to clean, reliable, quiet, good control and options.

 

[JMM744]

I ran a 3K in my 70 with a smaller powerhead opposite to cause disrupted flow. More. Then enough. Have two 330’s on my 10 with two mp10’s low on either side. Plenty of flow
Two 350’s on my 180 with mp40’s low for sweeping the floor (bare bottom). Awesome flow from the gyres! Ever had a problem with any and I have 6 running and they don’t get cleaned often. Only negative was the 3K needed a replacement controller