Wavebox in a FOWLR...is it worth it?

[appleton71]

I recently replaced my two big, bulky Aquatop circulation pumps with two Tunze 6095s and a 7097 controller in my 125 FOWLR. The Tunzes have a lower flow rating than the Aquatops and now I have a couple nearly dead spots. In hind sight I probably should have gone with two 6105s. To get some flow to the slow areas I was thinking about adding one 6105 or a 6208 wavebox...they're basically the same price. Is it worth having a wavebox in a FOWLR setup?

I have a couple of concerns with a wavebox. One is that I'd be getting back to big and bulky. I have a Marineland tank with two corner overflows so I can't just stick it back in a corner. Another possible issue is that I don't have the 2" water level to rim space recommend. It's closer to 1" if not a little less.

Any input would be appreciated!

 

[Reefphd]

Wave boxes are really great at stirring up detritus.
FOWLR are detritus machines. Just make sure you have a good skimmer to remove the suspended detritus.

 

[mcarroll]

What are your tank's dimensions?

I'm a huge fan of the 6105. Even though at $345 it's a little pricier, I'd at least take a look at the Turbelle® stream 3 too....if you're going to keep the 6095's it could be a very good compliment, and you can see a Tunze video of the wave one can do on a 150 gallon tank for reference.

Don't decide just yet though – let us know those measurements!

 

[appleton71]

It's a standard 125... 72 x 18 x 22. I have a lot of LR so there's only 94 gallons of actual water volume.

The Turbelle stream 3 looks...well...huge. Not sure I could hide that anywhere.

 

[mcarroll]

It doesn't have to be any place in particular.....check out some of the vids from Interzoo on YouTube.

As a result – especially if you have a large amount of rock, like you say – inmost tanks you should pretty easily be able to place it anywhere out of view behind some rock.

If, for some reason, that doesn't work (maybe it's a 360º view tank), then they also make ceramic rock "masks" for all their pumps....it can literally be hidden within your rockwork.

(This is the only pump with this design.....the rest of the Stream and Nanostream pumps also have "masks" but do not protrude from it.)

That said, with the tank you have, I think I'd actually consider replacing the 6095's with 6105's. The Turbelle® stream 6105's are awesome in long tanks.

The 6095's are beastly in their own right, but they are definitely not oriented toward a long tank – I suspect you'd need at least one more to flow the whole tank with them. In contrast, two 6105's will easily handle a 72" 180 gallon tank. Your 125g will be no sweat – you'll have all the extra power/flow you'd need for any kind of program you'd want to try. They'll generate a kickin wave too...maybe not quite as strong as the wavebox. For the price, they're quite amazing actually.