Which Gyre and Why? Maxsspect, IceCap, or Red Sea?

ddaddy2420 · Jul 29, 2020

Curious as to what gyre pump people are using and why? Correct me if i am wrong but i believe the top and only 3 are Maxspect, Icecap, and RedSea. And does anyone know if you can only run 1/2 of a gyre, for some reason i could have swore i saw this somewhere but now for the life of me i can't seem to find a picture of any of them doing this...So which would you recommend???

Thanks,
Dale

Billldg · Jul 29, 2020

Well, Maxspect and Icecap are owned my the same company...so. The only pump that can run half of one is the Reef Octopus Blade, and I am not sure if its even out yet. You can run the others that way because of the imbalance it would create. I have no experience with the Red Sea version, but I do have a Maxspect 350 in my tank and it moves a ton of water softly. The only problem with all of therm, as I would imagine, it that the impeller needs to be cleaned every 3 to 4 weeks.

Viking_Reefing · Jul 29, 2020

If I’m not mistaken maxspect are manufacturing the Red Sea pumps as well.

User1 · Jul 29, 2020

Billldg said:
The only problem with all of therm, as I would imagine, it that the impeller needs to be cleaned every 3 to 4 weeks.

Or do they....

Well. Some of us are lazy. I'm not going to lie but mine are cleaned maybe every other month if I'm being honest. They do move water though. I have a pair of XF250's. Lots of flow options based on position of the unit and of course the blades used.

Seriously there are no pumps on the market that can do what they do because of this.

Billldg · Jul 29, 2020

saf1 said:
Or do they....

Well. Some of us are lazy. I'm not going to lie but mine are cleaned maybe every other month if I'm being honest. They do move water though. I have a pair of XF250's. Lots of flow options based on position of the unit and of course the blades used.

Seriously there are no pumps on the market that can do what they do because of this.

BRS did studies on this, and I will agree, that they loose roughly 10 to 20 percent of flow after a month. Trust me, I wish they didn't as the flow they create is second to none. I always will say they move a ton of water gently, meaning they don;t beat the heck out of corals in their path as do most powerheads.

User1 · Jul 29, 2020

Billldg said:
BRS did studies on this, and I will agree, that they loose roughly 10 to 20 percent of flow after a month. Trust me, I wish they didn't as the flow they create is second to none. I always will say they move a ton of water gently, meaning they don;t beat the heck out of corals in their path as do most powerheads.

Oh - I believe you. Was teasing

In my setup I'm ok if there is fall off. It isn't anything like I saw when running Jeboa's for example. But I'm sure there is. Especially if one has a lot of film type algae that builds up on the glass. The blades will get that for sure.

Only thing I wish was native connectivity to the Apex and not via a middleware box / icecap. Or the one to one when used.

TheHarold · Jul 29, 2020

ddaddy2420 said:
Curious as to what gyre pump people are using and why? Correct me if i am wrong but i believe the top and only 3 are Maxspect, Icecap, and RedSea. And does anyone know if you can only run 1/2 of a gyre, for some reason i could have swore i saw this somewhere but now for the life of me i can't seem to find a picture of any of them doing this...So which would you recommend???

Thanks,
Dale

I think the best value currently is the IceCap version. It is $210 for the controller and a 2000gph pump, and then you can add an additional pump for $100. So you get twice the value compared to, say, a XF330 setup.

Its more convenient to just have a single power supply, the app is simple to use and works well, etc. Also has 0-10v input for control via apex.

They also offer a 4000gph version.

The 1/2 gyre concept is by Reef Octopus, and seems to be pushed forward due to Covid etc.

Billldg · Jul 29, 2020

saf1 said:
Oh - I believe you. Was teasing In my setup I'm ok if there is fall off. It isn't anything like I saw when running Jeboa's for example. But I'm sure there is. Especially if one has a lot of film type algae that builds up on the glass. The blades will get that for sure.

Only thing I wish was native connectivity to the Apex and not via a middleware box / icecap. Or the one to one when used.

Now a Apex direct connect would be the holy grail of powerheads. Even at this moment, as I am in the process of upgrading to my new 225 gal tank, I am having problems deciding on which way to go with powerheads. I love my Mp40's, but again, the way a Gyre moves water is 2nd to none.

TheHarold · Jul 29, 2020

Billldg said:
Now a Apex direct connect would be the holy grail of powerheads. Even at this moment, as I am in the process of upgrading to my new 225 gal tank, I am having problems deciding on which way to go with powerheads. I love my Mp40's, but again, the way a Gyre moves water is 2nd to none.

The Icecap Gyre setup has a 0-10v input for direct control from apex. It's also the most economic option, and you can put two pumps on one controller (with a single power supply).

I have mine programmed from my apex. Change modes, feed mode, etc.

A sea K · Jul 29, 2020

Finally ditching the mp 40 and mp10. Just bought a new icecap 4k with controller to replace them with. I already have an early version 1k to join with it on opposing sides of my 48" long 80 gal. FWIW the 1k that I have had for well over a year now has only been brushed off a few times and never taken out for a formal cleaning.

Billldg · Jul 29, 2020

TheHarold said:
The Icecap Gyre setup has a 0-10v input for direct control from apex. It's also the most economic option, and you can put two pumps on one controller (with a single power supply).

I have mine programmed from my apex. Change modes, feed mode, etc.

I am not sure yet if I will go with 4 Mp40's, or 2 Gyre 350's and 2 MP40's. I already have a Gyre 350, so another pump would be roughly 150 dollars or so. Its good to know for other reefers looking at these with an Apex though.

To newer reefers with a Apex, or even veteran reefers the same, as @TheHarold stated, the Icecap has a 0-10v control that can be plugged into the Apex 0-10v port.

DMG Reef · Jul 29, 2020

ddaddy2420 said:
Curious as to what gyre pump people are using and why? Correct me if i am wrong but i believe the top and only 3 are Maxspect, Icecap, and RedSea. And does anyone know if you can only run 1/2 of a gyre, for some reason i could have swore i saw this somewhere but now for the life of me i can't seem to find a picture of any of them doing this...So which would you recommend???

Thanks,
Dale

You are correct. You can run 1/2 of a gyre with the Icecap 1K model. It's been replaced with the 2K and I don't know if that feature is still available. Here's a screenshot of the 1K with one cage removed.

ddaddy2420 · Jul 29, 2020

Kattkrazie said:
You are correct. You can run 1/2 of a gyre with the Icecap 1K model. It's been replaced with the 2K and I don't know if that feature is still available. Here's a screenshot of the 1K with one cage removed.

That’s it, I thought one of these had this option.

Crashnt24 · Jul 29, 2020

I'm a Maxspect fanboy so my vote goes for theirs! I have their light and have everything connected to my wi-fi via the ICV6 controller. Super sweet control options on the app.

galantra · Jul 29, 2020

Maxspect for me As well, I have a 250 like the variations with one MP40. On my up grade I am debating on adding 3 with a MP40

Seamore2001 · Aug 25, 2020

Reviving this thread - I've got an Icecap 1K that I'm pleased with, but need another gyre for another larger tank. I'm thinking the Icecap 4K, but a lot of reviews I'm seeing (Amazon) are saying 1. the pump can't be run without the app except at full blast, 2. the wifi connection constantly disconnects and resets, and 3 it's needlessly complicated to setup.

So my question is are these complaints accurate? And if I choose the Maxxspec 330 instead, will I experience similar issues?