wavemaker question

[mandown123]

I bought a hydor korelia 3 online for 35 shipped. I heard from someone these aren't good for use with wavemaking devices. Has anyone had experience with this?

[fijiwigi]

I have no personal experience, but hydor koralia's have mellow flow so with a wave maker it wouldn't rush the water around too much like a wave as much as a Maxi-jet. With a maxi-jet its like a blast from a water cannon the Koralia is more like the propeller of a motor boat. different flow patterns and strengths. Just a thought however I have no experience with it.

[mandown123]

the hydor has a flow adjuster right?

[cmor1701d]

No flow adjuster and do not put these on a wavemaker. I shut them down 1x/wk for feeding and sometime the impeller needs a push before it start up again (not with a finger).

[Ziggy953]

There are a couple of pumps similar to the Koralias that can be used on wave makers. The tunze Nanostream 6055 or the Vortech (which comes with it's own "wave" style maker) Starting and stopping a Koralia is not a good idea.

[Kurt_Nelson]

I start and stop a Koralia once every day for feeding. Been doing it for 6 months? No issues here, although I have heard of others having issues with them getting 'stuck'. Think maybe that was the first batch and there have been improvements made?

[mandown123]

i picked it up because it was cheap (like 30 bucks) but i want to eventually get a wavemaker in the future when i have more money to burn

[Ziggy953]

Starting and stopping it once a day for feeding is a lot different then starting and stopping it several times a minute for a wave maker. They are great pumps for flow but not made to be used on a wave maker.

[Kurt_Nelson]

Originally Posted by Ziggy953

Starting and stopping it once a day for feeding is a lot different then starting and stopping it several times a minute for a wave maker. They are great pumps for flow but not made to be used on a wave maker.

Yeah... sorry. Forgot the original question!

However, depending on the start/stop cycle of the wavemaker, there's really no commercially available powerhead that's really made for that type of duty cycle. That's why I've normally seen MaxiJets recommended for wavemakers... because they're cheap and easily replaceable!

[cmor1701d]

Tunze makes several models that are designed for wave making. They are very expenisve and require the Tunze controller (also very expenisve). As Ziggy said, Vortech is also making an interesting model with the power source outside the tank and a wireless wavemaker controller. It cost $419.99 at the doctors. Both are considerably more than a Koralia.

[Ziggy953]

As a side note on the Vortech. It was specifically designed to create random flow all from one pump. As Cmor said the power source is outside the tank. I know a few people who have these on tanks as small as 29gallons. The pump can be programed with your tank infromation and actually generate surface waves. It is a very upscale pump. I will have one on my 210....

[cmor1701d]

with envy. I think a closed loop system is all that won't be on that 210, or are you adding one of those too :p

[Ziggy953]

I will have a closed loop as well. The plumbing for it will be a little complicated because the tank will be viewable on both sides and I'm not going to drill new holes in the tank. I've got some ideas on how I plan to do it just haven't drawn them up and worked them out yet.

[Paulm7373]

Hi all,

Looking at the Tunze 6015 and 6025 wave makers and would like to know which one would be best for my Aqua One Aquareef 195 tank which is 195L (about 50 gallons and just over 2' wide) if I purchased a couple of them for each side. Glass is 10mm thick. Would the 6015 be sufficient or do I need a stronger flow in the 6025?

Rgds,
Paul