Modern ReefKeeping

No matter who you are, or how far along you are in the Reef Tank Hobby, at some point or another “flow” will become your primary concern. Believe it or not, flow is “highly debated” by many of the top dogs in our community. Some say you need A LOT of it, and some say it’s overstated. Either way, I’m the kind of guy that likes to do things myself to see how it works. I’ve made some pretty stupid purchases in the past, but that’s relative in this hobby… isn’t it?

3800 GPH on a 225 gallon “SPS” dominated reef. That’s what I had before grabbing these new power heads. That’s really ridiculous and my sand bed was suffering from it. I hate to calculate my flow with the return included, but it was embarrassing not to! Yes, that 3800 number was “with” the return included. Pathetic… Even in a debate over high flow vs. low flow, I would get laughed at.

Before I purchased these power heads (or “wave makers” as Coral Vue markets them), I seriously was considering buying 2 of the new “high dollar” wave makers for my tank. I knew that I’d have to buy a couple more to keep up with the demands of my tank, too. I calculated these cost to be somewhere in the area of $1200! I just didn’t want to shell out that kind of jack right now. I’d rather put that money into the fish I want and some new corals. So, I purchased some of these power heads because a good buddy of mine said he loved them in his 120g, and it danced circles around the “expensive alternative” he also owns, and has set up, in his tank.

Okay, okay… I know a lot of people hate to hear that they just spent $400+ dollars on a power head that sucks. Well, I’m not even coming close to saying that. Dude! You’re high dollar power head kicks major ass! Seriously! You have different modes, a wireless controller, an undertow from Hades, low profile design (aka doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb), no heat transfer in the tank, I could go on! So, don’t think I didn’t consider all of those factors when deciding to buy these High Seas.

Now to some pros and cons based on my research…

Pros:

1. Cheap! At $45 bucks a power head, if it breaks, it really is “all good.”
2. Not too shabby looking. Sure they are rather large by today’s standards; but, they are sleek looking… very similar to the Koralia design. Funny how those things were the “cat’s meow” not so long ago, and people jumped ship when a newer, more expensive “thing” came out.
3. Low noise. Even the high dollar ones make this “winding noise” when in certain modes.
4. Easy to setup. Hell, they didn’t even come with instructions! (LOL) Seriously, they didn’t need them.
5. The 3000 GPH flow is very wide spread, and very gentle. I was worried about this a LOT! No need to.
6. These things are directional. You can point them where you want them to go.
7. Mad undertow, as well! I seriously don’t get that marketing ploy. I get the same, if not more undertow than some high dollar units.
8. Did I mention these are very cost effective?!
9. 24W per unit!

Now, the dreaded Cons:

1. Don’t even think about putting these on a wave controller. I don’t know… maybe you could, but I’d imagine they’d clunk like Koralias and it would kill the motor life quicker. These are not built as “tough” as some of the higher end units.
2. No modes. One speed only… well, depending on which variety of power head you buy.
3. No wireless controller to sync them all up.
4. Motor is in the tank, so some heat will be prevalent. Haven’t noticed this yet… but I’m watching.
5. The magnet sucks big ones. It’s just plastic to plastic. Even the Koralias have a rubber suction cup that also dubs in as a protector from scratches on the tank. I’m sure glass guys don’t need to worry about this, but my tank is acrylic. I had to cut some microfiber to place in-between the magnet and the acrylic so I don’t scratch it.
6. No battery backup offered… I guess I can buy a UPS to run it on. (LOL)
7. The power cord is short. Don’t even think about creating a drip loop unless you splice a length of wire in there, or get ghetto on dat azz and use some duck tape and an extension cord.
8. No history on these things… History is our greatest educator, after all.

So, that said, I went with the CoralVue product. After putting them in, WHOA NELLY! They really push some water, guys! I would recommend them to anyone looking to solve some flow issues quickly, cheaply, and effectively.

The above pictures are of the units in my tank. I am now pushing over 12,000 GPH “comfortably” throughout my little environment. I am very happy with the flow these things put out, and even more happier with the new fish and corals I have purchased by the money I saved!

I will post more progress of the power heads as time progresses. Heck, we have to start somewhere, right?