Wavemaker Comparisons

D

DGAM

Premium Member
Which is a better wavemaker, MaxSpect Gyre or the Vortech? Comparing the Gyre XF230 and the Vortech MP40.?Does anyone have?any recommendations for which?one is better and why? Thanks!
 
Although I really can't answer the question since I haven't used the new Gyre XF230. ?However, I can just give some general comments.I've used the Gyre XF150, It creates a lot of flow in the tank. ?It is definitely not for a small tank. ?I have heard alot of quality issues with the first generation Gyre but hopefully that has been corrected with the XF230.I've also used the MP40, not the MP40 QD. ?For the most part I did like the MP40 except that it was loud. ?It seems like you have to clean it more often as well. ?So thats a drawback. ?I didn't like that you had to zip tie the cable going straight up or the dry side would potentially fall off. ?However, it was nice having a dry side so when you did clean it you didn't have to unplug it and re-route all your cables. ?So thats a plus.Out of the 2 above I would take the MP40However, if you told me to go pick the powerhead I want. ?I'd probably choose the Apex WAV as my 1st choice, then whatever?Tunze model that fits the?tank (I've had Tunze 6105 and 6045). ?I like both of those 2 better than the Gyre or Ecotech. ?But that's my opinion. ?I'm sure there are others here that would go the opposite. ?
 
This may or may not be useful at all since my experience is with the XF130 and MP10s, but I had an MP10 in my small tank. ?When I upgraded I decided to use the Gyre in my new tank. ?Both I bought used. ?It seemed like I was always having to adjust the Gyre to get it to work like it should and it would frequently become noisy. ? When I saw someone on here selling an MP10 that had never been in the water I went ahead and bought that and took the Gyre out. ?Both of my MP10s are the QD model and are completely silent. ?I've been extremely happy with them.The Gyre is sitting in a drawer now. ? If I had bought a brand new one maybe my experience would be different, but even after replacing some of the parts I still couldn't get it to reliably work. ?I'll agree with Billy, though, that the Apex WAV and the Tunze powerheads are definitely both good choices, too. ?For me the Vortechs became the first choice, though, because my tank is rimless and doesn't have a canopy. ?I have them both on the back glass, which is painted black, so they're almost invisible and there aren't any cables coming up over the edge of the tank. ?
 
I have a slightly different take than above. ?I bought 2 MP60s to go on the end of my 400g. ?They have plenty of push, but with move your sand around if you aren't careful. ?I have the large grain sand and it still gets pushed around. ?I wish that I could aim them. ?I ended up with a dead zone on the other end of the tank and since it is a peninsula setup, I didn't want any ugly powerhead and cords messing up my view. ?I had already purchased an XF150 when I it was discounted shortly after it came out, so I decided it would go nicely mounted vertically on the other end. ?I like that there are lots of options for setting up the direction and types of flow. ?I was able to send half down the long side of glass and use the other to wrap the short and long side. ?It was plenty strong and I couldn't run it at full power, or it would destroy my LPS. ?I had it set to pulse and you could see the water move when it came on.I wanted more control over it via fusion, so I bought the module that lets you use the variable DC ports to control it. ?This worked out well except 100% was only like 60% of the out of the box output. ?I was ok with this, because it was all I needed.I don't have the QD and I don't need it. ?I never hear mine, but it could be because they are against a wall. ?When I had the Gyre running on it's controller and turned up, it had a whine to it that I wasn't a fan of. ?It is probably the same I would have with my MP60s if they were mounted on the other end. ?I don't hear it when the Apex controls it, but that is probably because it doesn't operate strong enough.If I had it to do over, I would probably get 2 Gyre's (sized up from the 150) and put one on each end mounted horizontally. ?I would control them both with the Apex and pulse back and forth. ?I think these could easily create the natural back and fourth of the ocean. ?I like the lower profile on the dry side (magnet) of the Gyre. ?I would be able to get it higher and centered on my end overflow tank.There are lots of good wavemakers out there, just have to find the right ones to suit your tank and needs. ?Good luck!
 
I can see that with a peninsula style tank the Gyre might be the better choice. ?And, like I mentioned, mine being used may have been the biggest issue with it since I don't know what was done with it before I got it. ?I may order new bushings and shafts and see if I have anymore luck getting it to quiet down and run reliably. ??But then again, that leaves me with a?cable coming over the top of my tank and the two MP10's are moving plenty of water (this is just a 50g tank) and are completely silent, so I might just try to sell the Gyre "as is". ??
 
Since my tank is a peninsula and I have black PVC running across the top all the way down for my return, I am able to hide the cable along side the PVC. ?You don't even notice the Gyre in the corner. ?I would not have been able to hide a Vortech on that end.
 
I have several vortechs through the house. ?The MP10's are still running the stock ES drivers and are quiet enough relative to other tank noises. ?The MP40's are old (bought second hand several years ago) and sit as spares. ?I have two ?MP60's and the QD driver made a huge difference. ?I'm thinking of putting one of the MP40's on my next frag tank and a QD driver is the first thing I'll be doing when that happens. ?The MP's are still not silent, but they aren't louder than fans on my lights. ?If you have any trickling water noises you won't hear them. ?With euro-braced tanks the lack of a cord in the tank is much nicer.I've used Gyres a couple times in the past year on other people's tanks. ?I think the flow path is a bit broader which is a good thing. ?They have a bit of a different whir to them which may or may not bother you, but I think it is louder than a QD Vortech. ?Most of the people I know with Gyres clean them regularly and most of the people I know with Vortechs do not. ?On the other hand, when the Vortechs were new years ago most people I knew with one cleaned them pretty regularly too. ?I have had less issues with sucking air from the top or sand from the bottom with the Gyres, but it hasn't been a big deal for me either way.
 
I'm a huge TUNZE fan.? I love the fact I can aim them in any direction.? I do not like Vortech's for the fact they are attached to the glass and can only point in the direction they are attached.
 
Thank you all for the wonderful comments and advice. I went with two Hydor 1950 pumps. One on each end of the tank. I like them for a few reasons so far. They are quiet. In fact I can not hear them at all. Of course, they are new so we will see how long that lasts. I also like them because they have two separate magnetic connections, one on the outside of the tank, a second one on the inside and then the head itself is magnetically connected to the one inside the tank so taking it on and off to clean should be very simple. I also like that you can aim them in any direction. It is very simple to do so. I kept one of my Maxijet 1200's in the corner blowing at the top of the water but I was able to remove the other 3 Maxijets I had. I went from 4 Maxijet 1200s blowing roughly 1200 GPH total to 2 Hydor 1950's and a Maxijet 1200 blowing roughly 5200 GPH total. (2000 for each Hydor and 1200 for the Maxijet) That's a lot more movement than I had. The Maxijets were nice to get started in the hobby but it was time for an upgrade.
 
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