A Wavemaker for Every Budget
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Every aquarium needs waterflow. For reef aquariums, having wavemakers is especially important for your fish and corals healths. Find out the best wavemakers for every budget! From Hydor Koralias, IceCap & MaxSpect Gyres to EcoTech Vortchs, ready how they can benefit your tank!
If you have a reef tank, you need waves! Having sufficient water circulation in a reef tank is extremely important as it needed by the corals to survive and thrive. At the basic level, better water circulation helps to increase gas exchange and get more oxygen into the water. This higher level of oxygen is great for stabilizing your pH level and providing the oxygen your fish require. Additionally, corals require randomized water flow to help shed the slim coat that they produce. Without sufficient water circulation, this slime coat can suffocate the coral. Slim that fall off one coral can also sting or kill another coral if there is not enough water circulation to blow the slim coat off and into your filter system.
The least expensive way to start making waves is to add a propeller pump or two (such as the Hydor Koralia or Rossmont Mover) and put them on a timer. Turning the pumps on and off will change the direction of water flow and create randomized waves.
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Hydor offers an affordable pump controller called the Smart Wave ($74.95) that will give you more advanced control functions; such as alternating and synchronous modes, feed modes and adjustable durations. Rossmont offers a more advanced controller called the Waver that can actually gradually increase and decrease the flow rate rather than just turning the pumps on and off.
| Next step up is the new IceCap Gyre pumps that are extremely affordable. The smaller IceCap 1K can handle aquariums up to 50 gallons and costs just $129.99 while the largerIceCap 3K will handle aquariums up to 100 gallons for $149.99. The most unique feature of the Gyre is that it provides an even laminar flow that covers the entire aquarium; as opposed to a focused flow that is very strong at the output of the pump then dies down quickly away from the pump. This laminar flow helps to eliminate dead spots and prevent detritus from accumulating. |
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The MaxSpect Gyre is very similar to the IceCap Gyre but includes more advanced control features. Prices range from $289.99 to $449.99. The MaxSpect version can also save you money by allowing you to connect 2 pumps together with one power supply (except for XF-280) and a single controller. Seeing alternating gyres in action is an impressive sight! The MaxSpect Gyres are also available in larger sizes with flow rates of up to 6,000GPH for aquariums up to 1,000 gallons! With the optional ICV6 controller that will be available soon, the controller will allow you to control all MaxSpect Syna-G compatible products: such as the MaxSpect Gyre, Ethereal LED, Recurve LED & Turbine Duo Return Pumps.
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The new Reef Octopus Controllable Octo Pulse pumps are priced right in between the IceCap Gyre and MaxSpect Gyre pumps: $229.99 for the Pulse 2 and $299.99 for the Pulse 4. The Pulse takes the traditional propeller pump but squashes it to a very slim, and attractive, profile. It includes a unique articulating magnet mount that allows you to easily point the pump in different directions. Controllability is also a strong point for the Octo Pulse pumps. The feature-rich Pulse controller features 4 pulsing patterns, 2 feed modes and a 0-10V port that allow you to connect the pump to a 3rd party controller such as a GHL or Apex. |
The last but definitely not least is the Vortech by EcoTech Marine. These pumps have been, and still is, the gold standard for wavemakers. The Vortech pumps feature magnetic coupled motors and impellers. This means that the impeller is inside your aquarium while the electric motor is outside: no wires inside your aquarium and no heat is transferred from the motor to the water.
Programming is also EcoTech Marine’s forte. With numerous flow and control modes, wireless pairing for multiple pumps and access to the EcoSmart Live control platform with a wireless pump and a ReefLink, the Vortech easily takes the crown as the pump with the best-developed software and control capabilities. We especially love that the Reeflink allows you to control and synchronize Radion LED lights, Vortech Wave pumps and Vectra Pumps!
Finding a wavemarker that has all the features you are looking for at an affordable price has never been easier. If you have any questions regarding wavemarker or need help/advice picking one out, definitely feel free to email us or give us a call!
We look forward to serving you soon!
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