[Reefland]

I am in need of a new powerhead for our tank (a maxi-jet that poweres our skimmer went bad and had to be replaced by one from the display) and I was wondering if anyone has used the Tunze Stream on a Wavemaster Pro? I know they are controllable by the Tunze controller but should I expect a reduction of lifespan by placing it on a Wavemaster or are they virtually the same thing?

An additional question is will the Tunze Stream 6080 (2250gph) be too much for the 75gal with a DSB? Ninong you have any thoughts on this, I know you have one that you have tried in your tank.

Thanks,
Scott Z.

[Ninong]

Scott,

I have very limited experience with my Tunze Stream 6060 (1600 gph). I removed it after only a couple of days. My problem at that time was that I had no live rock in my tank, just a 7" fine particle deep sand bed. Another problem I had was that I was unable to keep the thing aimed straight ahead, it kept pointing at a slight angle down towards the sand bed. This is because the mounting bracket was not optimal for my particular tank design. If I decide to try it again, I will probably need to silicone the mounting bracket directly to the aquarium's glass wall.

Here are my thoughts on the Tunze Stream based on my limited knowledge so far:

• I was disappointed with the humming noise coming from mine even though it was a good 5" beneath the surface. The owner's manual states that the noise will get "softer" after an initial running in period of one week or so.
  
  
• The 1600 gph is probably going to be a little too much for my tank since it is only 45" long and since it has a Southdown based DSB. I'm sure these things work much better on tanks that are 6' long or longer than they do on tanks that are 4' long or shorter. The type of sand bed will make a big difference, too.
  
  
• It is a powerhead without the typical powerhead intake. Instead, it has slots on the bottom 4/5 of the round impeller cage that take in the water. These slots look to be about 3/16" wide but I did read a report on Reef Central of someone who says he lost his Elysia crispata lettuce sea slugs to his Tunze Stream, which is another reason I am holding off on trying mine again. I believe he may have lost his slug because it crawled into the front opening of the powerhead when it was turned off. It has a very large opening in the front (almost 2" in diameter) that has practically no protection at all. Even small fish could swim in there when the thing is turned off and then be diced to pieces when it starts up again.
  
  
• I think that the idea behind it is great. I think it is more appropriate for tanks larger than yours or mine. I wonder if the noise ever really goes away, especially if someone were to want four of them. I wonder how much livestock will get sliced and diced if you have it programmed to go on and off all the time??? My smaller snails (everything except the Trochus) climb onto everything and go through the overflow drain into the sump all the time. I remove three or four assorted snails from the sump every day and one or two lettuce sea slugs AT LEAST three times a week. I wonder if they would crawl into the business end of a Tunze Stream when it is in the off mode and be destroyed when it started up? Incidentally, Tunze warns in their owner's manual that that could be a danger with "small fish."
  
  
• Tunze's own controllers turn the things on and off several times a day, so that's probably not a problem. I'm sure that turning one on and off A LOT would shorten its lifespan.
  
  
• Joaco intends to get four of the largest size (the ones with variable speed control) along with the Tunze controllers for each of his new 630-gal tanks that are under construction in the new house. We will have to wait for his review to find out what he thinks of them. They certainly sound interesting, if all of the little drawbacks can be dealt with.

[Reefland]

Yeah I suspected it would be an overkill in our 75 gallon. They seem to be very nice but more so for larger tanks (630 gallon tanks ). I will stick with the Maxi-jet and they provide about enough in the tank; just a bit unsightly.

Thanks,
Scott Z.

[geo]

Originally Posted by Reefland

Yeah I suspected it would be an overkill in our 75 gallon. They seem to be very nice but more so for larger tanks (630 gallon tanks ). I will stick with the Maxi-jet and they provide about enough in the tank; just a bit unsightly.

Thanks,
Scott Z.

fwiw i am running the 6100 on my 90. i think you really need one at each end. i am not sure about plunking down 300 for another though
I started withteh 6000, it wasnt enough flow. I changed the transformer to make it a 6100.

[Papa Doug]

Scott, I run a pair of 6080 pumps in my 225. One may be fine for your tank, depending on coral placement. It should not kick up sand, if its pushing water over the rock, but if its crossing open sand it may.

6080 pumps are not made to be run on a wavemaker. They are made to run on a steady basis. This also eliminates any livestock entering the cage when its off. Some of the others are able to be controlled. The 6110 for instance comes with a controller, that pulses the current.

And, mine are absolutely silent. No hum or vibration from them. My Hagen 800 powerheads make more noise.

[geo]

mine has the controller, it slows the pump down then speeds it back up. It also has a sensor for slower night time speeds. That's kind of neat. When I changed transformers it did move a little sand, but once it found its new spot (a mound) its hasn't been a problem. if mine makes noise I cant hear it over everything else making noise in the tank
I think they are neat pumps, if I had it to do over I doubt I would make made the purchase. Kind of pricey for what they do I guess, JMO.

[mrok12]

Originally Posted by geo

mine has the controller, it slows the pump down then speeds it back up. It also has a sensor for slower night time speeds. That's kind of neat. When I changed transformers it did move a little sand, but once it found its new spot (a mound) its hasn't been a problem. if mine makes noise I cant hear it over everything else making noise in the tank
I think they are neat pumps, if I had it to do over I doubt I would make made the purchase. Kind of pricey for what they do I guess, JMO.

I have a 6080 opposite of my surge outlet in the 180. It kicks @#@$@# in my tank. I run it with the fans so it goes off at night and then just teh gentle tides roll from the surge. I have a 6060 too that I am not using right now but may add soon.