The aquarium industry has seen its fair share of high end controllable powerheads over the years, and it seems like this technology is finding its way into our return pumps more and more these days. For the longest time, aquarium keepers have had to rely on constant speed pumps to serve as the primary source of water movement between the display tank and its associated plumbing, or even closed-loop setups. These pumps came in a variety of shapes and sizes, but were very limited in functionality. And in a world of constantly changing technology, relying on single function products is quickly starting to lose ground to using equipment that can adapt and change to better suit the hobbyist’s needs. Because of this increasing demand for more control, companies are designing new products to meet the need and the latest offering to aquarium keepers in the world of controllable water pumps is a fancy new set of high flow, high pressure controllable sine wave pumps from Deltec. Already well regarded for their protein skimmer line, Deltec surprisingly has few products designed to just move water. But that hasn’t stopped them from going over the top with their new E-flow water pumps.

Being offered in three different models, the Deltec E-flow pumps use a brushless DC motor that allows them to run almost completely silently. On top of that, they are protected by an overload circuit that shuts the pump off if the impellers becomes blocked off. Once the blockage has been removed, the pump will turn back on automatically. In terms of controlability, the E-flow pumps come stock with a control panel that can be used to adjust water flow speeds. And once that flow is dialed in, there’s no need to fear about power outages causing the pump to revert back to a factory setting as the control panel will start back up in the last saved setting. But the fun doesn’t stop there.

Later this year, a separate multifunction controller will be available to control up to four pumps at once. This controller will operate much like our powerhead controllers by allowing the pumps to operate in multiple different wavemaking modes. The estimated release date for the controller is late April 2012 and we expect the pump and controller combo to really give traditional closed loop setups a run for their money. Of course, this setup will be far more cost prohibitive than a closed loop, but the energy savings will definitely be a much talked about selling point.

As we mentioned before, there will be three Deltec E-flow models available. Each of these models and their respective specifications are listed below.

Deltec E-flow 16

Technical data

• Minimum/Maximum water flow: 5000/14000 lph (1300-3700 gph)
• Minimum/Maximum power consumption: 20/180w
• Maximum head height: 9.0 meters (29 feet)
• Performance selection: 17 stages
• Inlet size: 50 mm (2″)
• Outlet size: 40 mm (1.5″)
• Price (from D-D The Aquarium Solution): £1099.99 (~$1730)

Deltec E-flow 12

Technical data

• Minimum/Maximum water flow: 5000/11400 lph (1300-3200 gph)
• Minimum/Maximum power consumption: 25/130w
• Maximum head height: 8 meters (26 feet)
• Performance selection: 12 stages
• Inlet size: 540 mm (1.5″)
• Outlet size: 40 mm (1.5″)
• Price (from D-D The Aquarium Solution): £959.99(~$1510)

Deltec E-flow 10

Technical data

• Minimum/Maximum water flow: 5000/9000 lph (1300-2400 gph)
• Minimum/Maximum power consumption: 20/80w
• Maximum head height: 6.0 meters (20 feet)
• Performance selection: 7 stages
• Inlet size: 40 mm (1.5″)
• Outlet size: 32 mm (1.25″)
• Price (from D-D The Aquarium Solution): £1099.99 (~$1730)

Information and images sourced from D-D The Aquarium Solution and Advanced Aquarist

For years, reef keeping hobbyists have been preaching about how detrimental direct water flow was in an aquarium full of corals. While most of the arguments seem perfectly reasonable, e.g. coral tissue damage due to high volume direct water flow, Tunze recently wrote about how the aquarium can actually benefit from direct flow. As any aquarium keeper worth his weight in salt knows, water flow is crucial. This notion usually drives hobbyists to cram their tanks full of water pumps in an attempt to get the highest amount water flow possible, just short of creating unsightly sand storms. But as Tunze points out, it’s not the amount of flow, rather the quality of the flow that’s important. And to determine what type or quality of flow that is needed, we as hobbyists need to look at what time of reef zone we are trying to recreate and what is best for detritus removal in our tanks.

The direct water flow provided by a propeller-based water pump is a little bit misleading. When we think of direct water flow, the impeller pumps with the narrow outlets usually come to mind first. However, the flow emitted by propeller based pumps is far more widespread and does a better job of recreating natural flow movements. Because of this, the outlets of these pumps can be aimed directly at the main reef structure within the aquarium without fear of causing coral tissue damage. Of course, this isn’t a universal truth, but the flow spread allows it to happen in most applications. This means aquarium keepers don’t have to point the pumps toward the glass, which is a technique that robs flow from the corals in favor of bouncing an even gentler flow off the sides of the tank. Using this type of flow allows detritus to build up in the rocks and at the base of the corals, which in turn causes an increase in dissolved nutrients and a likely decline in coral health. To keep the water moving around the base of the corals, point the powerheads more toward the reef. And if you think about how the corals are situated on a reef or its edge in the wild, the water moving around them can be extremely intense and uni-directional.

Besides improved coral health and water quality, direct water flow can also cause the corals to grow with a more natural look. Most hard corals in the home reef tank are thinly branched and spread out. If you’ve ever seen a reef crest, the hard corals are typically growing in a very dense structure. The branches are short and thick, and many have been fused together to form a plate. While not every hard coral exhibits this pattern, wild corals by and large have thicker branches than their aquarium counterparts. Corals in both nature and at home will grow ever which direction, stopping only where the water flow is too strong. This shapes the coral and usually causes a more dense growth. Obviously the look of a coral’s growth is a somewhat of a personal choice, but the health benefits involved with direct water flow far outweigh the aesthetics.

Back in April, we showed off a fairly new pump being distributed by D-D The Aquarium Solution. Called the Abyzz pumps, this new line features three controllable and feature rich models that were being shown at MACNA a couple of months ago. While we didn’t get to see the pumps actually moving any water, we were impressed with the build quality and the long list of features that usually don’t get much play in return pumps. The pumps are a little on the large side, but they aren’t exactly designed for the average aquarium. The Abyzz A200, shown in this article, is the smallest of the Abyzz lineup and has a flow rate exceeding 4400 gph at its maximum and an outlet diameter a shade over one and a half inches. Obviously, this is far too large for the typical home reef aquariums, but those on the larger size might be able to make use of the pump.

The features of the Abyzz controllable pumps can be seen below, along with an image of the controller box.

The Abyzz pumps are sold with a robust controller, which prevents the pump from running dry, protects the motor block from overheating, and keeps the electrical current at safe operating levels. To prevent excess wear and tear on the motor and impeller assembly, a soft start feature is also built-in. To keep the pump running long term with minimal maintenance, an integrated bearing flushing protects against calcium and other gunk building up on the impeller shaft. Additionally, silicone carbide ball bearings allow the pump to run virtually silent. All Abyzz models can be run dry or place in-sump, and the flow rate for each can be adjusted from 0-100%. The controller is also capable of running in adjustable wave modes and even a random mode, which is a unique feature for a return pump.

Several years ago, Hydor changed the aquarium water pump game by introducing their very budget friendly propeller-based Koralia pumps. The pumps were very inexpensive, provided good flow that emulated that of more expensive pumps, and featured a magnet and suction cup hybrid mounting system to keep them attached to the glass. But the original line of pumps had one issue when it came to being disassembled for cleaning. The front housing twisted off, which often caused some light plastic parts within the pump to break. This didn’t cause much of a functional issue with the pumps, if any, but it did cause many users to get frustrated with the fact that a piece of their pump broke. Fortunately, Hydor followed up the original Koralia lineup with the release of the Koralia Evolution pumps, which fixed this issue (and a couple of other unrelated issues). The front housing no longer needs to be twisted, but snaps off with the help two tabs on either side of the pump. By simply pushing in both of the tabs simultaneously, the front housing just slights right off.

While at MACNA, we spied one of the best upgrades you could ever give your in-tank water pumps. The Sea Sweep, made by the same guys who produce the popular Sea Swirl for return pumps, is a nifty device that allows pumps like the Tunze Stream or the Hydor Koralia to be rotated back and forth slowly in the aquarium. The rotation of the water flow causes a great deal of randomized turbulent flow and really prevents dead spots from developing. Each pump mounts to a special bracket, of which there are only two different types currently being offered. The most versatile of the brackets consists of a simple box mounted to the rotating device. A pump mounts to the rear wall of the box with its own magnet mounts or suction cups, and a pair of thumbscrews on either side keeps the pump in place. The other mounting bracket is actually brand specific. The crew at Sea Swirl worked one-on-one with Tunze to create a mount specially designed to use the mounting hardware of the Tunze Stream 2 pumps. It should be noted that this Sea Sweep should not be used with the Tunze Silence Mounts, as the rubber feet will probably pull out of the bracket because they aren’t designed to be used vertically.

We aren’t 100% sure on the prices or release date, but we do know they will be available soon. A couple of more photos can be seen below, with each one focusing more closely on each type of mount.

While at MACNA, we stumbled across the brand new nano lineup of the Polario water pumps from Taam. Though the Polario pumps have been around for a while, they were previously only offered in two very large models that exceeded 9-inches in length. The new lineup of tiny Polario pumps offers three new models, the 4ML (pictured above), the 7ML, and the 10ML, all of which are roughly 2-inches long and just a shade over 2-inches in diameter. The 4ML is physically smaller than the two other models, but only by a few tenths of an inch in both length and diameter. Much like their bigger brothers, the nano Polario models have two outputs that are used in an alternating fashion to create a wave in the aquarium. To keep the pump in place during this wave action, each is fitted to a magnet mount and the pump itself can rotate 360 degrees on the bracket attached to that magnet. The wave action created by the pumps comes from pre-programmed settings that gradually increase flow by 25% every five seconds. After the pump reaches its maximum output, the pump will shut off and go into a brief delay before the other side of the pump starts up.

More images below, along with water flow rates and energy consumption numbers.

In terms of water flow, the 4ML produces 600-1000 gallons per hour, while the 7ML increases that number to a range of 1300-1800 gph and the 10ML to 1500-2600. For power consumption, the 4ML sips electricity at 7watts while the two larger models consume 23 and 25watts respectively. Prices for these pumps start out at approximately $80 and increase to about $120.

Another new product we spied at MACNA this year was the Tunze 6095, a brand new addition to the Nanostream lineup. At first glance, the 6095 may appear to be just a widemouth version of the 6055, but upon closer inspection we noticed a couple of unique features this water pump brings to the table. For starters, the output of the pump has a noticeable downward bend at the bottom, toward the front of the housing. When discussing this feature with Roger of Tunze USA, he indicated that this was done to allow for more water to be drawn in and pushed out over a wider but shorter area, creating a much broader and more gentle flow than the other models. The other major difference in the 6095 from its predecessors is the almost complete lack of a propeller guard at the opening of the pump. Instead, the 6095 has small fin-like projections that induces a spin on the exiting water flow. The openings on the other pumps acts more like a tail fin on an airplane to stabilize the water flow, whereas this new design causes more turbulence. The advertised flow rates for the controllable 6095 are 528 to 2,510 gallons per hour at a power consumption of 5-21watts. The retail price is just a shade over $260 and the pump is scheduled to be release very soon.

A photo of the pump’s opening can be seen below.

Please join us in welcoming our newest AquaNerd Contributor Raul Roman as he explains how to avoid making the typical newbie mistakes in aquarium equipment purchasing, something we could all appreciate at one time in our hobby or another.

Like many hobbyists, it was money that kept me from initially buying the proper equipment. It is ironic that in the end I probably spent more in the long run. If you factor in the modifications, upgrades, loss of livestock, loss of your valuable time and just plain old grief caused by the purchase of woefully inadequate equipment, then it’s pretty safe to say that you would have been better off getting the right thing from the get-go.  If you made the same mistakes as I, then enjoy the nostalgic trip and try not to laugh too much.  If, however, you are a newbie getting ready to make some of these decisions, then pay close attention and learn from those that have come before you.  Now, that’s not to say that I think that everyone of these 5 things is a must for every single scenario, but I believe them to be fairly universal in their importance in getting it right the first time.

1)    Metal Halide Lighting With a Good Reflector

I started with Power Compact florescent lights and later upgraded to T5s, but I was never really happy until I installed a Metal Halide fixture.  Are you happy with the growth you are getting from your corals?  Are you happy with the color of your reef?  Have you wanted to buy a beautiful clam but thought otherwise because you knew it wouldn’t thrive under your current lighting?  Are you tired of swapping out eight T5 bulbs every 6 months?  I know I was!  Cost is what keeps most of us from going with Metal Halide lighting (heat, energy efficiency also to be considered by some) but as I found out from experience, it is not as expensive as it first sounds, particularly if you are willing to roll up your sleeves and engage in a little DIY ingenuity.  I ultimately installed a retrofit Metal Halide kit which included a reflector, remote ballast and all the wiring needed to make the needed connections.  You don’t have to be an electrician to tackle one of these projects, particularly if you go with a self-contained ballast box.  My only advice here would be to consider the added heat produced by Metal Halide lighting into your decision and get ready to never again having to pass up on a livestock purchase because of questions about your lighting’s suitability.

2)    A Properly Sized Sump

My first setup was sump-less, meaning all filtration and equipment resided in the display. It was very hard to make this look good and I could never satisfactorily manage the unsightly and light-robbing protein film that floated on top of the water column.  I run across these posts on reef forums all the time (show me your sump-less setup, for example) and some folks make a good go of it, but why put up with the extra hassle of trying to find the right hang-on equipment, then trying to hide it as best as possible so as to not distract from your tank’s display?  A sump doesn’t come without its drawbacks, but it is my opinion that a sump greatly enhances your filtration system’s capabilities while letting your display worry about just housing your livestock in the most visually appealing manner.  You might have noticed that I qualified the need for a sump with the words “properly sized” and this is most important because you want one that is big enough to capture the water that will siphon from the display in the event of a power failure.  Neglect this consideration and you will eventually have a messy flood on your hands.  A properly sized sump will also easily accommodate all of your filtration equipment with the added room for growth should you choose to add extra filtration equipment at a later time.

3)    A Quality Protein Skimmer

I initially tried to make do without a protein skimmer.  This is not a rare decision for a person who is trying to get over the shell-shock of the prices of some of the equipment suggested by fellow reefers and LFS staff. Can you run a reef tank without a skimmer? Of course you can, but why put yourself through the hassle of frequent large water changes, the constant concern that you are feeding too much and the overuse of expensive, trace element-robbing, chemical filtration media.  I finally purchased a hang-on skimmer that was fairly cheap (<$200) but also highly inefficient for the task of filtering my tank’s water.  Coming to know my skimmer’s shortcomings, I proceeded to scour the web looking for “mods” to enhance my skimmer’s performance.  There is nothing wrong with this practice in general, but at some point some of us should come to the realization that it’s just not worth the hassle if in the end you still end up with a skimmer that isn’t getting the job done.  A skimmer’s adequacy for your reef is best determined by following the manufacturer’s recommendations (this wasn’t always the case in the past, but today’s recommendations are much better) and by getting the opinions of actual owners with similar setups to your own.  A good skimmer isn’t usually cheap, but it also doesn’t have to break the bank, so do your homework.

4)    A Tank With a Built-in Overflow

Once I implemented a sump on my reef tank, I was forced to use a hang-on box type overflow with the infamous U-tube water transport design.  These have their place, but I’m so glad I no longer have to start the U-tube siphon or deal with trapped bubbles slowing down the overflow’s throughput, or worse yet the often encountered rogue snail that clogs up the works and too often leads to a messy flood.  A good built-in overflow can make many of the above scenarios a thing of the past.  Other advantages of the built-in overflow include the more aesthetically pleasing form, their ability to draw water from the lower portion of the water column as well as from the surface and thus doing a better job of capturing that dreaded detritus.

5)    The Chiller

This will perhaps be the most debated of my recommendations, but I find it an absolute must for those of us living in hotter climates.  I live in Florida and high aquarium water temperatures were not as big of a problem when Power Compact lighting was my mode of lighting, but once I switched to metal halide lighting it became a full time job to keep my tanks temperature below 80 degrees (where I feel my tank does best).  Yes I could have run my central air to keep the temperature under control but it seemed like such a waste to cool an entire home when no one was there just to keep my aquarium’s temp under 80 degrees.  The implementation of various fans will help but they will only get you so far.  I even went as far as changing out all my pumps to more efficient (less heat producing) models but I quickly found out that this approach, like the use of fans, will only get you down a couple of degrees in most situations.  After all this hassle and expense ($400+ in fans and new pumps), I was still spiking 3 degrees above my desired temperature.  What I ultimately learned was that a small chiller (one normally considered grossly undersized for your tank’s water volume) is more than capable of getting you to your desired goal by dropping the temperature 3 or 4 degrees if that is all that is needed.  I ended up buying a 1/15 HP chiller to get my 150 gallon aquarium down by just a few degrees and thus letting me have the below 80 temperature that I desired.  That chiller cost me $350 which is less than I spent on fans and pump upgrades.  The best part of all is that a chiller is one of those set it and forget it type of devices.  No more temperature worries for me!  Do note that the cost of powering a chiller and the added heat produced by the device must be taken into account then determining their suitability for your particular setup.

As I always emphasize whenever I dole out advice, this is not an all encompassing recipe for success.  There are an infinite number of variables and unique situations which may require a different approach so remember; it’s your reef, so study and execute as only you know best.

Responding to the results of the Advanced Aquarist Flow Study and the reactions by folks in the aquarium community, Tunze has announced a couple of pump upgrades that will be available later this year. The first of these upgrades will be available to the Tunze Stream 2 model 6105 water pump, which is their most popular model. It will consist of a 24V jumper and an upgrade in the pump housing. The jumper replaces the 18V jumper currently in the power supply of the 6105 and instantly increases flow rates by 800 gallons per hour. Of course, this also means a slight bump in power consumption to 30watts, and noise levels are expected to increase as well, but only very slightly. To better handle the increase in flow, the Tunze 6205.130 housing is also available as an upgrade, and it will easily fit right onto the 6105 assembly giving the pump widened flow patterns. Both the power supply jumper and housing upgrades will be made available to existing Tunze 6105 users by November or December of this year, and the price is expected to be around $30.

So what does these upgrades mean for the future line of the Tunze Stream 2 pumps?

According to Tunze, the 6105 will start to include all of these parts straight out of the box. This means future users will get a factory pump as they are sold today, but with the added upgrades in the box as well. Hobbyists will be able to choose between 12V, 18V, and 24V jumpers, as well as two different pump shrouds for either narrow long flow or wide short flow. These included options will cause a slight bump in the retail price of the Tunze 6105 by $30. Tunze also promises that these or at least similar upgrades will be made available to other pumps in their lineup as well.

D-D The Aquarium Solution recently added some newwater pumps to their site called the H2Ocean Flow Pump. This new line of pumps feature a seamless coated permanent magnet and synchronous motors that yield efficient performance that doesn’t take a toll on moving parts and is quiet. Each pump is surrounded in a thermal protective plastic housing that is ideal for both freshwater and saltwater applications. A flow control device is built right into the pump outlet that allows the water flow to be adjusted, and the pump also comes with 1″ and 3/4″ adapters. Three models are currently available. The Ocean-flow 4000 and 5000 pumps can be used externally or in-sump, but the Ocean-flow 2000 model is designed only to be used in submersible applications.

Individual pump specifications can be seen below.

H2Ocean Flow Pump Models and Specifications:

Model: 5000

• Max flow – 5000 l/hr
• Min flow – 1000 l/hr
• Max head – 3.1 m
• Wattage – 82 w
• Price – £99.99 (roughly $165)

Model: 4000

• Max flow – 4200 l/hr
• Min flow – 600 l/hr
• Max head – 3.5 m
• Wattage – 80 w
• Price – £94.99 (roughly $155)

Model: 2000

• Max flow – 2000 l/h
• Min flow – 300 l/hr
• Max head – 2.25 m
• Wattage – 31.5 w
• Price – £39.99 (roughly $65)