Just giving everyone a heads up, the Hydor SmartWave Giveaway here on the AquaNerd Blog is quickly drawing near, ending in just 10 days. We were sent two of these nifty pump controllers a few weeks ago, one for a product review and one to give away to our readers. While we are still reviewing our SmartWave and are so far very happy with it (video coming soon), we decided to go ahead and get the other one into the hands of some lucky aquarium keeper and just in time for the holidays. To enter the contest, just comment on this article or the original article, or feel free to head on over to our Facebook Page and tell us how much you want this awesome wave controller. Of course, this giveaway is only available to US residents 18 years old and over.

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.

Hydor recently sent us a pair of Smart Wave water pump controllers, one for a product review and one to give away to AquaNerd readers. We’ve already started tinkering with one of the Smart Waves and have been impressed thus far, and even though our review process is still ongoing, we’ve decided to go ahead and give away the extra controller. All you have to do to enter our giveaway is comment on the Facebook post associated with this article or Facebook connect with our Disqus comment system and comment below. Feel free to say whatever you want in the comment, but each person only gets one entry. This giveaway officially starts today and will only be available to US residents 18 years old and older. The last day to enter the contest will be November 30th at midnight CST.

We spied the Hydor Smart Wave at MACNA last month, and now we’ve finally got the chance to get a little more personal with the pump controller. Hydor sent over a pair of the controllers, along with some Koralia Evolution pumps for us to try out, and our initial impressions are very good. Right out of the box, the Smart Wave is ready to go. Setting up the controller and pumps took less than 2 minutes, and we had two pumps pulsing back and forth in one of our aquariums in no time. Users can select between three different modes, with the pumps either acting in synchronized fashion, alternating back and forth, or turned completely off during feeding. The pulse duration can be set anywhere between 5 seconds and 6 hours. Some hobbyists might be disappointed with the fact that there is no quick pulsing back and forth like the pumps you see on the net, but we are actually pleased that Hydor took this route as the reef currents don’t pulse in short, rapid bursts but rather in a slower and more gentle back and forth fashion.

Upon opening the box, hobbyists are greeted with an all too fitting message…”enjoy your passion”. I cannot reiterate that message enough, as it is easy to get bored with aquariums or simply go through the motions of having a saltwater or reef aquarium. Digging a little deeper into the package, users find the controller and a very easy to follow instruction manual. In all honesty though, the manual probably won’t be needed because the controller is just so easy to setup. But, it is there for your convenience and it makes for great reference material and offers a few configurations that you may not have thought of.

Once out of the box, setting up the pumps and controller was a simple as plugging everything in and flipping the power switch. Nothing difficult to program, no confusing user interfaces. Just simple knobs that can be turned to a desired setting. The Koralia powerheads come to live instantly and pulse to the desired time interval. The LED indicators show which pump is turned on and which one is off regardless of what setting the pumps are on.

Another cool feature about the Smart Wave is the fact that each of the too channels can support a huge number of pumps. The only limitation is the watts being pushed through the controller. Each channel can support up to 100watts, and with the Koralia Evolution 1050 only using about 5watts each, roughly 20 pumps can be placed on one channel alone. Of course, this would require a standard household power strip to accommodate to all of the additional plugs.

As for the pumps themselves, we saw no startup issues or propeller clicking whatsoever. You can hear the pumps pulsing slightly, but that’s really only if you are listening for them in an already silent room. With all of the other equipment your aquarium will be running, these pumps will not be heard. On top of that, they can move some serious water, pulsing or not.

We are greatly looking forward to this review of the Hydor Smart Wave, and we’ll be posting videos on how to use the system, as well as how well it works on our aquariums.

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.

Over the weekend, the crew at the Hydor booth at MACNA showed off their new SmartWave controller system designed obviously with their Koralia water pumps in mind. The very simple yet effective multi-function system has two channels of water flow, though each channel can be expanded to include multiple water pumps. Since each channel has a capacity for 100watts of power flow, a hobbyist could essentially hook up dozens of Koralia pumps on a single controller, though they would all still act as only two separate units. The SmartWave offers two flow modes, a synchronous and alternate mode, with times varying between 5 seconds and 6 hours. A manual mode is also included for turning off the pumps during feeding times. The retail price on the SmartWave is set at $70 and it is currently available to purchase.

Ever since the Koralia pumps arrived on the aquarium scene a handful of years ago, hobbyists have been hooking them up to wavemakers in order to get variable water flow and pulsing waves in their aquariums. Unfortunately, the only wavemakers available at the time were not designed for the Koralia pumps, and the hard starting and stopping caused issues with the motors over the long haul. At first, the propellers would get hung up, spin backwards, and even make clicking noises during startup. Over extended use, some hobbyists were even seeing pump failures. To solve these problems, Hydor came out with a controller system for the Koralia pumps. The controller would slowly speed up and slow down the water flow being emitted from the pumps, effectively eliminating all of those previous issues, but that system had a few major drawbacks. For one, the controller only accepted a proprietary plug from controllable Koralia pumps. This meant Koralia owners didn’t just have to buy the new controller, but a whole set of new and more expensive pumps. The other issue, which is also tied to the plugs, was the lack of useable pumps. The controller was limited to a handful of pumps, though this lineup would get expanded a little later on.

Refining the technology in the Koralia Wavemaker, Hydor has released the SmartWave. Instead of the awkward proprietary plugs, this new controller accepts the typical power plugs allowing hobbyists to use existing Koralia pumps or potentially even pumps from competitors provided they use the same type of current.

Don’t get me wrong, I love anything that mimics nature and creates random, turbulent water flow. Wavemakers are spectacular pieces of equipment that have come so far in the last several years. They make some serious water flow and keep sediment suspended in the water column so that it can be properly and more effectively removed. However, there are a couple of things about wavemakers that sort of annoy me.

EcoTech Marine VorTech MP60w ES

Image courtesy of David Harmontree

In the wild, the frequency of the ocean waves (not actually waves, but current) is fairly low and corals gently flow back and forth over the reef. The pulsing action in aquariums is drastically different. Most aquarists use wavemakers to create a very quickly moving series of waves to better remove excess detritus. Because fish and parts of corals are also suspended in the water, they also move back and forth at a rapid pace, which is obviously not natural. Aquarium livestock don’t seem to mind this movement, but it can be quite irritating to view to some people.

Continue reading below for another annoyance with wavemakers.

Another slight annoyance to wavemakers is the rapid up and down movement of the water level. This effect can be dizzying and can even weaken the seams of your aquarium. The waves being created cause displacement as they push water back and forth. This type of drastic water movement is great for moving large volumes of water, but it can also move rocks and sand. If you aren’t careful with this technique, you could also shoot a wave right out of your aquarium and onto the floor or electrical equipment. Another issue might be increased evaporation and salt creep accumulation due to the large amount of surface agitation. The last point is purely speculative on my part, but it makes sense to me.

I want to reiterate that I’m not trying to tell you not to use wavemakers or that I dislike them. In fact, I feel the opposite. I want to see improved water movement in the typical home reef aquarium as water flow is very important to coral health and nutrient removal. I just thought it would be interesting to explain some of the unnatural things that come about from trying to mimic nature. Products like the EcoTech Marine VorTech pumps and Tunze pumps on wavemakers can create massive sine waves or just all out turbulence. The type of wave you choose is obviously a personal preference.

Hydor Koralia Evolution Powerheads

It seems there’s a small issue with the fairly new Hydor Koralia Evolution Pumps. According to the Hydor website, the Koralia Evolution needs a small modification to fix a backward running impeller. The issues arise on certain timers and wavemakers and can easily be fixed by cleaning the impeller bushing, bushing o-ring and bushing housing. Also fixing the issue is a modified bushing that Hydor will be issuing out for free to all Koralia Evolution pump owners. Below is the official announcement from Hydor, as well as some of their contact information.

ATTENTION KORALIA EVOLUTION OWNERS

Hydor has discovered a slight modification is necessary to ensure the proper functioning of some Koralia Evo Pumps.

The issue is that some pumps can run backwards over time when used with certain timers and wavemaker devices.

The problem can usually be corrected by a simple cleaning of the impeller bushing, bushing o-ring and bushing housing with any safe solvent such as rubbing alcohol.

Hydor has a modified bushing and bushing housing available to the consumer at no charge.

Please contact Hydor USA at any time for assistance at hydorusa.office@hydor.com.

Hydor Koralia Evolution

After several weeks since its release, we’ve finally gotten our hands on a Koralia Evolution pump. This model of pumps has only been available to hobbyists for a short time, but as with the release of the first generation of Koralias, the new Evolution series is very popular. Aquarium forums are burning up with chatter of the Koralia Evolution powerheads and aquarists are quickly adding them to their systems.

At first sight, the Koralia Evolutions are noticeably smaller than previous generations of Koralias. The exception of  course is with the Koralia Koralia 1 powerheads, which is smaller than the smallest Evolution pump. Additionally, the new powerheads put out more flow and use less energy than previous models. This is achieved by using a new impeller design, which puts out a wide and gentle flow. The new impeller is also shaft-less, and has been designed to not make the “clickity click click” sound when the pump starts up or is used on a wavemaker.

Hydor Koralia Evolution Suction Cup Mount

Aesthetically, other than size, Hydor has made several modifications. The suction cup was updated to include a set of silencing rubber feet in between the pump and the magnet/suction cup mounting system. Earlier Koralias weren’t loud in my opinion, but these are even more quiet. The pump is connected to the suction cup/magnet mount with a trio of rubber O-rings, which slide right over the tabs (pictured above). This might lead to a little more maintenance on the pump, but I’m sure it will be a rare occurrence to replace the O-rings.

Hydor Koralia Evolution

Another modification is the way the pump housing comes together. In previous models, the front of the pump (or the outlet side) was a little difficult to reattach one it was removed. It involved lining up pins and grooves, and twisting the pump together. This sometimes led to plastic pieces breaking, hence the change in design. The new pump ditches the twisting requirement, instead employing snap-in connectors, making disassembling and maintenance a breeze. The last modification to discuss, and this is more minor in my opinion, is the outlet of the pump. The old outwardly projecting frame has been replaced by a flat, space-saving structure.

Hydor Koralia Evolution Outlet

Overall the modifications to the Koralia pumps have made the Evolutions a lot more attractive to the powerhead crowd. The extremely low energy use, along with the increase in water flow and cheap prices really make these pumps desirable for most aquarium keepers.

Aqueon Circulation Pump

Aqueon, the parent company of Oceanic, All Glass Aquarium, and even Coralife, has released a brand new line of powerheads called the Aqueon Circulation Pumps. This new lineup has a whopping seven models, ranging in flow rates from 250 gph to 2500 gph. One model carries the Oceanic name and is apparently designed specifically for the Biocube, while the other six are listed under the Aqueon brand.

Oceanic Biocube Circulation Pump

Aqueon Circulation Pump 1650

The new pump has a similar design to other prop pumps (e.g. Koralia, Coralife), but adopts a more square shape and is slightly smaller than other pumps on the market. The propeller on the pump is still held in place by a titanium shaft and is designed to prevent back-spinning seen in previous generations of other popular powerheads.

Oceanic Biocube Circulation Pump Diagram

It attaches to the wall of an aquarium through a suction cup. This same suction cup can be found on the Coralife circulation pumps. I originally had my doubts about these suction cups, as I favor magnets, but after discussing the pumps with various aquarium store owners and employees, as well as end users, I feel that these suction cups are quite sufficient. Additionally, these suction cups hold an advantage over magnet-dependent powerhead mounts. The suction cup can function independent of the aquarium’s glass or acrylic thickness. The magnets are powerful and do a fantastic job, but their use is limited and dependent on the aquarium’s thickness.

Aqueon Circulation Pump

Aqueon has also made these pumps very energy efficient. The entry level ACP 500 uses only 2.6watts while moving 500gph of water. On the opposite end of the circulation pump spectrum, the ACP 2400 uses only 13.9watts while pushing 2400gph. These numbers are very comparable to pumps from Hydor and Coralife.

Aqueon Circulation Pump Chart

Special Features:

• Easy-lock suction cup makes installation adjustments and removal a snap
• Convenient cord-holding clips on both sides allow for positioning anywhere
• Energy-efficient motor and impeller increase water movement with less power
• UL Listed

Aqueon Circulation Pump

Aqueon Circulation Pump Front View

Special thanks to Donnie at City Pets.