(upbeat music)
- Hello, folks.
Robert from Marine Depot here
and thanks for tuning in.
Aqua Illumination or AI is one of the original companies
that pioneered LED lighting for aquariums
and made it available to the masses.
The current AI Prime and Hydra HD fixtures
are still some of the best LED lights
that you can put over your aquarium,
but they've taken a big leap recently
into the water circulation market
with the release of the Nero 5 pump.
AI's sister company, EcoTech Marine,
is known for their innovative VorTech pumps
which feature a very low profile
by keeping wires and motors on the outside of the tank.
It would seem that AI took a cue from EcoTech's success
by delivering the Nero 5 pump
with a compact design and very high output.
Don't be misled, because the Nero 5 pump
is an innovation all of its own
and is strikingly different than the EcoTech VorTech pumps,
in a number of ways.
On a standard pump design,
the rotor is located inside of the stator
with a propellor on the end of the shaft.
The Nero 5 utilizes an inverse motor design
with the stator on the inside
and the rotor on the outside.
This makes it possible to achieve a slim profile
with a large impeller that will produce
wide and gentle flow patterns inside of our reef tanks.
Another thing that you'll notice
as you examine the propellor are the small holes
which allow for water to flow through the pump,
keeping it cool.
You will also notice how easy it is
to disassemble the pump for cleaning.
Just twist off the cage and remove the propellor.
This is really helpful for those of us
who might be slacking on routine pump maintenance
because let's face it, the easier it is to get the job done,
the more likely you are to actually do it.
Another welcome feature of this low-profile pump
is the ability to adjust the direction by up to 15 degrees.
The innovation here is that the pump
is actually not attached to the mount mechanically,
but instead is held in place magnetically
on a concave surface, allowing the pump
to swivel in various directions.
There is somewhat of a trade-off in features
when it comes to these low-profile pumps.
VorTech users often mention how they love
not having any wires in the display,
but the pumps cannot be aimed.
The Nero 5 pumps are directional,
but will require a wire inside of your display.
Additionally, the low profile is actually
what limits the directability to 15 degrees.
Other more standard model pumps
take up more space in your aquarium
but ultimately deliver a larger turn radius
for directing flow.
This means that ultimately the right pump for your tank
will really depend on what features
are most important to you.
The inline controller keeps with the standard
of low profile simple design
we've seen already on the pump.
The button on the controller can be used
to adjust the speed of the pump in 20% increments,
turn on feed mode,
turn the pump on and off,
and perform a reset.
In addition to the manual control,
you can really unlock the potential of the Nero 5 pump
by downloading the free My AI app onto your mobile device.
The app operates using Bluetooth LE
to connect with the pumps,
so syncing and connecting is quick and easy.
It literally can be done in about 10 seconds.
The three preset flow modes can be organized
into a full flow schedule
with varying times and pump speed, using the app.
Additionally, if you have multiple pumps,
they can be synchronized to optimize flow
with a child and parent type relationship.
You can even create multiple tank profiles
for controlling different pumps
and AI lighting on other tanks.
Here at MD, we're using two of the AI Nero 5 pumps
on our Red Sea REEFER Deluxe tank.
I mounted them on the back wall
in order to eliminate the need
for mounting any pumps on either end.
Exact pump placement and flow scheduling
are crucial in this case,
to ensure that we achieve the flow that we need
throughout the entire tank, using only these two pumps.
I did some testing and then ended up
programming the pumps to run in pulse mode
for a majority of the day.
I also took advantage of the scheduled feed mode
to happen from 10:00 to 10:30 a.m.
This is nice because it can be coincided
with our scheduled feed hold via the GHL controller.
The pumps then go into a random mode
for a few hours after the feeding
to help keep any leftover food suspended.
The final step was to add
the second pump into our schedule
and set up the parent child relationship.
I open the second pump and drag
the child option into the timeline.
I chose the previously programmed pump as the parent,
and now the pumps will be doing the exact same thing
at the same time, typically referred to as a sync mode.
Instead of being synchronized,
I really want the pumps to alternate
or anti=sync in order to create a more random
flow pattern inside of the tank.
To accomplish this, you need to use the phase setting
which is found in the child mode settings.
When the phase is set to zero degrees,
the pumps will match each other,
typically referred to as a sync mode.
When set to 90 degrees,
the pumps will chase each other by about 1/2 a second.
And when set to 180 degrees,
the pumps will operate as a true anti-sync
in which they are functioning opposite each other.
So far, the flow pattern is working out great
in our Red Sea REEFER
and if you wish to learn more about
programming your Nero 5 pump,
just visit the support page at aquaillumination.com
or contact our support team anytime.
Be sure to share this video with your friends
if you found it helpful,
and subscribe to our YouTube channel
to stay up-to-date with all of
the latest Marine Depot videos.
Until next time, take care and happy reef keeping.
(upbeat music)