(upbeat music)
- Hey, it's Thomas here,
and today we're gonna be taking a look
at the Reef Octopus, Octo Pulse Wave pump.
Octopus, Octo Pulse, yeah, I dig it.
If you're looking for a quiet DC wave pump
that provides a ton of wide gentle flow
with an easy to understand
and use controller, strong magnetic mount
that allows you to direct
and point the flow where your reef needs it most
while also offering a zero to 10 volt control
through your Apex or similar controller, then check
out the Octo Pulse.
Flow in a reef tank is crucial,
it's responsible for facilitating many processes
including gas exchange and oxygenation, distribution
and transport of nutrients and elements
to corals and other sessile invertebrates,
while helping to remove waste, keeping it suspended
and moving it into the filtration system.
Wave pumps are the way we reefers get it done.
They come in a variety of form factors and styles,
regardless of what type of pump it is,
there are certain features that the majority
of reefers look for.
A compact unobtrusive form factor, able to provide a wide
massive flow to create as much indirect water movement
throughout the aquarium as possible,
while being quiet, are at the top of the list.
Added controls through a DC motor that offers a variety of
flow modes and the ability to point or direct the flow from
the pump to where you need it most, are also incredibly
helpful, and a priority for many reefers.
Reef Octopus Octo Pulse checks all of those boxes
plus adds the flexibility
of a zero to 10 volt variable speed port for use
with Apex and other controllers, making it a great option.
So let's get it out of the box, and take a closer look.
In the box, you'll find the Octo Pulse Pump, the exterior
and interior Magnet Mounts,
the Controller with its own Mount,
the Power Supply and cable, and a Cord Management Pack.
There are two models available,
the Octo Pulse 2 which pushes roughly 1600 gallons
per hour with only 10 Watts, and mounts
onto panels up to half an inch thick, and the four
which pushes a huge 4,500 gallons per hour at 32 Watts,
and mounts onto panels up to 5/8 of an inch thick.
The form factor of the Octo Pulse is fantastic,
while it has a familiar aesthetic
to other low-profile options,
it uses a very slim but strong magnetic mount
with a cupped internal magnet that allows
for the pump to be directed and aimed.
It has quite a lot of grip
and you can hang the pump pretty far
off of the Mount, even out of water, and it stays put.
Being able to direct the flow
from the pump, also makes it easier to hide.
That way, you can tuck it into a corner further back and
higher up, to reduce the amount of cord that's in the
display, and then be able to aim it down
and across to distribute the flow to where the corals are.
The Octo Pulse is a propeller-style pump,
and its flow pattern is exactly what you'd expect, wide
and gentle while moving a large volume of water,
meaning regardless of where you put the pump,
it should be able to do a good job
of getting a lot of water moving
in a useful way for your corals.
Pair that flow pattern
with being able to direct where the pump is aimed,
and you end with what is a very easy pump to work with.
The controller gives you access
to eight preset speed settings.
The Octo 2 has a minimum flow of 850 gallons per hour,
while the Octo 4 has a minimum flow
of 1400 gallons per hour.
There are also four flow patterns
including Constant Speed, Stream Flow
or short pulse, Tide Flow or long pulse
and Random mode as well as 15 and 60 minute feed modes.
Overall, a very simple controller layout
that's easy to understand and use, pick a flow mode,
set the max flow, and you're done.
For those that are looking
for a little bit more customization with their flow,
the zero to 10 volt port allows you to connect
up to two Octo Pulse pumps to your Apex
or similar controller using the optional connector cable.
The Octo Pulse controller will automatically
recognize it's connected to an external controller
and will be ready for commands.
Using the zero to 10 volt port will give you access
to a wider and more precise range of flow intensities.
In constant mode, you can change the minimum
and maximum flow more precisely and create custom schedules
through your Apex or other external controller.
If you wanna be able to drop the flow
down to minimum during the evening,
or while your automatic feeder is running,
you can have your Octo Pulse pumps respond simultaneously
with all of your other gear.
Having a flexible and reliable flow pump
is going to get you started
off on the right foot, but diving deeper
into the flow conversation, may arguably be more important
than the pumps themselves.
Knowing how to use them effectively to achieve the goal
of keeping a healthy thriving reef means you
can actually use your pumps
in the right way to get the best results.
Ryan dives deeper into that flow conversation.
You can check it out right here
in the BRS/WWC Hybrid Method episode on Flow,
and even if you have all the pumps you need already,
that's gonna help you figure out exactly how
you should be setting them up to get the best results
for your tank and optimize things,
so, you know you've nailed flow,
and that your corals and your fish and your inverts
and everybody can grow and thrive and be happy.
And that's really, I guess all we want is reefers, right?
Beautiful thriving reef in our home, so.
(upbeat music)