- I thought choosing the right wavemaker
for my first tank would be easy.
But with over 100 options available on our website alone,
getting it right could be the difference
between coral death and life,
between high phosphates or low phosphates,
and between a tank completely covered with cyanobacteria,
or a tank that looks spick and span.
A wavemaker should really be called a flow maker
because we're really not creating waves in our tanks.
A wavemaker is any sort of submersible power head
with a relatively wide flow pattern
that is meant to create flow around and through our tanks.
Wavemakers or submersible power heads,
as they're often referred to,
serve several distinct functions within your tank.
First up a wavemaker keeps detritus suspended.
Fish food and fish waste will settle
to the bottom of your aquarium,
and without water movement, they will break down
into nitrates and phosphates causing nuisance algae growth.
But power heads can provide enough water movement
to keep fish food and waste suspended
in the water column long enough,
so that they'll go into the overflow
and be filtered out of your tank
before they have a chance to break down.
The second function of a wavemaker
is it will bring nutrients directly to your corals.
Whatever sort of coral food or fish food you put
in the tank, a submersible power head will circulate it
around bringing the food directly to the coral polyps.
And lastly, a power head will help provide
a realistic habitat for your fish.
Let's face it, most of the fish
that we have in the saltwater aquarium hobby don't come
from the still depths of the ocean,
but they come from that turbulent area
around the reef where waves are constantly crashing.
So a wavemaker helps simulate the water movement
they'll find at home.
If you're ever gonna even have a chance
at finding the right wavemaker for your tank,
you're gonna need to know your options first.
The first broad category of wavemakers are AC pumps.
These are, by far, the least expensive
and the most simple, with only having the option
for a hundred percent on, or a hundred percent off.
But if you pair them with timers
they become pseudo controllable
because you can program on and off times
to create subtle variations in the flow pattern.
And the second broad category are DC power heads.
The more expensive option, for sure,
these adjustable pumps come with a lot of cool options.
Some have built-in programs
that can simulate the actual flow patterns found on a reef,
while others are a bit more simple,
and merely control the speed of the pump.
Within those two broad categories of AC and DC wavemakers,
there are still a couple of factors you'll need to consider.
Firstly, do you want circular or laminar flow?
Circular wavemakers put out a conical flow pattern,
while laminar pumps put out a long and flat flow pattern,
kind of, like a sheet of paper.
You can easily visualize the difference
by looking at the wavemaker, itself.
For example, this VorTech MP10 from EcoTech,
puts out a conical flow pattern,
while this Maxspect Gyre which is long and slender,
puts out a laminar or sheetlike flow pattern.
The second consideration is whether
or not your tank set up would do better
with a wider disperse flow or a more narrow, condensed flow.
A two thousand gallon per hour power head
performs drastically different depending
on how that water is dispersed from the pump head.
For example, something like this Reef Breeders RP-M
has a super wide angle
which means the power head efficacy wanes quickly
in the water.
Whereas a VorTech or a Gyre has a much more narrow,
condensed flow pattern, allowing all of that water movement
to reach to the far side of a lengthy tank.
Choosing the right wavemaker
can be a little bit complicated, so here are a few factors
to consider to narrow down your choice.
Number one, what are your tank dimensions?
If you have a small tank,
let's say anything shorter than two feet in length,
then you'll likely be better served either by a power head
that has a wider dispersal, or a much smaller power head
that has a narrow, concentrated focus.
The real thing you wanna consider here,
is you don't wanna blast your corals with too much flow.
But larger tanks, three feet or longer,
will definitely be better served by either a Gyre pump,
which puts out a very narrow laminar flow,
or like something like the VorTech from EcoTech
which is super powerful at a narrower range
and can likely get the flow all the way across a long tank.
Secondly, you wanna consider your aquascape,
either one that you've already made,
or the one you intend to make.
You're gonna want a pump that will create
meaningful flow patterns through and around your aquascape.
This will help get rid of any dead spots
and also help prevent detritus build-up.
Depending on the shape of your aquascape,
you may need to provide a second wavemaker
directly pointed at an area in low flow
to make sure detritus doesn't build up.
The third consideration are your corals.
Whereas soft corals and many large polyp stony corals
will do well with low to medium flow,
you'll certainly need medium to high flow
for many small polyp stony corals.
Too much flow directly aimed at large polyp stony corals
can cause damage to their fleshy polyps,
but also just cause them to retract.
Whereas not enough flow level directed
at many small polyps stony corals
can actually stunt their growth
and cause detritus to build up.
In a mixed reef tank,
it's all about choosing the right pump
and then placing your corals in an appropriate location
where their flow needs are gonna be met.
The fourth consideration for power heads is placement.
Where do you intend to put them inside your tank?
The most typical place we put power heads
is on the sides of our tank, but sometimes placing them
on the back panel of your tank is the best option.
For example, if you know you want or need your power head
to be placed as close to the level of the water as possible
without a whole bunch of air being sucked
into the propeller,
then you're likely gonna wanna go with a Gyre.
If not seeing wires inside of your tank
is a priority for you,
then you're gonna wanna go with a VorTech.
And if you wanna mount your wavemaker
to the back panel of your tank,
then you're gonna need a power head
with a small and thin exterior magnet
that can fit into tight places,
something like this Reef Breeders RP-M,
the Aqua Illuminations Nero,
a Neptune Systems WAV, or a Reef Octopus Octo Pulse.
And the fifth and final consideration
when deciding on the right wavemaker for your situation
is how many pumps you're gonna need.
You're probably only gonna need one pump
for smaller tanks under 40 gallons.
But anything over that size, it's really gonna depend.
For example, I have two tanks
that are almost exactly the same size
and both run Gyre pumps.
My Macroalgae Seahorse tank over here,
and my Clownfish Harem tank directly behind me.
My Macroalgae Seahorse tank only needs one Gyre.
The laminar flow is dispersed widely and on the low setting,
it's the perfect amount of flow for my seahorses.
Whereas my Clownfish Harem tank started out with one Gyre
but now it has two Gyres.
I discovered over time that because of the shape
of my aquascape one Gyre was leaving dead spaces
and causing those anemones to suffer.
So by adding second Gyre
and putting them on opposite schedules,
it created a more diverse flow pattern
which has made my anemones way happier.
Let's be clear here.
There is no one submersible power head
that is the perfect fit for every single tank.
But to make it as simple as possible,
I have chosen a high quality DC pump
that will fit the needs of most hobbyists.
Well, Matthew, how can you possibly know that?
Because right now I am staring
at the first wavemaker I ever bought, nine years ago
that has still running and has run
in a wide diversity of tanks.
Can you, can you guess which one it is?
Go ahead, go ahead and guess, think about it.
Which, which pump do you think I'm gonna recommend?
I bet half of you can guess correctly.
And of course I am talking
about the VorTech from EcoTech Marine.
I mean, it really is the creme de la creme
of wavemakers in this hobby,
low profile with no wires in the tank,
programmable using the included controller,
or wirelessly via the Mobius app.
It comes in three sizes,
ranging from the 2,500 gallon per hour MP10,
up to the 7,500 per hour in the MP60.
It's tough to say exactly which size you're going to need,
but I will say this.
The largest system I currently am running,
only has about 50 gallons in the display,
and I've only ever used the MP10 size.
If I wasn't using the two Gyres
in the Harem tank right behind me,
I would use two MP10s on opposite sides
because I think that would create a good amount
of flow and enough turbulence in the water
to make most corals happy.
Placing your new wavemaker or wavemakers in the right place,
and choosing the right settings is actually really important
and really important to do right the first time.
And it's not even really that difficult.
Check out this video that Ryan made,
he'll walk you through the whole process.
And as always everyone, thanks for watching.
Happy reefing, be well.
We'll see you next time.