- Hey, it's Thomas here.
And today we're gonna be checking out
Tunze's Turbelle Nanostream 6040.
And while this pump's been around for a while now,
I think it's high time that we revisit
this very compact and affordable DC controlled pump
and check out those neat tricks it has up its sleeves
and I think most of us have probably forgotten about it.
Reefers have been using DC controllable pumps
for quite some time now.
They offer not only fine tuning
over the flow speed of the pump, but also features
like waves, pulses, and randomized flow modes.
They're often quieter and more energy efficient
than their AC counterparts.
And there seems to be so much more
to choose from,
whether you're looking for a propeller style pump,
for a nice wide and gentle Kono flow or a gyro style pump
to create a gyre using a wide laminar sheet of flow.
There are even small pumps that can achieve both
like Tunze's Turbelle Nanostream 6040.
This little pump might look odd first glance
but this nearly 1200 gallon per hour pump
has not only the ability to sneak into tight spots,
but can do it while also being able to be rotated
and pointed in all directions,
including across the pane of glass it's attached to.
It can create a relatively wide cone of flow
like a propeller pump or a more directed jet of flow.
When used with its water deflector.
It can even create a gyre in your nano reef tank
with a simple yet effective controller,
you can create standing waves, constant streams, pulses
and even connect multiple 6040s together to work
in sync or anti-sync.
Heck, you can even use your external aquarium controller
like an apex if you prefer.
Plus, they're battery backup ready when paired
with Tunze's safety connector
and are super reliable built to last
like everything Tunze. (laughs)
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So, let's get this one out of the box
and take a closer look.
In the box you'll find the Nanostream 6040 already assembled
with its silicone bumpers and magnetic mount,
the Turbelle controller,
a spiral cable guard and the power supply
as well as the instruction manual
and the Tunze quality control card.
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The 6040 has a flow range
from around 50 gallons per hour
up to roughly 1200 gallons per hour
and is rated for tanks between five and 130 gallons.
And while I can definitely see
that you could get this pump into a five gallon tank
and that it can probably some much needed flow
to some tricky spots in 130 gallon tank.
The sweet spot for the 6040 for most reefers
is likely going to be somewhere
between 20 gallons and 90 gallons.
The pump is quite small at just 2.4 by 3.3 inches
while protruding, roughly 2.5 inches off of the glass.
And to compliment those dimensions, it has one
of the most unique form factors
with the propeller facing 90 degrees to the side
rather than straight out from the magnetic mount
which can certainly come in handy
in situations where a pump has to be mounted
to a specific panel, but needs to fire water
sideways down that panel
instead of straight out into the tank.
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The magnetic mount itself is quite strong
with four vibration absorbing silicone buffers
to keep things nice and quiet.
Not only can the magnetic bound
and pump be rotated 360 degrees,
but the deflector on the outlet
can also be rotated 360 degrees,
giving the 6040 an incredible range of motion
making it possible to point the flow virtually anywhere
in the tank, regardless of what panel you mount it to.
This makes it uniquely capable
of getting flow into just the right place,
even when you have little space to place the pump
like between the rock work and the glass,
both the internal and external magnets
are also fully sealed and waterproof.
So you can even place it
on your overflow without any issues.
Now, the flow pattern of this little pump
really sets it apart from this pack.
When used with its deflector,
it creates a wide cone of flow that is projected
at a roughly 45 degree angle as it leaves the pump.
which means that you can place the pump 12 inches
below the water on a 24 inch tall tank
and achieve not only great surface agitation
for gas exchange,
but you can also create a gyre within the tank.
Even on this six foot test tank,
the 6040 was able to create a gentle gyre
throughout the entire tank and get all of that water moving.
So smaller tanks
will definitely see a more significant gyre
with only one pump.
If you add a second 6040 pump on the opposite end,
you can easily get a pair of gyres
inside of that six foot tanks that meet in the middle
and bounce off one another.
With the deflector removed,
the 6040 acts very much
like your standard propellor flow pump
with a relatively wide cone of flow,
heading straight out of the pump
and across the panel of the aquarium
that it is mounted to, which can be really handy
for adding flow behind your rock work
and in other places traditional propeller pumps
have a hard time reaching.
For example, you can attach the magnet
to the back panel of the tank
and still have the pump blow water across that back panel
behind your aquascape and rock work which means
that you get all of that detritus moving out of the way
without having a magnet to look at
on the side viewing panel of your aquarium.
The Tunze Turbelle controller that comes with the pump
is also very easy to understand and use.
It has a pair of buttons, one for its feed mode and another
for scrolling through the various programming options.
It also has three knobs.
One for controlling the intensity of the pump.
Another for controlling the frequency of the pulse
when it's in pulse mode
and one more knob for the minimum intensity of the pulse.
For constant flow, turn the pulse
and pulse power to 0% and adjust
the main power knob to control the constant flow rate.
To add some pulsing,
you can slowly turn up that pulse knob
to adjust the pulse frequency
anywhere from two seconds on and off
to 10 seconds on and off,
and then adjust the pulse power knob to bring the low end
of the pulse up to your desired intensity.
The controller also has an auto adjust feature
to easily dial in standing waves and just a few seconds
for those who enjoy that natural motion
of the ocean in their reef tanks,
as well as an external controller mode
for pairing up a second pump.
So you can run them in sync
or anti-sync through a single controller,
or for hooking the pump up to your external controller
like an apex with the Tunze RJ45 pump connector cable.
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Like I mentioned earlier, you can also hook up
the 6040 to Tunze safety connector
to create a customizable battery backup
that will auto detect a power failure
and then immediately switch to battery power
to keep that pump running
and the critical water circulation
and gas exchange flowing for your reef.
You can also pick up the optional photo cell
if you want your 6040 to automatically
ramp up and down in intensity with your lighting schedule
so that you have less flow during the evenings
and more substantial flow during the day
when your lights are bright and the corals need it most.
And for those that are running their 6040s together,
there is a nifty Y adapter
so you can still sneak in that photo cell.
Maintenance for this bump is also really easy
because of the impeller is right there in the open
and super easy to access.
You just remove the deflector if you have it installed
and lift out the impeller for cleaning
It's super simple for a quick removal
of calcareous algae buildup or coralline.
You can simply run it in a bucket
of citric acid or pump clean right by the tank,
give it a rinse and get it back into action.
This 6040 also comes in
as one of the most affordable DC pumps at only 150 bucks,
which I think makes it a no-brainer
for anyone looking for a super versatile flow pump
or a simpler alternative to traditional gyro pumps,
especially for those nano or mid-sized reef tanks.
If this unique little DC pump from Tunze
matches your reefing mantra, you can go ahead
and pick one up for yourself by clicking right here.
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