When I first decided to look into the life of aquariums, I had very little knowledge, but a real hunger to learn more about it. It didn't take long to start realizing how many different components we have to consider and how they all work hand in hand in the final reef tank.
It is not an easy task. You become responsible for the life inside the reef tank. Personally, I feel like a mom, and all who live inside my tank are my children. It is my responsibility and duty to offer them the best living environment as possible.
That's why we look closely into bringing that natural habitat for whatever fish or species that we decide to keep. If you have followed my journey this far, you know how I have been carefully selecting equipment step by step.
Then what comes next? I bet you were already waiting for me to discuss more the flow in the tank, how am I going to do it and which equipment to go for in that one. Let's take a closer look then; I hope you are really going to enjoy this one and get much knowledge out of it.
Author:
As a lifelong aquarist, Yuliya has an endless curiosity about our underwater universe. After graduating with a bachelor’s in Environmental Engineering, she transformed her passion into a successful career. While working at the Institute of Environmental Protection in Moscow, her passion for saltwater and reef aquariums only increased. Moving to the United States in 2013, Yuliya embarked on another impactful journey by sharing her unprecedented experience for all aquarium hobbyists ... Read More.
What is flow in a reef tank, and why is it important?
Let me just first say that I will not go into deep details about it here. I just feel like I need to point out these few essential things so that you will be able to understand better why I chose certain equipment to work on the flow.
We all know how the water moves in the ocean. Those who have ever studied the natural water currents will understand even better how important role the water movement plays in the overall ecosystem in the oceans. The reef habitats require this specific movement to stay healthy and survive.
Benefits of flow in your reef aquarium:
So, we know the flow must be there, but do you actually know what it does? There are a few main points there.
- It supports gas exchange so that the pH levels in the tank will stay balanced.
- It supports waste removal so that the waste doesn't pack in one place.
- It helps in food transportation by carrying in naturally in the tank.
- It helps in harmful organism accumulation by stopping still waters to build up bacteria.
Are you getting a good picture of it now? You can read one of my previous posts where I got into more details about it, and that should give you more understanding of the whole thing. Go With the Flow – Your Essential Guide How To Choose The Right Aquarium Pump For Your Reef Tank.
After all, I don't take flow as a simple thing in the tank, and neither should you. The flow determines whether you will have healthy living habitats, or if it is creating a cemetery full of unwanted deaths.
Research and choosing the equipment for your reef tank.
And yet again, I came to the part of choosing the right equipment after I spent countless hours doing detailed research and finding the best that is available at the market for my new build that should be delivered in the next 2 weeks. You know how I love to do that browsing of different brands! Checking the ways they were testing the equipment, how they have added more possibilities and improved versions of them. I look into every detail, even that small little technical print that probably only a few people ever even paid attention to.
This time my focus was entirely on the water movement. How will I be able to create the best flow in my tank? How can I do it easily with a system that I can operate according to the needs of my habitats? Is there any new technology available that would be worth checking out?
I was definitely not going easy on this one. I have so much more knowledge now than what I had in my early days of reef tanks. This is the reason why I had this kind of feeling already about what I was going for. And knowing how technology must be improving in this field continually, I had quite high expectations too.
When I came across HYDROS WaveEngine, and it immediately caught my attention. I will tell you about that one and also briefly about Maxspect Gyre 330, which is the gyre flow pump that I have chosen to go with.
Technology break-through: Hydros WaveEngine Controller by CoralVue.
Now, let's start with the HYDROS WaveEngine. What a great device! Finally, you can control not only different pumps but also different brands all together using a single app. Now I am not restricted to buying the equipment all from the same manufacturer.
It works with a direct connection to the pump, which means that you will not need the pump's external controller, but instead, the WaveEngine works as control unit. Remember my Reef Octopus VarioS 8 pump? That is compatible with WaveEngine, as well as many other well-known pump brands such as Ecotech Marine, IceCap, Tunze, Abyzz, and Maxspect.
The type of connection will depend on the pump. The older VarioS from Reef Octopus, Maxspect, and most IceCap models will benefit from the direct drive, which means that WaveEngine will work as its power source, and all you need is an adapter to connect it. My VarioS 8 pump has the 0-10V port, which means that I need a quad cable to connect it to the WaveEngine. The adaptors are not expensive at all, so you don't have to worry about having to buy them. The quad cable for my VarioS pump cost $13. For the Maxspect Gyre 330 flow pump adaptors, I paid $24, and they are $12 each. So to add another $37 to be able to control my pumps from the same system is totally worth it.
In case you wish to go truly high-tech, you can do it wirelessly. Yes, that's available too! It will cost another $50 to get the wireless card installed in the WaveEngine standard model.
What WaveEngine can control?
How do I actually benefit from having this multi-controller? Of course, for me, it was easy to go with it as I already knew that my VarioS pump and Reef Octopus Protein Skimmer Elite 200SSS would be compatible with it, and also, the two Maxspect gyre flow pumps can be attached to it. You can add four pumps to the WaveEngine, so I will still have one extra space that might just come in handy in the future.
The best part is that I can now control all my pumps from one integrated system. I can monitor them, I can make them work together, even if they are from different brands, and to be honest, there is almost an endless list of possibilities. That's why I like it too because it's something that I can play around with looking for the best flow for my tank.
All-in-one to bring the best flow pattern in your reef tank.
There are so many ways that HYDROS WaveEngine allows you to control the pumps in the tank. For basics, you can first specify the exact location of the pumps in your tank and set the minimum and maximum speeds for them. This is most likely where I will also start from, just to see the flow and how it moves in my reef tank. It's going to be the technical part where we get things running smoothly. It's like a kid with a new toy, and that's exactly how I see myself setting up the system.
Then we can put the pumps in groups. This is pretty awesome; I can make different brands compatible with each other and create them common rules and schedule. It's like the different brands now start to rhyme with each other. There are multiple options for flow patterns so that you can make the pumps use these preset patterns such as sync, anti-sync, square wave, single wave, triangle wave, random, constant, gyre, and so many more.
On top of this, I can make my own operational modes for feeding time, water changing time, daytime, and nighttime. With this feature, it's very easy to make all pumps to go to the same mode at once. If I need to set my own custom flow patterns, I can do it any time of any duration up to 24 hours. I've told you before about my experiences in the ocean water and how the water currents work there. I am putting much more effort this time to the flow patterns in my tank because I want it to get closer to the natural flow of water.
What pumps I will be using?
Knowing that this was the WaveEngine I wanted, I also decided to get two Maxspect Gyre 330 flow pumps and two Ecotech Votrech MP40 Pumps! I know, I know what are you thinking it's a little overkill for a 6' tank, but I won't run them all at 100% and 4 pumps will cover the tank perfectly with a minimal amount of dead spots. It just made sense because I could control them from the same app.
I had used the Gyre pumps before and only had good experiences with them and Ecotech Vortech is a gold standard in reef tanks flow. The Gyre 330 can be controlled by its own app both on iOS and Android devices, but to be able to connect it to the same WaveEngine system is even better. Also, I like my flow pattern to be random, I am sure using two different type of power-heads will also improve my flow a lot.
Final Thoughts.
So, this is how my reef tank building journey continues with the new build. How do you feel about the WaveEngine? I bet you got a little bit excited too, just the way I did. I almost wish that somebody would have figured this idea sooner, but better late than never. I know it's been quite a popular pump controller ever since it was launched in 2019. We might even see it starting a new trend here, where more manufacturers come together and create more useful apps where you can combine models from different brands.
We all hate that mess of cables and wires that using many different pumps creates. The thing is also that hobbyists like myself, we often find various equipment which we combine to create the best environment for life in our tanks. It shouldn't be a hustle, but more like combined forces, and that's where this development is taking us.
I hope you find this review interesting, and you know how I love to hear your experiences. So, get some discussion going on and share your thoughts about this. I am so happy to be one step closer to my beautiful next reef tank adventure again.
by Yuliya Ivanova for ReeffHacks.
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