First impression of the Maxspect Gyre

[sea atlanta]

Bcavalli;996853 wrote: I've had mine in the tank for a week now.


A few observations:

Prior to running the Riptide I had the Jaebo WP 25s and later the RWs hooked up to the Apex. I ran different modes throughout the day. Most notably at night, I decreased power to about 40%. I would see an immediate drop in my ORP by 10 mV every night once the power heads were in night mode. I'm assuming the oxygen levels decreased as a result.
What's very interesting about the Riptide is I have been manually decreasing the power level down to 3 (about a 40% decrease) at night and ORP now decreases by 2 mV. I suspect the Riptide is boosting oxygen levels. Again, I'm not sure if the Riptide has anything to do with this. However, I've also experienced a slight increase in my pH levels and a decrease in my dinural swings. I had nightly swings of .18 and now it's .09.

I'm definitely not a chemist or expert in anything for that matter. Lol So maybe someone with more knowledge of ORP and chemistry for that matter could chime in.

The output is decreasing as the pump gets dirty. It seems it's like any other powerhead and gradually loses power until it's cleaned again. It's not a huge factor yet. But, I did have to bump up my output to 5 to keep the same flow going. The recommended cleaning schedule is monthly. I believe they included the extra parts to make cleaning easy and getting the pump back in service ASAP. I suspect most will only have this in their tanks and may not have an auxiliary powerhead in case of emergencies. I really don't think the extra parts were included due to expected part failure as others may have suggested.

The magnet holding the Riptide is relatively weak when moving. I have 3/8" glass and if you try to move it quickly or if for some reason it sticks while adjusting it, the powerhead may drop. I understand their is a stronger magnet available for thicker glass. But, IMHO they need to include the stronger magnet for all applications.

Anyhow, just a few observations.

ORP isnt a measure of oxygen at all. Its the measure of the oxidation reduction potential. Why a pump would cause this is quite concerning. There are several possibilities, but if the decreased orp continues, it is sadly a possible indication of an electrical field added to the water. Im not saying this is or isnt happening, but it is a possibility.

 

[bcavalli]

SEA Atlanta;999160 wrote: ORP isnt a measure of oxygen at all. Its the measure of the oxidation reduction potential. Why a pump would cause this is quite concerning. There are several possibilities, but if the decreased orp continues, it is sadly a possible indication of an electrical field added to the water. Im not saying this is or isnt happening, but it is a possibility.

I'm really new to this hobby (just over a year) so you may have to forgive my limited knowledge and I really appreciate advice as I am always learning. Doesn't ORP levels show the ability of free oxygen available to a system.

The comment I referred to was a drop in ORP levels (10Mv) while the Apex reduced the power with my previous 2 setups during the night. I also see a drop in ORP values (10 Mv) when I stir or clean the sandbed. So I guess my question would be what is the correlation between the two instances?

Couple of notes: During the night I reduce the power on the Gyre and I don't see the reduction occur? My ORP value always remains between 365 and 367 unless one of the above situations occurs.

 

[bcrueter]

lol I have been in the hobby almost 4 years and still dont understand ORP. I have the probe on my Apex as well and I just let it ride as long as its stable with no spikes I am Happy

 

[sea atlanta]

Bcavalli;999183 wrote: I'm really new to this hobby (just over a year) so you may have to forgive my limited knowledge and I really appreciate advice as I am always learning. Doesn't ORP levels show the ability of free oxygen available to a system.

The comment I referred to was a drop in ORP levels (10Mv) while the Apex reduced the power with my previous 2 setups during the night. I also see a drop in ORP values (10 Mv) when I stir or clean the sandbed. So I guess my question would be what is the correlation between the two instances?

Couple of notes: During the night I reduce the power on the Gyre and I don't see the reduction occur? My ORP value always remains between 365 and 367 unless one of the above situations occurs.

No, it doesnt. Its rather a misnomer. It measures the ability of the water to oxidize. Which is the ability to lose electrons to other compounds. Oxygen can</em> oxidize, but its not mutually exclusive. For aquariums, we use it to measure a quantitive level of anions and cations in water. Or for the typical: "dirt". The lower the OR, the dirtier the water. This is not absolute nor valuable, as other compounds can affect orp. Measuring orp is most (and arguably ONLY) valuble when using ozone.

I think I misunderstood your statement. Stirring the sandbed will likely decrease orp as it release organic trapped in the sandbed into the water column, which would reduce the orp (as does our hands, food, etc). Orp can be affected by a lot, including pH and magnetic and electrical fields, too.

 

[bcavalli]

Thank you for taking the time to help me understand it. I really only use ORP as an indicator that something maybe amiss in the system. It was just an observation that I saw a decrease in 10mV when my old powerheads were in place and the power was decreased during the night mode. I haven't experienced the same decrease in ORP at night when I decrease the power to the same level with the Gyre. It was purely an observation. I was just curious if there was a coloration between the two circumstances? I have so much to learn.

 

[hiimsean]

Any updates. I'm reading a few on RC saying about 40-50% the noise gets a bit loud, others say theirs are quiet as could be. Really thinking about grabbing one.

 

[bcavalli]

If I bump mine up to level 6 or more it has a noticeable hum. However, either I'm getting use to it or the hum is decreasing over time. The flow it creates is amazing!

 

[outdrsyguy1]

I'm pretty frustrated with the him/whine. I'm going to contact the manufacturer. Mine hasn't reduced in noise and if I run it over 5 it gets very noticeable. It does create a great amount of laminar flow. Probably a lot of the problem is that I run them 3 minutes at a time then switch toy tunze for 3 minutes to circulate water in the other direction. This makes the change in noise very noticeable because it's not an additional background hum. Love the low profile, love the power of the flow without crazy hot spots of turbulence where you can't out corals without killing them. I do wish there was an interface to my apex but there are some good options for different pulse patterns if you want a pulse added to the flow. Reverse is useless, don't consider using it, even on max.

If you want a really good idea of how it will affect your tank, put 2 power heads at the top of your tank and blow straight across the top. It will create a gyre that is pretty equivalent to what this pump does.

 

[dawgface]

SEA Atlanta;999196 wrote: No, it doesnt. Its rather a misnomer. It measures the ability of the water to oxidize. Which is the ability to lose electrons to other compounds. Oxygen can</em> oxidize, but its not mutually exclusive. For aquariums, we use it to measure a quantitive level of anions and cations in water. Or for the typical: "dirt". The lower the OR, the dirtier the water. This is not absolute nor valuable, as other compounds can affect orp. Measuring orp is most (and arguably ONLY) valuble when using ozone.

I think I misunderstood your statement. Stirring the sandbed will likely decrease orp as it release organic trapped in the sandbed into the water column, which would reduce the orp (as does our hands, food, etc). Orp can be affected by a lot, including pH and magnetic and electrical fields, too.

Love the advanced technical answers you bring to the table. Really wish you'd respond more!

 

[nickh06]

I got mine last week and love it! Just set my 90 back up. Been out of the hobby for awhile but back in full force now.

Still learning the programming of the modes which is a bit confusing. It is a lot quieter than my mp10

 

[bcavalli]

I wanted to add an update on my Gyre. Yesterday, I decided it was time to break the Gyre down and replace the rotors and covers with the new ones that came with it. Well let's just say it didn't go exactly as planned. I thought I followed the video instructions pretty well. However, I obviously missed a few of the important details on the reassembly. Lol
I called Carlos at Coralvue support and he quickly identified what mistakes I made and explained the right way to reassemble the Gyre. Even with this product being so new he had all the answers. I put them in the elite support category. IMHO. In my experience their sales department was equally as helpful.

Just a few suggestions for owners of the gyre who are getting ready to clean or switch out parts for the first time.

-Watch the instruction videos and review the instructions a couple times.
-Take your time and be careful not to squeeze the outside covers and rotors while you handle them. You will see pretty quickly that they are on the weak side and could easily break.
-There are two different rotors "A" and "B", they both rotate in the opposite direction. If you reassemble your gyre and the rotors are spinning but their is little or no flow, try switching the rotors to the opposite type.
- Once you pull the rotor off you must reuse the the bearing in the end of the old rotor. That bearing has a flat spot (there is a small mark on the edge of the bearing and a mark on the rotor itself) which matches up with the flag edge of the pumps shaft. It's very important that they all lineup.
-If the pump is really noisy and rattles once you have reassembled it and turned it on. Try taking the covers back off and remove the outside bearing. Put the cover back on and then put the bearing back in place. It should resolve the rattling issue.

Hope this helps. It is a much more complicated pump than I have experienced and does take a little patience with assembly. However, I still love the flow my tank is getting and has continued to run flawlessly.

I Hope this helps.

 

[sucio_reefer]

Was it necessary to change the rotors (part of maintenance) or was it a personal choice to see if it worked better,etc? Just wondering what the motivation was to do the change.

 

[bcavalli]

sucio_reefer;1001913 wrote: Was it necessary to change the rotors (part of maintenance) or was it a personal choice to see if it worked better,etc? Just wondering what the motivation was to do the change.

I've had in service for about a month now. My cages are starting to show coraline growth, so I figured I would just switch out the cages and rotors and clean the old ones. I also wanted to see if there was any visible clogging or build up of algae, like I would see with my old power heads. When I pulled everything out it was really clean and no buildup of algae. Everything looked to be in great shape. I believe they recommend cleaning every three months.

 

[ecoreefguy]

The question I would like to ask is it better to purchase a new gyre or a gently used mp40? Assuming that I am building a tank as of now.

 

[bcavalli]

I would definately go with the Gyre over 1 mp40. Imho

 

[ecoreefguy]

Is this based on overall power of the gyre ? I've been looking at both , but the vortech seems to edge it out by a tad when it comes to features, ie different modes and ramping. I've been looking at and I'm able to get a pair of older mp40 off another forum for about 300 plus shipping. I don't mind it being used if the item is in acceptable conditions. This is the last piece of my build

 

[bcavalli]

EcoReefGuy;1001944 wrote: Is this based on overall power of the gyre ? I've been looking at both , but the vortech seems to edge it out by a tad when it comes to features, ie different modes and ramping. I've been looking at and I'm able to get a pair of older mp40 off another forum for about 300 plus shipping. I don't mind it being used if the item is in acceptable conditions. This is the last piece of my build

Support said that they would have an advanced controller available first quarter next year. It will have all the features available on the Vortex pumps. Not sure if that helps you now though. I have never owned an mp40 so I can't compare the power. I run it about 50% in my 120 DT and that is plenty of flow.

 

[ecoreefguy]

Lets say we wait, how has their support been? In the past when I've done something stupid like lets say... Dropping the dry side ... They manage to make me happy with their resolution. I want to know if crap is tossed into the fan someone will help me

 

[bcavalli]

EcoReefGuy;1001949 wrote: Lets say we wait, how has their support been? In the past when I've done something stupid like lets say... Dropping the dry side ... They manage to make me happy with their resolution. I want to know if crap is tossed into the fan someone will help me

Coralvue handles Maxspec's tech support. So far they been outstanding and have both answered questions and replaced a defective part. I have purchased a few other things (skim locker, neck extension and a neck cleaner) directly from Coralvue and dealt with both their support and sales departments and it has always been top notch.

 

[ecoreefguy]

Hmm... Thanks. You just made my decision harder lol.