Benefits of a Wave Maker?

I was just curious as to what benefits a wave maker has to a tank? Does it just disrupt the surface of the water?

 

Good for surface agitation, keep detritus in suspension, brings food to corals, helps to remove waste from corals, and also gives them a chance not to just get blasted from just one direction-changes the whole dynamic of a reef tank.Just to name a few.

 

I have one and i love it, would never be without one.

 

It simulates the ocean.

 

Depends on what you are talking about. Are you talking about an actual wave maker or are you talking about a power head turning on and off?

 

I have no idea, ive just been going through forums and people are talking about wave makers, was just curious,

 

Wave makers are setups that try to actually make a wave in your aquarium. The basics are some sort of timer hooked up to regular powerheads that turn on and off. There are much more sophisticated controllers and pumps that vary intensity and pulse to do it better. Tunze actually has a "Wavebox" that works very well at making a wave but takes up realestate in the tank. The wave action reaches every part of the tank with an ocillation that can work better than just moving currents of water around with a power head. The best ones get pretty exspensive.

Having said that very few people actualy make waves in their tank. For one... it voids most tank warantees. It is not something to get into lightly. Also... the water action is good... but it is pretty hard to simulate the ocean in a box. Wave makers do not make the same frequency waves necessarily and the ocean has currents in it too. And there is no way anything we have is going to come close to simulating a reef crest environment. Just concentrate on having good flow in all areas of your tank and the water gets circulated well.

 

The benefits I see are more even growth of SPS corals since they are not getting blasted in only one direction all the time and a cleaner tank since it gets stirred up and does not allow detritus to settle in one spot.
I have two Evolutions 1400's on a Reefkeeper Lite switching back and forth every 30 seconds and an Oceans Motions Squirt two way on my return pump so lots of action.

 

I know of an LFS with an really nice 180 reef who's only circulation is Tunze wavebox and the return pump.

This tank is amazing, SPSs, LPSs and a huge toadstood leather.

 

o.k., maybe I don't have a wavemaker, I think I have a wavemaker nozzle. Where my pump pushes the water out at the top of my tank, I put a wavemaker nozzle on it and in stead of it going in one direction, it swivels, causing a slight wave motion on top of the water and pushing a current to all my coral. If you look at the top right corner you will see it.



It also makes all my coral look like they are dancing. I love it!!