CRITIQUE OF THE GYRE

Those "hideous black boxes" you speak of grow coral. isn't that the point of why we buy lights?
also this looks hideous to you?

 

Sorry if I struck a nerve. I never spoke of their capabilities. I guess if it is good enough for you, that is all that matters....

Growing corals are easy. It's not that hard. Even the worst LEDs will grow coral. As long as you can provide the coral sufficient PAR, the zooxanthellae will do the rest. Besides water quality a more important role in the grand scheme of things. When you talk about coloring up acros, that's where things change and other tricks come into play. Most hobbyists don't understand what it takes.

For me aesthetics means a lot. When people view my tank, I do't want them to think about my equipment. I don't want it bulky and boxy and I don't want it too blingy either. I prefer it to be minimal if it will be visible. It's hard enough making pumps disappear. I certainly don't want a fixture that is distracting as well.

If you want to talk lighting, let's do it in another thread. I don't want us to derail this thread any further.

 

No worrys, I just don't like when people bad talk lights that have been proven to work. If it's the way they look you don't like it's all personal preference I guess. There is a lot of ugly lights out (imo) that people love. canopies make me crinch, but to each there own. It all comes down to your own vision of a nice looking tank.

Sorry for derailing the thread.

 

Forum:

Good evening for any of you who have been using the Maxspect Gyre XF150 Water Generator Pump for some time what is your feedback on the unit pro and cons in your view. We are in the market for a PH for my new build and have been looking into EcoTech and Maxspect. I have heard there have been some issues with the units anyone experience this? Send me you feedback we would appreciate it.....



Thanks


E

 

I installed one on a client's tank today. He doesn't have any live corals as yet.
My first opinion is that it's a lot smaller than I expected. Don't know the exact diamentions but I'd say it's about 12" long and 1" diameter.
It's easy to install and the magnet that holds the pump is strong enough for you to be able to reposition the pump without getting your hands wet. That's on a 1/4" glass aquarium.
The instructions are complicated and I was pressed for time so I didn't get to go through all the features. Also, the controller being all black is cool but hard to see the indicators.
The controller has a rubberized finish to it and is surely durable due to the fact that it slipped out of my hand and fell on the ground hard. The dial broke off but I was able to put it back together with ease.
I don't think it can tolerate being wet.

The gyre generator itself is really well made. The box included what seems to me like two extra vents/flow directors/wet side (don't know what to call it) and replacement bushings.

The other modes include; continuous flow, reverse and random gyre (I can't fully remember, please correct me if I'm wrong)

The flow is quite strong, he has a 6' aquarium and I could see good movement on the opposite side of the tank.

 

I have been very impressed with mine. I don't think the controller is hard to use. There is a ton of flow, that is good but also caused me issues. My vortechs moved good water in the middle, but not lower areas. The gyre moves water all over. It's an issue because I got low flow corals on the bottom since I didn't get much movement there. So I had to reposition them away from the edges. Just trial and error for a new style of water movement.

 

I forgot - can you chain these?

 

I've said some of this elsewhere, but while I think this is a decent piece of equipment, I don't think its a great pump long term.

First, let's talk about that controller. I've had bits fall off. That's not good. More importantly though, the options for variable flow are very limited. There is no randomization in there. Your choices are to blow in one direction or two and to do so for a fixed period of time in each direction. I can't even, for instance, chose to go two minutes in one direction and 5 in the other. It's either two and two or 5 and 5.

Okay, not world ending, but not the range of options a Vortech offers. Hey, you can change the flow patters - that's pretty cool, right? Well yes, but it requires you pull it out, disassemble it, and attach new bits. That's just not as elegant as adjusting the program.

The magnet mount is fairly well made, but this pump will torque about its mount so your flow isn't perfectly consistently positioned. When I clean my Vortech, I put it back in exactly the same spot if I want to. The Gyre, not sure.

It's also big. Bigger than I expected and with a sizable footprint (though thanks to a good design, not an overly obtrusive one).

If you're comparing this to two Korallias on an alternating wave maker, the Gyre is great. It sure does put out a lot of flow too. It simply is not the quality long term device a Vortech is. I'll be dumping mine soon in favor of a possible MP60.