From Rio to Maxi-jet

dacia

dacia

Active Member
There has been such a big difference in my skimmer since that I have updated the powerhead!
The first thing that I noticed was the drastic reduction in noise.
Next I did NOT see those stinkin' bubbles escaping into my water anymore.
Then I noticed how it needed to be cleaned LESS.
After that, I saw that the crap in the collection cup was more substantial, letting me know that the water was getting cleaner.
How does RIO stay in business when Maxi-jet makes far superior products???
 
hondo

hondo

Member
Don't kid yourself Rio makes a low quality product that stays in business by being the cheapest available. The reason it made such a difference is probably due to the rio PH needs to be cleaned constantly or they lose pressure and eventually sieze up. do a search on rio power heads and you will see just how bad they are. Good move going to the Maxijet.
 
fishman88

fishman88

Member
i have some questions about this i have a cpr bak pak 2r and it has a rio on it how do i put a maxi jet on it is there some special hookup and if so where can i get 1
thanks alot
mike
 
bdhough

bdhough

Active Member
Rio's are good for small powerheads but anything big they make is loud. I can attest to that. The rio 50 is nice for small tanks or mixing salt.
To change out powerheads you need to match the water pumping rating of your rio to a maxi give or take a couple gallons. Then just hook the outtake of your maxi to the intake of your CPR and there you go.
 
terminus est

terminus est

Member
To hook up your bakpak skimmer you need to get a maxijet 900 or 1200, I forget which one I used. You basically just have to put the outtake onto the intake of the skimmer. You also need to have a venturi kit which is like 4 bucks in order to have bubble flow. Send me an email at redcorsair14@aol.com and I will give you the site I ordered mine from if your LFS doesnt carry them which I doubt.
I asked the BAK PAk company about why they put Rios and they said it was a cost thing and that they were aware that rios sucked and were considering changing brands.
 
D

daniel411

Guest

Originally posted by coralcollector
Rio's are not good for anything except the trashcan live and learn!:)
Sweet, thats what I'm turning into a large salt mix tub! Good to know I won't have to buy another ph to mix it ;)
 
dacia

dacia

Active Member
I have a CPR Bak Pak 2 and I upgraded to a the Maxi-jet 900. I was told that the 1200 might be better, but for a 30 gallon tank I am very pleased with the 900. I did notice that the tubes did not fit together as they should, but I got around that...the attachment for the Rio's venturi kit now acts as the connector between my MJ 900 and Bak Pak. I have the air hole for the Rio's venturi kit blocked off and use the MJ's venturi kit to power the Bak Pak. There might be an easier way, but this way works perfectly well. :D And you can read all about my reasons in the first post. ;)
 
dacia

dacia

Active Member
I probably would have started out that way too, but I figured since my skimmer came with a Rio already, I would give it a try...couldn't sleep with that thing on! The tank is only 5 feet away from my bed.
 
steelchromis

steelchromis

Member
mine's right next to me as well, the maxi-jet usually never makes any noise, once in a while it does and so I just readjust it.
 
spsfreak100

spsfreak100

Active Member
I've owned quite a few kinds of RIO pumps, and ended up swaping them out for Maxi Jet one year in. Most of mine (not all of them) ended up making loud noises while the pumps were running. Even after regular cleanings and checking the moter, the pumps still made a very loud humming sound. I do still have a RIO 2500 in my tank, which works like a charm. RIO does tend to have great customer service, so if you're unhappy with any of your items, you could easily contact them and they'll take care of the rest.
Take Care,
Graham
 
murray bmf

murray bmf

Member
I had a Rio as a return pump from my sump, it lasted a week before it crapped out. Now it's a Mag 7 for the sump and Maxi jets for the tank. Rio pumps are unreliable-give me a break, one week! My cold lasted longer than that:)
 
krowleey

krowleey

Active Member
well in defense to rio, i have had a few rio pumps that lasted years with no problems. i do believe any of the pumps will need to be cleaned, and if you think you dont have to clean them....then good luck 8)
 
dacia

dacia

Active Member
I was cleaning my Rio every other day so that it would work continuously rather than whenever it wanted to...and the noise started from second 1 no matter how I adjusted the venturi kit...it was quiet when I ripped it off the Bak Pak though...:D
 
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