Rio Pumps SUCK!!!!!!!!

[j-man]

A WARNING TO ALL WHO USE RIO POWERHEADS IN THIER
TANKS:
Last night my Rio 2100 pump melted in the tank and caused a hudge mess of black film and pebbles everywhere also a aweful smell that will not go away. I've talked with many people who do not trust Rio pumps now I know why.
If you use rio pumps for circulation or for Wet/dry returns like I did, PLEASE consider removing them.
Don't use Rio Pumps!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[reef dude]

uh oh, i have a rio 2500 for my return on my wet/dry. why do you hate them soo much?

 

[fshhub]

they actually are not a bad pump when they are working, it is when they die tha tthey become a potential hazard, i have seen too many that leak or spit grease or oil into the tank when they go, not a risk i would want to take personally

 

[bigboy]

I have always used the rio powerheads in my tank and I have never had any problems with them. Currently I am using a rio 600 and a rio 2100 in my 75 gallon tank and I have had great success with these powerheads.

 

[twoods71]

Be careful what you say about a company, you dont want to end up in a lawsuit like the guy who expressed his opinion about an on line company on a different message board. <img src="graemlins//eek.gif" border="0" alt="[eek]" />
Back on topic: I have a rio that came with my ecosystem. Like you, I have heard others complain of the same problem. I am curious to know how long did you have the pump before it fizzled out and how long did you run it per day?

 

[fish head]

My RIO 2500 melted down last year after 13 month. Lucky for me, it was in the sump and tripped the house braker when it died. No pollution entered the display tank; otherwise it would have been a nightmare.

 

[jakob4001]

I do not have or most likely never will own a RIO brand PH or pump...seems they have this problem repeatedly & of course it's never the same person at the same location or even BB stating the same thing...at the very least RIO should place warning on them or provide life expectancy/time of replacement; RIO also usually are cheaper than most other PH's & I ghuess goes w/o saying, you get what you pay for...
NEVER!!! free speech hmmm what could they take from me, my tank...I have no $$$ left after this hobby...let them take it over my cold dead body & let them do all the work & finally see for themselves in a real world situation how reliable or not thier PH's/pumps are...as long as you stick to facts, there should be no problem in voicing POV...did it brake down...was it misused in any way...what could they say against something like that...trouble is aquarium products have no federal guidelines or safeguards short of limited UL rating on electric products

 

[bristleworms]

FYI, I burned through several RIO pumps on my sump return. They just don't hold up under pressure. They also had a problem restarting after a power failure. I would have to take them apart every time. Also, my second one shocked me several times. Not so good for tank inhabitants. Now using a MAG... Works great.

 

[ttv83]

I have to agree that the RIO pumps are unreliable. I was using a 2100 for my sump. The first one just up and died after 10 weeks. I returned it to my lfs and they took it apart and could not find any reason for it to stop working. I got a replacement 2100 and this one ran for about 5 weeks and it also stopped working! Same routine lfs could not explain what happened.
I replaced it with a MAG, true the MAG is more expensive. Probably cost about 40% more but I feel much more confidant that I won’t have any weird problems with it.

 

[blondenaso1]

Everyone has diferent opinions about the Rios. I have had mine for about 6 months now with no problems. However, since I joined this board and heard all the bad experiences I stopped buying them. I am curious as to how the pumps were maintained before they failed. Maybe your right "they can't take the pressure" well maybe people try to use them in situations where they would be underrated and put stress on the pump that it just couldn't take. Rios are probably one of the more widely used pump/PH due to price and I think that there is only a small fraction of people that have problems will them. None the less, I wouldn't want to take a chance like that. I am planning on replacing mine very shortly.

 

[oracledba72]

Someone was in a lawsuit over making a comment? Freedom of speech ring a bell here?

 

[ironreef]

Hundreds and hundreds of ppl have seen rio nuke tanks. The larger rio have a thin epoxy coat when they get dirty they heat up and melt down. The 600-800 don't have as bad as a record. But rio do suck they don't last long. mag pumps are a much better and stronger pump in the same price range. 6mo for a pump very few ppl get years out of a rio. I would concider a year good. I've had many rios and have been around long enough to hear how many ppl hate them and have had most of mine die early. So that makes them an expensive pump with little power if they don't last long. I would use maxi jet and mag pumps instead of rio

 

[2-reef]

I have had a Rio 2500 running my Berlin Skimmer on my 125g reef tank for 5 Years! Maybe Mine dated back to before the problems started. Anyway with all the postings I changed it last week to a Mag 7. I find the mag Makes more noise (maybe because it's new) but performs well. The Rio has been sitting for two weeks, and I went to use it today. The is something loose in the main housing...sounds like a stone or something. I just use it to transfer water for water changes. It still works but not sure for how much longer. My new tank 90g has a Mag 5 and a Mag 12.

 

[ironreef]

There are a few ppl who like rios but I would concider when more than 50% of ppl hate a product thats enough for me not to use it or be aware of it. But I've never had a rio2500 last. But I didn't clean it often either. maybe every 2 weeks. i have a mag18 thats I can't hear thats been cleans twice in 2 years. But ppl will dislike and like produces but I belive there is a big hate for rio pumpsI can say WELL MORE than 50% off pll

 

[ironreef]

FWIW I can also say the Mag 7 is probally the only problem pump for mags. Dunno why but seems ppl have had restarting probs with this odel. I have no experiance., I have only used mag2,3,18 with no problems