Wave 2k wavemaker

[1journeyman]

Ok, so my sand finally calmed down enough for me to see this thing in action, so I thought I would post a quick review.
First the negatives.. my dSB and this device didn't get along too well at first. Now, after about 4 days, the wave2k has blown sand about 4 inches out from under it and dug holes under the nearby rocks. The motor is somewhat "noisy" in a deep humming sort of way. The wave2k also took me a bit of playing around with it (belt adjustments, etc.) to get it to function.
Now to the positives... Small profile; I ordered two of the center units and placed them on each side panel of my aquarium. You hardly notice them as they are black with no moving parts in the tank showing. And, as far as water movement goes, it's unreal. I've only got one turned on and any food I dump into the tank is completely dispered in under 30 seconds. The food scatters everywhere and "rolls" around in the water columm.
I can't wait to start raising corals. This is the most realistic water movement I've ever seen in an aquarium before.
Anyway, hope that helps some folks that are interested.

 

[a sea k]

1journeyman, I have been trying to find info on the wave2k and it appears you have about the same setup as I. ( 180 gal 72x24x24 ) Is one center unit mounted on the side panel able to move water the entire length of the tank? Once you had the unit running properly does it remain that way or does it require further adjusting to keep operating properly? Can you adjust the depth of the unit or is it fixed, and if so how much splash does it create? My setup is 72x24x30 with about 3000gph flow and I need more. I dont plan on any SPS only softies and a few LPS. Do you think this unit will move enough water thru the entire tank to overcome my flow problems?

 

[windmill]

I've seen pictures and wondered if you could submerge the main unit more than just the inch it seems to be below the water surface. Doesn't seem like it though, some have complained about salt spray and if you were able to submerge it more, that problem probably wouldn't exist.

 

[1journeyman]

First off is one unit enough? I've got to be honest I think it is... I'm going to turn the other one one in a couple of days but.... it's hard to explain. Basically as it is now ALL of my water is moving. Surface and bottom of the tank on the opposite end have significant movement. For instance, when I feed you would expect food to end up on the bottom of the tank on the opposite side from the wave2k that is running. That is not the case though. If you decide to go with one, contaqct the maker of them and ask if you could get the discounted price for 2 with an option of returning one unsed or something... I bet he'd work with you. My only other flow is from my Mag18 returning water from my sump.
Since mine started running last Wed. I haven't had to adjust anything on it. The directions say "over time" you will have to tighten down a couple of screws. So far I think these will be less maintenance that pumps would be.
The depth can be played with a bit. Not too much though, but a bit. Mine are just over the top of my water by maybe a couple of mm.
There is no splash whatsoever.I just double checked my glass, canopy, lights ,etc. as I typed this up. No splash. Now, if the water level in your tank dropped then I'd guess you'd have a nice mess

Like I said, the tops of mine are just at the surface of the water and I've got no issues. My only issue was my sand bed.

 

[a sea k]

This sounds pretty good. I had talked to the manufacturer about 2 wks ago but was hesitant to buy until I got some positive feedback from folks using the device. There was a lot of excitement when it was first released but no real feedback after its introduction. I realy thought this should work well but can't understand why more people are not using it.
Like you, I run a Mag 1800 for the return but also employ a 2nd Mag 1800 on a CL and really think with the addition of the wave2k I will have enough flow to keep the detritus suspended. (seems I have a few weak spots)
My biggest concerns are enough flow at the opposite end of the tank, Power consumption, Spray/splash and salt creep issues, Longevity and maintenance.
I guess the single thing that bothers me the most is, if the wave2k is so great, why arent more people using or talking about it?
Please keep me posted, Chris

 

[1journeyman]

Originally Posted by A sea K
...My biggest concerns are enough flow at the opposite end of the tank, Power consumption, Spray/splash and salt creep issues, Longevity and maintenance.
I guess the single thing that bothers me the most is, if the wave2k is so great, why arent more people using or talking about it?
Please keep me posted, Chris
Power consumption... good question. My guess would be though that it is more efficient than the pumps I was running though.
Flow on the opposite side of the tank... This is going to depend on your live rock formation. Frankly I am surprised in this regard. I felt certain I'd need 2. I'll elt you know how crazy it gets when I turn the second one on. I suspect one will be fine. I had about 36x turnover in my previous tank so as you can see I'm a big fan of turnover.
No salt creep or splash at all after a week.
Longetivity.... time will tell

Maintenance... Far less than taking out a pump, cleaning it, and running it in vinegar once a month like I was doing. That I'm sure of. It's an amazingly simple design really.
I'll keep you posted.

 

[a sea k]

Thanks 1journeyman, My current set up puts me around 13x turnover with the approx. head loss included. With the advertised flow of the wave at 4000gph this should put me around 32x and should be plenty for my long term plans. I'm really glad you posted this info on the wave. I was just about to purchase several power heads, something I had tried to avoid from the starting design of my tank, but felt I had run out of viable options.
I'll stay tuned in for more info. Thanks again, Chris

 

[oceanists]

Originally Posted by 1journeyman
Power consumption... good question. My guess would be though that it is more efficient than the pumps I was running though.
Flow on the opposite side of the tank... This is going to depend on your live rock formation. Frankly I am surprised in this regard. I felt certain I'd need 2. I'll elt you know how crazy it gets when I turn the second one on. I suspect one will be fine. I had about 36x turnover in my previous tank so as you can see I'm a big fan of turnover.
No salt creep or splash at all after a week.
Longetivity.... time will tell

Maintenance... Far less than taking out a pump, cleaning it, and running it in vinegar once a month like I was doing. That I'm sure of. It's an amazingly simple design really.
I'll keep you posted.

Journeyman .... would it affect tanks with built in over flows?

 

[windmill]

Good question. I bet the "waves" or water surges might encourage noisy downpipes or perhaps affect the siphon. You got overflows journeyman? Built in or overflow box?

 

[oceanists]

Originally Posted by windmill
Good question. I bet the "waves" or water surges might encourage noisy downpipes or perhaps affect the siphon. You got overflows journeyman? Built in or overflow box?

thats what i was thinking

 

[sign guy]

journeyman what kind of coral do you have. my hopes are to buy a used wave2k center unit for my future 180

 

[a sea k]

Originally Posted by windmill
Good question. I bet the "waves" or water surges might encourage noisy downpipes or perhaps affect the siphon. You got overflows journeyman? Built in or overflow box?

Yes, Good question indeed and something I had not considered. I have built in overflows and am curious now as to how this may affect the overflows performance

 

[1journeyman]

Ok.. sorry. didn't see this thread had more action.
My tank has 2 built in overflows. Now, this is my first tank with overflows so I'm not sure what the norm is...
With my canopy closed I'm not hearing much noise from them. Now, that could be because I'm still tweaking my sump/refugium so I haven't put the doors on my stand yet. As you can guess there is some noise going on there.
The wavemaker doesn't really produce a huge surface wave...
Sorry, I know that's not real helpful. I should have the doors on my stand this weekend. I'll let you know more later.

 

[sign guy]

did you buy the wave used or new

 

[rykna]

Not really a wave, but boy does it move the water!!!!!!!!

 

[1journeyman]

Bought them new. The owner is great at helping out.. emailed me a couple of times just to ask what I thought.

 

[sign guy]

did you ever start up both of them
I a gonna buy one used and am trying to figgure if ill need two in a 180 but they are center units