Can you run a Little Giant External Pump as a wavemaker
- Thread starter Jyetman
- Start date
slief
RC Sponsor
No you shouldn't. Pumps like the Little Giants, Iwaki's and similar are not designed to be turned on and off many times a day. They are designed to be set it and forget it pumps. Doing as you are considering will likely cause premature failure of the pump. Having it turn on and off a few times a day won't really hurt anything though. I just wound't have it turning on and off constantly every few minutes. I use a Little Giant 4MDQ on my mixing station and that is programmed to turn on every 3 hours and run for 15 minutes to keep my water mixed. If you had it turn on every hour or so, you would probably be fine but it certainly won't last as long as it would if it were continually running.
Jyetman
Active member
Thanks for the information - what about that new Apex COR Pump will it be as durable as my little giant?
https://forum.neptunesystems.com/showthread.php?12167-Neptune-Return-Pump
slief
RC Sponsor
Once could only guess since it won't be released for months to come. I saw the Core at MACNA. It looks like a nifty pump but it's hard to beat the longevity of pumps like Little Giants or Iwaki's. I've had the 4MD that's on my mixing tank for nearly 20 years and it's still going strong. I'd be surprised if any of these internal/external pumps would last that long but these DC pumps are way to new to judge longevity.
We also don't know if the Core will be a soft start pump like pretty much all other current DC pumps. Soft start makes them virtually unusable as wave makers. The only DC pumps that are currently well suited for wave making are the Abyzz pumps and those come with a heafty price tag that puts them out of the realm for most hobbyists.
Some years ago I cycled a pair of panworld pumps on and off in an abortive attempt to create waves in my tank. Beyond the fact that you cannot actually create a natural looking wave in a home aquarium, the pumps both failed after less than a year. Not what they are designed to do.
In terms of durability, who knows. I have found the little giant pumps to not be as durable as iwaki or PanWorld, but how they would fare against an as yet unreleased pump is anyone's guess.
In terms of durability, who knows. I have found the little giant pumps to not be as durable as iwaki or PanWorld, but how they would fare against an as yet unreleased pump is anyone's guess.
Similar threads
