Maxi-Jet Powerheads...Not like they used to be?

[FunkieReefJunkie]

I'm trying out the mini AquaGlobes. www.aquaglobe.com The 300 halls ***. Did I just say that? My only complaint concerns the tiny suction cups which are prone to letting go if there's the slightest bit of coralline on the glass. Other than that, they're nice and small and light on the wattage.

 

[Scotsman]

I bought 2 of the mini Aquaglobes about 6 months ago for my 18g nano cube. 1 has already quit working and the other one is very noisy and only works if I clean it every 2 weeks and then baby it to just the right position so that the impeller turns. What a shame because it is really small and produces a great flow. But they suck so don't waste your money!

 

[Wind]

aqua ball <> to aquaglobe right??? it doens' equal

hows the eheim compact pump.. looks like those mini-jest.. but 250..

i may try one..!!

 

[Tomzpc]

I've had great success with the Hagen Aquaclear powerheads over the years. Never had one die in almost a decade.

 

[BryanJ]

My filter is a eheim 2026 rated at 250gph and my maxijets are 900's rated 232gph the eheim return pump in the filter appears to be moving nearly 2x the maxijet. I would buy any pump by eheim in second.

 

[ejmeier]

I think that with the "new" Maxi-Jets the most obvious difference (that I have noticed) has been the writing on the side of the pump itself. On the MJ 1200 it used to be a neon blue (quite ugly in a tank) but now they made the writing black so you can hardly notice it in the tank.

Other than that, I remember reading about a "thermal shutdown" thingamajig that was in the MaxiJets. I don't know why a PH would need this?

But the change that struck me the most, which outweighs all of the "benefits" was that they made the powercord really skinny. I don't know why, but when it comes to electrical components submerged in water, I REALLY want the powercord to be thick.

 

[dc]

LOL, I noticed the skinny cords also, but mine are over a year old and I've never had a problem with either.

 

[GailKaitschuck]

We've switched from Rio's ("hey look! The tank's on fire...dang; never knew water can burn!") to Hagen Aquaclear with great results (i.e, they work and we no longer have flames shooting out of the tank). Some good deals on these on ebay.

Gail

 

[ejmeier]

Had both the new and old maxijets out, so I figured, why not take a picture?

New one on left, old one on right. Notice the different lettering and cord size. Can't compare performance yet as I haven't used the newer one. At least the impeller seems to be the same.

 

[Sloth]

See my post here:

I'm done with maxijets

Before seeing this thread I thought it was just me. IMO - maxijets ARE the next RIO. They're garbage. Complete waste of time and money. I switched to Ehiem and have had 1 problem seizing so far, but I cleaned it and it works again.

 

[jackson6745]

Sloth you're not alone

ejmeier
Thanks for posting the pics. Wanna sell the old one

 

[FunkieReefJunkie]

Kind of depressing to hear this about the aquaglobes. In the meantime I'll just watch and see what happens with mine. I like Hagens but they get larger with increased gph. Eheims are excellent but pricey. It would be nice to have a PH with low wattage, longevity, with a price which doesn't break the bank. Until then I'll be dreaming of a single pump, closed loop system. With the hobby growing so quickly I have a hard time understanding why no one company can get their "you know what together" and fit this nitch.

 

[AquaticFins]

thebigmg hit it right on the head.

Marineland bought Aquarium Systems and the quality went down the drain.

On the plus side, the packaging is nicer now.

 

[montepora]

HTH!

HTH!

Maybe this could be the MJ alternative???

Small and Powerful

 

[nf4sevenw]

i think we should all just closed loop our systems and all run mag 5's and mag 7's on wave makers. lol. at least it will last.(maybe)

 

[BryanJ]

If this is what happened to maxijets, I wonder what is going to happen to Perfecto aquariums? I was concidering getting one when I upgrade. Now I am not sure I want to take a chance on one.

 

[FunkieReefJunkie]

montipora I'm trying these out now. So far I like them, but it's too early for me to comment. Some negatives have been expressed. Need a few more people to give them a test drive.

nf4sevenw I just plan to stay home all day hovering over my aquarium, making waves with my hands, mimicing the sound of the ocean until I fall over exhausted.

 

[gunsablarrin]

I have 2 maxi-jet 1200s. I have been using them for only 3 months, but everything has been fine. They make almost no noise, even the one on my wavemaker. They are certainly much better then the Rios I had before. None failed, but they were incredibly noisy.

 

[Creade]

As a sidenote. If you watch Ebay, Some aquarium wholesalers still have an overabundance of the old model MJs they are pawning.
Just make sure you email them to make sure they are the old ones even if they are using the old pic.

 

[Sloth]

Update:
I don't like the new ehiem powerheads either. They don't start up 20% of the time. Then you have to pop them off the glass and the suction cups always come off. Then you have to kill your fingernails to get the casing open and fiddle with the impeller axel. If you push it too far in, the impeller will rub on the casing, too far out and it won't run. there is a button thing on the top of the pump that if you push it, it will shove the impellor down further. Dunno what thats all about. Anyway. I just decided that they aren't worth the trouble. The only powerheads I've had 100% success with for 2 years straight are minijet 404s.

I'm not saying anything bad about Eheim as a brand. I have a larger return pump and that thing is GREAT. Just the powerheads I don't like.