Maxspect Gyre 200 Series -- First Impressions

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PhreeBYrd

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I've been keeping reef tanks for a long time, and using Koralia powerheads pretty much since they were first introduced years ago. In my 75g mixed reef, for example, I had 2 Koralias running on the wavemaker function on a Reefkeeper 2 controller. They actually did a decent job of creating a good amount of alternating flow. They are often a little noisy when they start up every cycle, since they use a mechanical stop to induce the propeller to turn in the correct direction. Since the two in that 75g tank had been running for almost 2 years (I don't think I had even cleaned them in the last year), I was sure they were about due for replacement, and I started looking at the Maxspect Gyre 200 series models and the Advanced Controller as a different option. A new pair of Koralias would be about 1/3 the cost of the Gyre and controller, but I really liked the idea of the Gyre.

After 2 weeks of research, online reviews, reading countless forum threads, and the obligate hand-wringing, I decided it was the right move. I just needed to decide which model to buy. My choice was either a pair of the FX230/130 or a single FX250. The cost difference wasn't huge between these options. I REALLY did not want to end up with too little flow. Since the pumps and controllers are not interchangeable, if you change pump models, the controller and power supply also need to be changed. Since the controllers allow you to adjust the Gyre speed from 100% to 10% for any mode of operation, I could always dial back the higher flow FX250 as needed, and ultimately, I chose to go with the FX250. With the FX250, I had no doubt that I would never need the higher flow settings in this tank, and I would always have surplus flow in reserve.

Much consternation followed about setting up this system. The Advanced Controller, even after watching the CoralVue videos several times, was pretty intimidating. It has tremendous capabilities and myriad options for a controller with only two buttons and a dial, and I really dislike multi-function buttons. I don't like having to refer to the instruction manual every time I want to make a simple adjustment, but I probably have resigned myself to frequently doing just that with this system. As it turns out, most of my worries were unfounded, and working with the controller is much easier than the rather weird Maxpect manual had led me to expect.

More to follow...
 
Unboxing the system was very telling. This system is not inexpensive (then again, nothing of any quality is in this hobby) at $339 U.S. The price is, or should be, the same everywhere, and if you found it for less somewhere, then I would be very suspicious. To me, that was a substantial investment, and as I opened the box, I hoped for the best. I was not disappointed at all. In fact, this was a very pleasant surprise.

The Gyre pump definitely has the feel of a heavy-duty, solidly-constructed piece of equipment. It honestly is rather hefty. It's also much bigger than I anticipated, even though I had noted all of the dimensions before purchasing. Nothing about this pump wobbles, wiggles, or seems prone to breakage. I would equate its construction to a high-quality portable power tool. This is not something you would find with a Craftsman or Harbor Freight label on it.

The Advanced Controller is also pretty impressive. It is small (about 3.5" x 5" x 1"), but it has some weight to it. It is very solid and does not feel at all 'plasticky'. The connectors are very nice quality and rubber-socketed. The small plastic cradle for mounting the controller is very slick. It's really not a cradle at all -- it's more of a hanger. It holds the controller securely while allowing it to be quickly removed for hand-held operation. Once the controller is installed, the hanger is not even visible. The buttons are adequately-sized although the markings on them are difficult to read in low light. Fortunately since there are only two of them, it's easy to remember which is which. The dial adjuster moves smoothly and has nice detents for feedback.

Incidentally, the packaging for everything was first rate. The Gyre pump itself is encased in a large plastic box within the retail box. Pretty amazing, really.

First startup to follow...
 
Thanks for the writeup. I've had one on the back wall of my double mp40 driven 75g, but haven't had time to plug it in and play with the controller. Given the high degree of adjustablity, I wanted to give myself a few hours with it, of which I haven't been able to agenda yet.
 
Installation and first startup

Installation and first startup

Installation couldn't really be any easier. Find a good place for the Gyre, clean the glass really well, and set it in place (I placed it horizontally at one end of the tank, with the top of the cages about 2 inches below the water line). Secure it with the magnet on the outside of the glass. The rubber mounts on both the inner and outer magnets provide a nice cushion, and also help hold things solidly in place. Connect the power supply to the controller, connect the pump to the controller, then plug in the power supply.

Oh, wait a minute. Before I plugged in the power supply, I had several moments of hesitation. The manual contained no information about what I should expect. I mean Zero information. I envisioned this crazy pump powering on and suddenly lurching into 100% flow mode, blowing anything and everything out of the top of my tank, ripping the flesh from corals, and sending all my fish into a tumbling vortex of death. As it turns out, my hesitation was pretty much needless.

When plugging in the power, the pump started up at 50% continuous flow mode. In fact, the maximum flow for all settings I looked at was set at 50% by default. And although everything I had seen and read said that 'Feed Mode' provided a 10-minute pause in operation, mine was set to 30 minutes. The Feed Mode duration is also adjustable, although there is nothing anywhere in the manual about this, or even in CoralVue's videos that I could find. I was rather concerned about this, because a water change typically takes me about 30 minutes, and a fixed 10-minute pause in operation for the Gyre pump would have been a problem. You can of course also cancel feed mode any time by pressing the button again, and the controller will immediately resume normal operation. The controller's display also counts down the remaining pause time during Feed Mode.

Although I felt that this tank had always previously had pretty good flow, I was amazed by the amount of mulm and crud this pump immediately sent into the water column. Clearly I had been mistaken. I let it run for about half a minute, then put it into feed mode to allow the water to clear. I repeated this about 4 times, after which almost everything of any significance had made its way to the sump. Although my plan was to use mostly Pulse Mode, Random Mode provided some awesome turbulence. And while initially clearing the tank of old detritus, Reverse Gyre Mode was very useful. I really don't anticipate using this mode much because I have a 4" sand bed and the 75g is not very tall; but while initially stirring up stuff, Gyre mode allowed the pump to clear itself by automatically reversing, so I didn't end up with the cages covered with muck or loose Discosoma.

I found initially that 30% forward/normal flow worked well for this 4' tank, but there was no problem using 50% or 60% in reverse. No sand was getting blown around. Because of the centrifugal design, the pump provides much less flow when running in reverse. As everything settles in, I expect my max flow will ultimately be set at 40% or 50%. With that said, the FX230/130 setup with two lower-capacity Gyres might have been as good or better for this tank, since it would allow the flow percentages to be set to higher numbers, providing more possible variation in the flow.

Running at 50%, the Gyre is quiet. I can hear it if I'm next to the tank, but it's not loud at all. At 30% and lower, it's almost silent. It's much quieter than most of the other equipment running on this tank, and much quieter than the Koralias were.
 
Exceptionrule said:
...Given the high degree of adjustablity, I wanted to give myself a few hours with it, of which I haven't been able to agenda yet.
Click to expand...

I had the same concerns, and was rather daunted by the controller, or at least by the incompleteness of information and instructions for it. Although I haven't yet programmed it for automatic mode, I've so far found the controller much easier to work with than I had expected.
 
The gyre has a unique type of flow, the 250 model would be plenty of flow for tanks up to 8' length no problem. Each side of the pump equals a powerful pump, so it is more like two pumps in one.

What I like about the gyre is that the first wave of flow can be directed to the top layer of tank water, not directly hitting the corals, allowing it to push water from oposite sides, hitting the tank wall and returning to fing the animlas in a more ocean like water movement.
 
ReefCowboy, I agree, although for an 8' tank I think I'd want a pair of them. That second pump, at a cost of $160, would not be a ridiculous expense, and would really provide some great flows in an 8', or even a 6' tank. But I do think a single 250 could handle it if coral placement was given due consideration.
 
The one thing I wish the new controller could do is allow intensity increments of 5%.
I have the Fx250 running a 57 gal and 10% isnt enough while 20% is too much for that size tank. I believe I could accomplish that with the module for the Apex, but think the controller that comes with the pump should allow for that setting. 15% would be perfect intensity
 
ReefCowboy said:
The one thing I wish the new controller could do is allow intensity increments of 5%.
Click to expand...

I wish that, too. I expect that the designers thought there wasn't enough of a difference between steps at 5% increments. But when you're maxing out at 40-50% of the total flow, then each 10% step is actually 20% to 25% of the total you can use instead of the actual 10% increments you'd have if you maxed out at 100%.

That's why I was thinking a pair of the FX230's might really have been a better choice for my 75g...
 
PhreeBYrd said:
I wish that, too. I expect that the designers thought there wasn't enough of a difference between steps at 5% increments. But when you're maxing out at 40-50% of the total flow, then each 10% step is actually 20% to 25% of the total you can use instead of the actual 10% increments you'd have if you maxed out at 100%.

That's why I was thinking a pair of the FX230's might really have been a better choice for my 75g...
Click to expand...

Yes, i agree. I bought the 250 for my 150 gal new build and decided to try it now in my 57 in the meantime. Ive had the 230(130 older version) and loved it.

I got the 250 because i feel i would run it at tops 50% at the 150 vs the 230 at 100%.
 
So, yesterday I got around to programming the Advanced Controller for automatic mode, since I wanted the Gyre to power down at nighttime. I ended up creating 10 time points, so now the Gyre will run at the highest flow rates during mid-day and actually turn off for a couple of hours during the night. Between those periods, the flow gradually ramps up and down. So far, everything works perfectly, and doing the programming was easy. Took all of about 15 minutes to set everything up.

I created a couple of extra time points in case I want to rearrange things later. I did those by just repeating the previous time point settings. While you can delete a time point by simply setting it to "Off", there is no way to insert a new time point between two existing points. I found it easy to go into the program and edit an existing time point to use a different flow mode or flow rate.

One thing I did find is that the lowest flow rate setting available for Pulse Mode is 20%. I don't recall whether that also applied to Random Mode, but I'm thinking that it must.

To have a period with no flow, you can just set the time point to Continuous Mode and 0% flow. It's not extremely intuitive to do that, but it works fine.
 
I love the controller, though I really haven't played with the settings in the 6 months or so that Ive had it. I set it to Random for both pumps and a max speed of 30% in my 5ft tank and leave it to it. Nice and easy and no washing machine effect like before when I had both pumps running off a sicce wave surfer.
 
I can't say enough good about the Gyre. I have a single one in my 66g cube and I have it vertically in the back corner directed towards the side wall. I get amazing movement in the entire tank.

The first week or so it was actually pretty noisy, but it is virtually silent now. The controller took a bit especially since it takes two inputs and I don't see any markings on the wires so I had plugged my single gyre into the B pump connector and was wondering why my changes weren't actually happening. Once i figured that out it was generally easy at that point.

I currently run at 40% continuous but am considering switching to one of the pulsing modes.
 
MiddletoM said:
I love the controller, though I really haven't played with the settings in the 6 months or so that Ive had it. I set it to Random for both pumps and a max speed of 30% in my 5ft tank and leave it to it. Nice and easy and no washing machine effect like before when I had both pumps running off a sicce wave surfer.
Click to expand...

Which pump models do you run? I'm thinking a 250 on my 6ft tank with 2 mo40s on the back wall.
 
I know this thread is a bit old but I am having trouble finding anything about how to adjust the feed mode time. Mine is set at 30 minutes which is much longer than I want. I put it in food mode and try to use the dial to turn it down but I apparently am missing a step somewhere. Help??
 
Critterheaven:

Press the power/feed mode button. The controller enters feed mode.
While in feed mode, press the setup button.
Use the dial to adjust the feeding delay time.
Press the power/feed mode button again to exit feed mode.

To check, press feed mode again. You should see the timer counting down from your new preset time.
 
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