New Hydor pump

[loyalrogue]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9437899#post9437899 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by PuffersKick
OK, I have a 150 gallon reef. Currently have SIX MaxiJet 1200s with Hydor flows on them. I REALLY want to get some (if not all of these) out of my tank.

Do you guys think two of the K4s would be enough for my tank? And where would be the optimal placement for them? My tank is a 6' long rectangular tank.

Thanks!

I was in the same boat as you, but mine is a 6' long 125gal.
I put one Koralia 4 on each end of the tank facing each other and removed all the other powerheads.

These things are awesome.
Even with six powerheads I still had a few dead spots in my tank, but now with just 2 of these Hydors I've got way more flow than before and better yet, I can't find one dead spot in my tank now.
(I've got a plague of xenia all over the tank so it's real easy to see a dead spot if there's one.)

One really cool thing about these pumps that's different is the direction of the flow.
These things spit out the flow in a really wide, random cone pattern instead of a jet like most powerheads.
Because of the random pattern, some areas get low-med flow in my tank and other areas have med-high flow.
If you have all high flow demanding sps in your 150 then I would probably go with four of the #4s instead of two.

You can see a little of the surface turbulence on my 125 in this video:



For the price these things can't be beat.
Less $$$ (and work) than doing the MJmod, looks way more stylish, awesome flow, and I love the combination suction cup/magnet.
I will definitely be using them on all my tanks in the future.

As for the recall, I spoke to Frank Moore today, the USA Hydor rep, and he told me that Hydor hasn't given the specific reason yet for the recall or that it was limited to certain BOB numbers like an earlier post.

We all know how rumors travel on the web, so I won't add to all the speculation and stories.
All I know is that Hydor is recalling all #2 and #3 Koralias and replacing them.
It was also a real pleasure talking with Mr. Moore and it's very clear to me that they're handling this in as quick and professional manner as possible.
I've got two of the #3s that I'm sending back and I'll give an update here when I receive the replacements.

The contact info for the Hydor USA rep. and the return address for the pumps is as follows:

Frank Moore
Hydor USA
1-866-493-6787
Email: fmoore @ hydor . com

Hydor USA
4147 Northgate Blvd.
Sacremento, CA 95834

 

[AZDesertRat]

6 MJ 1200s has got to create a tremendous amount of heat, they are power hogs. Two or even three Koralias will draw just a little more than one MJ. The Koralia is rated at 8.5 watts but I tested both of mine and they both register 12 watts on a Kill A Watt meter, even so 36 watts and 3600 GPH flow is better than the MJs at 120 watts and only 1770 GPH. Thats 100 gallons per 1 watt for the Koralias and only 14.75 gallons per watt for the Maxijets. Thats not even including the flow loss the Flo's cause on the MJs so its even less water per watt really.
Quite a difference!

 

[dhnguyen]

OR.... You can mod the MJ1200's and only have 2 of them in the tank each pushing 2000+ gph.

I have 2 MJ1200 mods in my 55g tank now and the entire tank is like a pot of boiling water

 

[johnlewis]

loyalrogue

That's 2 4's on a 72" x 18" x 30" tank? Holy Sheep, how is the flow near the bottom I would like to see that. They are close to the surface but I could see some waving below them.

 

[PuffersKick]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9438605#post9438605 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by loyalrogue
I was in the same boat as you, but mine is a 6' long 125gal.
I put one Koralia 4 on each end of the tank facing each other and removed all the other powerheads.

These things are awesome.
Even with six powerheads I still had a few dead spots in my tank, but now with just 2 of these Hydors I've got way more flow than before and better yet, I can't find one dead spot in my tank now.
(I've got a plague of xenia all over the tank so it's real easy to see a dead spot if there's one.)

One really cool thing about these pumps that's different is the direction of the flow.
These things spit out the flow in a really wide, random cone pattern instead of a jet like most powerheads.
Because of the random pattern, some areas get low-med flow in my tank and other areas have med-high flow.
If you have all high flow demanding sps in your 150 then I would probably go with four of the #4s instead of two.

You can see a little of the surface turbulence on my 125 in this video:

Awesome! I think I'll go get two K4s and see from there.

How far down did you put them on the sides of your tank? Mine is about 24" high. I'm assuming about half way?

 

[KyleO]

Guienea pig here........

I have had the new Hydor Koralia 1200s in my tank for about a week now and love them! I am using the Red Sea wavemaker and the flow is outstanding. My 210 has perked up tremendously.

I had 4 MJ 1200s and even tried the MJ Mod with a few working and some breaking......

For the same price as buying a MJ 1200 and a mod kit buying the Koralias are the way to go (in my opinion).

The only drawback in the start up noise of the pump correcting itself when it starts up backward (being that it is on A/C). It does not take too long to tune that out especially when your coral and polyps are changing before your eyes!

 

[loyalrogue]

How far down did you put them on the sides of your tank? Mine is about 24" high. I'm assuming about half way?

how is the flow near the bottom I would like to see that. They are close to the surface but I could see some waving below them.

I only put mine about a third of the way down.
The high flow areas reach the bottom of the tank with no problem.
If I put them any lower it would probably make a sandstorm.
The split second of waving xenia and BTA at the end of the clip isn't coming from the pump on the vid.
If you'll notice the direction they're waving, that flow is actually coming from the Koralia 6' away at the opposite end of the tank.

Because of the way the flow comes off these things it seems that there are two or three strong streams that come out of them at a 45 degree angle instead of one stream at 90 degrees like a regular powerhead.
As I rotate it on it's axis I can see the areas of high to low flow.
So not only can you point it using the ball joint, but you can also direct the heavy areas of the flow by rotating it on it's axis.

Unfortunately the lens motor on my Canon S2 IS took a crap on me right after I made that last video or else I would make another vid instead of trying to explain what I'm seeing.
Now I'm gonna be without my camera for over a week and it's going to cost a minimum of $127 cause it's a couple of months out of the 1yr warranty.

 

[loyalrogue]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9439771#post9439771 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by KyleO
The only drawback in the start up noise of the pump correcting itself when it starts up backward (being that it is on A/C).

I remember reading in one of the threads that Hydor doesn't recommend putting them on start/stop wavemakers.
They did say that they would work fine on controllers that lower and raise the voltage instead.
I'd search the original thread out for you, but RC disables the search function most of the time on us non-premium members.

 

[AZDesertRat]

I replaced a Seio 1100 and 820 with two Koralia 4s and the difference is amazing.

 

[benray4fun]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9439917#post9439917 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by loyalrogue
I remember reading in one of the threads that Hydor doesn't recommend putting them on start/stop wavemakers.
They did say that they would work fine on controllers that lower and raise the voltage instead.
I'd search the original thread out for you, but RC disables the search function most of the time on us non-premium members.

What controllers are recommended?...btw, nice video. Take another one when you get a chance of the entire front display, it looked good...

 

[oxbeard]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9443515#post9443515 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by benray4fun
What controllers are recommended?...btw, nice video. Take another one when you get a chance of the entire front display, it looked good...

I emailed Hydro the other day and basically they said they were not designed for constant stop/start use. Did mention that a timer to turn them off and on at large intervals would be okay. I wanted to hook them up to my Red Sea wavemaker but now I'm not going to risk it.

Got my K1 today, K2 still backordered, going to try it on the same timer as my actinics so there will be calmer water at night.

Have to admit though that I've got to change my way of thinking on these. Decided to go with K1 and K2 because I was afraid of blasting stuff out of my 75 with the larger ones. I'm replacing MJ1200s and judging from the K1, I think I would be safe with at least K3 and will probably end up ordering more. These things are awesome!!!!

They definitely move a lot of water, but like everyone else has said it's widely dispersed. Great circulation, but nothing is getting hammered with a flow.

 

[benray4fun]

Ox,
I'm referring to the controllers that operate by voltage change. I would like to know the name of the unit or manufacturer so I can get my hands on one.

 

[KyleO]

Here is the controller everybody has been talking about for the Koralias.....

Taam Seio Electronic Controller

Although this particular manufacturer states very clearly that this controller is only to be used with 3 different models of their Seio pumps, this thread is full of people that at running it with the Koralias.

I just ordered my Seio controller today.....

Hope that helps

 

[barjam]

Anyone else getting shocked by yours pumps? I pulled my two's out and will wait for Hydor to get the new batch out. I suspect that was the reason they were recalled.

I doubt most people with these pumps would get shocked but my tank is in an unfinished part of the basement (in wall) and I touch the concrete when working on the tank. I measured 8-9v ac which is enough, apparently, to give a bit of a jolt. Without the pumps I measure 0-1vac.

 

[jbittner]

I thought everyone would use GFCI's?? Guess not. I would not stick my hand in my tank if it was not connected to the gfci.

 

[Snarkys]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9451361#post9451361 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jbittner
I thought everyone would use GFCI's?? Guess not. I would not stick my hand in my tank if it was not connected to the gfci.

Some people don't use GFI's , if something causes them to trigger while you are not around it could be very bad .

 

[barjam]

I have a GFI. The shock I got was below the tripping threshold, apparently. I believe it is sometimes referred to as "stray voltage".

Some people don't use GFI's

GFI's are a MUST have. I saw a post the other day here where a guy had 10 GFI's on his system (big I assume) and no one GFI could take his system completely out. I intend to add another GFI and put my in tank powerheads on it. I figure circulation would be my top priority in a 3-4 hour overnight power outage.

 

[oxbeard]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9452404#post9452404 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by barjam

GFI's are a MUST have. I saw a post the other day here where a guy had 10 GFI's on his system (big I assume) and no one GFI could take his system completely out. I intend to add another GFI and put my in tank powerheads on it. I figure circulation would be my top priority in a 3-4 hour overnight power outage.

I'm no expect on this but if your tank outlets are all connected in a series with the GFCI being the first outlet or all of your power strips are plugged into these same outlets, then once the GFCI is tripped the entire circuit after the GFCI loses power.

I hadn't really thought about it until I saw someone's setup like you are talking about. You can several individual GFCI circuits I believe the term would be 'in parallel' that way you can divide your aquarium lifesupport among the diffierent circuits and if one GFCI trips the other circuits will remain unaffected. Unless of course in the freak event of all of them tripping. Will seriously consider going to that extra expense on my next setup.


Anyway, I believe this thread was about Koralias and I obviously got sidetracked :eek1:

On topic though, I'm ordering more where I will end up with a K4, K3, and K2 in my 75, and move my current K1 into my 20L

 

[jbittner]

I have 8 individual GFCI all independant of each other. This way if one trips it is only taking one other thing with it. Guess this is my bonus for having an electrician as a step dad

 

[Noise]

123fish.net is apparently sold out of these pumps too. Trying to figure out the status of my order.