Not happy with wave

[AGGJSW]

I installed two external waveboxes using two of the Wavebox Extensions 6215.50s. They are attached to the back of the aquarium (76"x30"x30") approximately 7" from the sides. I'm running the 7092 controller. I set the controller to inverse and am using the 24v jumper. Is this the best jumper for this set up? I've advanced the autoset to approx 1.00 This is not creating a wave at all on the surface but is creating a back-n-forth motion about 12" to 18" from the bottom; swaying back-n-forth a 1/2" or so. The top 12" is turbulent with no real "˜wave type' motion (I think this is the exhaust from the exhaling water). Advice?

I've also heard that I may not get a wave running the length of the tank since the boxes are installed on the back of the tank. So I put two 90* 2"-elbows on the Tunze 6215.50s pointing towards each other. Good idea or not so much? I can get an ~1" rocking wave (opposite corners of the tank) at the surface but there doesn't seem to be much water movement, if any at all, lower in the tank. Advice? BTW - there doesn't seem to be much of a difference with or without the two 90* elbows.

Summation:
I get a rocking wave that moves the top 12" of water or no wave at the surface but a swaying action lower in the tank. Thoughts?

 

[Craig Borowski]

Using the 24V jumpers and setting the controller to Inverse are both correct. And you can remove the 2 90-degree elbows; it's very unlikely they will help.

You mentioned the boxes are 7" in from the sides. How far down are they?

I've advanced the autoset to approx 1.00

Have you tried using the Auto Adjust function? (Page 23 of the manual.)To use this hold down the Auto Adjust button for two seconds until the light starts flashing. Release the button and carefully observe the tank for several minutes. The controller will now automatically advance through increasing timings. Starting with .3 seconds it will increase that by .01 every three seconds until it reaches the maximum (2 seconds). Once you feel the timing is close to ideal, you can press the Auto Adjust button to take it out of automatic mode. From there you use the + and - buttons to fine tune the wave.

 

[rvitko]

1) Boxes must be on the sides directed down the tanks length to really work, there is no other way to get a good result. Back wall is very unlikely to be worth trying and if it were to work at all they would have to be all the way to the ends.

2) Box must be able to take in air, if the water level does not drop when the pump is on in the box, it won't work very well.

3) Inverse should only be used if one is on each side, if both are on the same side of the tank you must use sychronous

4) Timing is everything, until you get the time dead on, you will have random gibberish and not a wave. Between .30- and 2.00 in .01 second increments you will find the one time that makes a wave, it is not up to you what time you want, it is finding the one that makes a wave. This is resonance frequency and for each tank there is only one precise time that works. In general on a 6.5ft tank you are likely going to see a wave close to .80 seconds but rock work and width all play a role so .60-1.10 is the likely range. Again, unless you can position these aimed down the 76" length, I don't see it working.

 

[AGGJSW]

Thanks guys!
I built the external boxes the same size as the regular Tunze Wavebox (4.5"x4.9"x11.8") but rather than being on the inside of the aquarium they're mounted externally on the back, pointed forward. One on each end on the back panel approx. 7" from the side panels to the dead center of the 6215.50s. They're approx. 1" out of the water. They draw air. I've used the Auto Adjust function and found the best wave at approx. 1.00 using the "-" & "+" buttons to fine tune. Unfortunately, I could not have mounted them on the ends since the sides are tempered glass (the back is not). I did not want them inside the tank; I’m wanting an equipment free display. I let the wave run all night last night... this morning I noticed I was getting an approx. 1/2" wave on the surface and the back-n-forth motion closer to the bottom was approx. 1/2" as well. I don't know if that's as good as it gets. If it is, then I can live with that but would like a bigger wave if possible. I want to exhaust all my options before giving up and going with what I get. Maybe changing from inverse to synchronous may changes things...??? But wouldn’t that create a wave from back to front? Explain more, please.

 

[rvitko]

Synchronous would be more likely to produce a front to back wave, if there is anyway to move them so they are all the way to the corner and not 7" in, using inverse you can likely get a bigger side to side wave.

If you get a nice linear wave, should look just like a see saw, very smooth, the water should move throughout the tank, but it will be the least in the bottom center and the movement is back and forth so it is not very visible unless there is something you can see swaying back and forth at that point in the tank

 

[AGGJSW]

Thanks Roger. I do have some 'floaters' suspending at different levels in the tank so I can see the wave motion. There is no way to move the external waveboxes since the hole is already drilled and I can't fit a new hole between the existing one and the corner. What if I was to plumb the intake/output from the 6215.50s with 2" plumbing around the corner and exhaust/intake in the middle of the side panels? A plumbing extension if you will...

 

[rvitko]

The elbow has a huge cost on the pumps performance, prop pumps don't generate much pressure and even the 1ft of head pressure an elbow typically generates is a lot. I would just try to work with the timing and get the best you can, it is not ideal but some degree of wave should be possible.

 

[AGGJSW]

Thank you Roger. Very much appreciated!!!