It uses a Stream but the secret is the physical prinicpals of resonance frequency. The box is only 2L in volume and it is all about timing. As a boy I learned that if I jumped up and down in the pool at just the right frequency I could create enormous waves- my small mass could influence a very large mass through perfect timing. If your timing is off nothing happens. The amplitude can be regulated and the waves set much smaller for effect this was set to maximum power in the video. Also, it does turn off for night mode when connected to a multicontroller or independently connected to it's own photocell. The user can control wave frequency and height and there should really be no limit to the possibilities but it will take some practice and ingenuity on the users part. The product was developed for professionals with the purpose of enabling the maintanence of many difficult species, it is very cool but it is definitely not for everybody as it is technically complex and certainly will require some patience and understanding for proper installation. There is no noticable flow or suction at the box itself, it is all a utilization of resonance. If you pull the plug the waves just slowly die down, no water sloshes out, once it is set it stays exactly as you have set it. Yes, it will make you sick if you stare at the water line, it happened to several of us and you have to focus on a reference the same as wheen you are at see to avoid this feeling. Ideally you would cover this with a canopy or melamine strip so the surfaace wave is not visible as this is not important to the effect.