Tunzi vs Jebao vs gyre vs ?

[BrokenSpoke]

Getting back into it and way too many choices for flow. I'm setting up a standard 75 as a mixed reef, LPS and softies only, and need decent flow but hell, way too many choices.

What are people using in similar tanks that minimize dead spots? The Maxspect Gyre looks interesting but it's also fairly new on the market and the reverse flow seems weak which makes me think it needs to be supplemented with a powerhead.

Please, no EcoTechs, I can't justify spending $200+ on a single powerhead.

 

[ClownsRCoo]

If you can't afford a Vortech than you probably won't be able to afford a gyre or tunze so looks like jebao is for you.

 

[BrokenSpoke]

The reason I ruled out Vortech is that I would want 2, one on each side of the tank which sets me back $400+. The Maxspect gyre is about $220 for the 130 model, Tunzes 6040's run about $100 each so they also fit my budget as well as the Jebao RW-8 and RW-15's.

My question is more about what people with a similar tank are using.

 

[ClownsRCoo]

Tunzi vs Jebao vs gyre vs ?

I've got a 90 and running (2) MP-40s and a gyre 150. I prefer the vortechs to the gyre.

The reason is the gyre doesn't seem to be made as well. It's got the new style motor that has the "fixed" cord issue but the cord is still cracking on it. Stupid design putting the power cord coming straight out the back and having to make a 90 degree turn in about 1/2" space. If it would come off the motor at a 45 degree to the glass then problem solved. Flow on it is nice but not the build quality.

I first started with jebaos and hated them. Decided to sell them after 5 min in my tank when bought brand new. The guy that bought them later reported the power supply caught on fire . Luckily he was home. I don't trust cheap chinese electronics, especially in a humid environment like an aquarium.

 

[shifty51008]

I run 2 tunze 6000's in my 75 gal and they do great they are around 10 years old but that should tell you the quality of them. I also had the jebao's and went back to the tunze's, didnt care to clean them every couple of weeks. If i didnt clean them the flow would go down to nothing.

 

[Bent]

If you can't afford a Vortech than you probably won't be able to afford a gyre or tunze so looks like jebao is for you.

He didn't say he couldn't afford it, just that he couldn't justify the price. Neither can I for that matter, nor the gyre. Those companies just have their prices way too inflated IMO.

Anyway, to the OP:

Just wait dude. Jebao is coming out with a gyre pump soon. Hopefully after that the JB wave will be programmed to use them and you can use it with their gyre pumps.

The RWs plus the JBwave is a very powerful and versatile combo. If you didn't want to wait on them to release the gyre pump, I would get two RW-20s and the JBwave.

Edit:
But as shifty says, you do have to clean them. I clean mine once a month with vinegar. It's super easy to do though and ideally you should be cleaning any piece of equipment like that at least once a month as part of your routine anyway. Clean tools work better than dirty ones.

 

[Bent]

I've got a 90 and running (2) MP-40s and a gyre 150. I prefer the vortechs to the gyre.

The reason is the gyre doesn't seem to be made as well. It's got the new style motor that has the "fixed" cord issue but the cord is still cracking on it. Stupid design putting the power cord coming straight out the back and having to make a 90 degree turn in about 1/2" space. If it would come off the motor at a 45 degree to the glass then problem solved. Flow on it is nice but not the build quality.

I first started with jebaos and hated them. Decided to sell them after 5 min in my tank when bought brand new. The guy that bought them later reported the power supply caught on fire . Luckily he was home. I don't trust cheap chinese electronics, especially in a humid environment like an aquarium.

You do realize that all these components are actually made overseas to the lowest bidder don't you? Most of them in the same identical factories.

I have two RW-15s in my 55 gallon and I can slosh the water out of it if I wanted to. Here's a video of two 15s running with the JBwave on alternating pulses at 100% on a 0.1 sec cycle time:

http://youtu.be/7I0hRUgp1bY

If I put both of these in sync at .06 sec cycle time, the standing wave will slosh water over the side of the tank on both sides.

 

[seamonster124]

He didn't say he couldn't afford it, just that he couldn't justify the price. Neither can I for that matter, nor the gyre. Those companies just have their prices way too inflated IMO.

Exactly.

Get the Jebao RW-something you'll be happy. There is a longevity poll on those somewhere on RC if you can fish it out.

 

[eddiereefs]

Rw are great. Very powerfull and cheap

 

[ClownsRCoo]

I didn't mean the "can't afford" comment as an insult. I meant that the gyre is going to be $200+ and most tunzes are priced around the vortechs too which he said he won't spend.

Yes I do realize that some components are made in China for all of them. Hold a vortech controller next to a jebao and tell me they are the same build quality. Actually hold any part of a jebao next to a similar part of a vortech. There will be no comparison of the quality of every single component there. Decent things can come out of China. But they won't be using any of them in their pumps. Not with a price of $50 or whatever they run nowadays. You get what you pay for with most things in this hobby. A tank is a tank too. It's all silicone and glass. Probably the exact same material too but a Marineland is no reefsavvy.

 

[slief]

You do realize that all these components are actually made overseas to the lowest bidder don't you? Most of them in the same identical factories.

I have two RW-15s in my 55 gallon and I can slosh the water out of it if I wanted to. Here's a video of two 15s running with the JBwave on alternating pulses at 100% on a 0.1 sec cycle time:

http://youtu.be/7I0hRUgp1bY

If I put both of these in sync at .06 sec cycle time, the standing wave will slosh water over the side of the tank on both sides.

You're right. All these are made overseas.. The Tunze's are made in Germany and will last 10x longer than a Jebao or the Gyre for that matter. Considering I run Tunze's and have been beating the hell out of them for over 5 years on/off from 0-100% every 4 tents of a second and haven't cleaned them for years, I'd say they are worth every penny. They are damn near bullet proof power heads and are by far the most reliable pumps on the market. Period.

I don't like replacing my aquarium equipment. I will pay more for that kind of peace of mind. I've been doing that for over 20 years and to date, I have never had a pump fail. Before that, I bought based on price and I was riddled with failures and problems. Betweem two tanks and 5 tunze's they work like a dream. By buddy Jim uses and sells Jebao's and in a year, they have about a 50-60% failure rate. More than half of the pumps he sold have failed. Screw that. My tank and my tanks inhabitants are worth too much to me to cheap out on key equipment and my flow is pretty darn important. Tunze also has great service and support and a nice long warranty to backup a great product.

As for the Gyre, they are poorly made in my opinion. You look at them wrong and they break when being assmebled or dissasembled. Most that use them and have taken them apart to service them say the same thing. There have also been issues where the power cords enter the motor are cracking.

The Vortechs are great pumps backed with great service and support. I just happen to prefer Tunze's for my application.

OP.. Best advice I can give you is that if you spend more now, you will save time and money in the long run and also save yourself from the inevitable headaches of replacing shoddy equipment prematurely. With pumps and most other equipment in this hobby you do infact get what you pay for.

 

[seamonster124]

You sell this stuff slief?

 

[slief]

You sell this stuff slief?

Nope.. But dealers like Premium Aquatics, Marine Depot and Aquarium Specialties does.

 

[Bent]

I didn't mean the "can't afford" comment as an insult. I meant that the gyre is going to be $200+ and most tunzes are priced around the vortechs too which he said he won't spend.

Yes I do realize that some components are made in China for all of them. Hold a vortech controller next to a jebao and tell me they are the same build quality. Actually hold any part of a jebao next to a similar part of a vortech. There will be no comparison of the quality of every single component there. Decent things can come out of China. But they won't be using any of them in their pumps. Not with a price of $50 or whatever they run nowadays. You get what you pay for with most things in this hobby. A tank is a tank too. It's all silicone and glass. Probably the exact same material too but a Marineland is no reefsavvy.

Didn't take it as you insulting him. No big deal, I was just clarifying what I thought was a misunderstanding.

But I still disagree. I have in fact held the jebaos next to the big names, i can't tell much difference other than design differences. They all look like plastic fans to me with a standard magnetic motor and impeller that has been used for decades. Nothing surprised me from an engineering standpoint when I broke open all 3 (tunze, jebao, and vortec). The difference was so intangible to me that it's what made me shelf the other two. (I've yet to touch a gyre yet).

The "get what you pay for" mantra I don't think is applicable anymore, to anything. I know people with high end vehicles who have had problems, I myself had it out with Gibson at one point over a piece of crap guitar that was 4,000 dollars that wouldn't keep a tune and I could never intonate it, I had a Mesa boogie amp that constantly blew tubes, I actually just got back a 3k dollar gun that I had to ship back because of failures to feed, hell even my expensive couch is falling apart. I can honestly say the only things high end I've ever bought that I've been pleased with has been a Parker night fly, a DSA FAL, and my wife's Acura. Everything else has been a giant piece of junk.

Maybe it's just me. But it would be my luck that I would drop 400-500 bucks on two vortecs and they would quit working the next day.

 

[slief]

Didn't take it as you insulting him. No big deal, I was just clarifying what I thought was a misunderstanding.

But I still disagree. I have in fact held the jebaos next to the big names, i can't tell much difference other than design differences. They all look like plastic fans to me with a standard magnetic motor and impeller that has been used for decades. Nothing surprised me from an engineering standpoint when I broke open all 3 (tunze, jebao, and vortec). The difference was so intangible to me that it's what made me shelf the other two. (I've yet to touch a gyre yet).

The "get what you pay for" mantra I don't think is applicable anymore, to anything. I know people with high end vehicles who have had problems, I myself had it out with Gibson at one point over a piece of crap guitar that was 4,000 dollars that wouldn't keep a tune and I could never intonate it, I had a Mesa boogie amp that constantly blew tubes, I actually just got back a 3k dollar gun that I had to ship back because of failures to feed, hell even my expensive couch is falling apart. I can honestly say the only things high end I've ever bought that I've been pleased with has been a Parker night fly, a DSA FAL, and my wife's Acura. Everything else has been a giant piece of junk.

Maybe it's just me. But it would be my luck that I would drop 400-500 bucks on two vortecs and they would quit working the next day.

OK.. Now I am going to call you out on something. You say have have held the Jebao's next to the "big names"?? The impellers look the same? Please, you are either not comparing apples to apples or you're not being honest!!!!!! That couldn't be further from the truth! I have held both the Jebao's and the Tunze's side by side and the Tunze's weigh twice as much because they are MUCH more robust. Don't make me pull my spare Tunze's out of my shed and head to LA Fish Guy Jim Stimes tomorrow to weigh up the Tunze's and the Jebao's just to prove a point.I have 6045's, 6095's 6105's and 6205's to compare to and he has a pile of Jebao's.. I've tanken the Jebao's apart and their impellers are like toys compared to the Tunze's. On the outside they resemble a Tunze but that is as far as it goes. Don't make me show the differences between the impellers as well. The Jebao impellers are a much smaller and weigh about 1/3 of the weight compared to the Tunze's because they are cheap impellers going into weak blocks that couldn't spin a heavy impeller. This is exactly wny everybody says the Jebao's need to be cleaned more often. Same can be said about the Jebao's vs the Ecotech's. The Ecotechs are twice the weight and are much more robust.

Again, there is a reason why everybody that owns the Jebaos say they need to be cleaned often. It's becauase their motors ARE weak! Plain and simple. They are weak and if you don't clean them often, they stall. You do get what you pay for with most things in this hobby. Jebaos are cheap and widely regared as disposable. If disposable equipment in your tank doesn't quanity if as getting what you pay for it so be it but for me, I will pay more for quilaity equipment that IS built to last. The general attitude of Jebao owners is that they don't care if they need to be replaced every year. They are disposable and that's OK to some. Their failure rate is rediculous. 50% in 12 months isn't a lie. It's fact. Sorry, but I have no dog in this fight. Justify cheap equipment all you want but I know people who sell these pumps personally, I have worked on enough of them myself and I've read the polls and read the threads. The numbers don't lie!

As for the get what you pay for mantra.. SMH.. When you have 5 years abuse on your Jebao's, then we can talk. I've had pumps run for over 10 years so I know what longevity is.

 

[moondoggy4]

I just bought a Tunze 6095 w/controller the new style for 160 bucks, I believe these were 260 without a controller last year. now 230.

Premium Aquatics is selling two old style 6055's with a 7092 controller for sub 225. Tunze and EcoTechs have both gone down in price good for us.

 

[slief]

The "get what you pay for" mantra I don't think is applicable anymore, to anything.

And just ask forum member MxReEfEr92 who happens to be my neighbor what happened to his Jebao WP!!! The impeller siezed up in the motor and the power supply burnt up and melted nearly buring down his house and impellers failing to spin are way too common with these pumps. So yea, you get what you pay for. Cheap and out risk a catostrophie. There is a long history here of these pumps failing prematurely and even some near fires as a result. If you don't believe me, just seach for Jebao here and read the threads. 2 out of 3 people speak of failures. Why?? Because they don't last! If you don't beleive me about the near fire, feel free to PM Cory (MxReEfEr92). I'm sure he will be more than happy to share his story.

 

[Bent]

I'm out of this thread.

I don't enjoy being passive aggressively called a liar.

 

[slief]

I'm out of this thread.

I don't enjoy being passive aggressively called a liar.

I'm am truly sorry. I should have responded a bit different and more in kind. I didn't mean to insinuate that you were lying and I can see how my response could be perceived as such. I'm not discounting your experience and I certainly didn't mean to offend you. You have been a long time member here and I respect your opinion and your contributions on this forum. Again, I am truly sorry for my tone and for singling you out.

My contention is that there is a difference beyond just the plastic and aesthetics. Just like there is a difference between Honda and Acura, Toyota vs Lexus, Chevy vs Cadillac, Nissan vs Infinity or Mercedes vs Maybach. While they all get you from point A to point B, when get behind the wheel or when you close the doors and feel the weight of the door or the thud of the door closing or take time to notice the interior, build or craftsmanship, the differences are very apparent.

In the case of these pumps, side my side, they may look the same or similar but when you pick them both up or take them apart, handle the components and closely inspect them, the differences in build quality become more apparent and that was my whole point. To that end, I would be happy to back my points up since I have immediate access to the Jebao's and have several Tunze's on hand. My neighbor also has a few Vortechs.

 

[C.Eymann]

+1 on TUNZE being the best built pumps on the market, plus Roger provides awesome customer service. Have a 10 year old 6101 that I am fully confident will run another 10 years.
I run 2 mp40s now and have my 6101 set aside for my cube project.

I am fully confident that I could leave my system for almost two weeks if I had some way to automatically feed my anthias frozen mysis, and I don't even own a controller, reason for that is because I bought equipment that is well made and proven.

This jebo craze cracks me up, so many units fail, it's kinda bad though to newcomers in the hobby because often they are steered towards these bargin heaps which fail and cause frustration in their new experience in the hobby.
LFSs need to start steering newcommers towards buying quality equipment, no wonder many just dabble in this hobby only to give it up in a year.