dan_from_nz Posted November 24, 2004 Report Share Posted November 24, 2004 I am a little confused about all these, i understand (well mor like assume) they are all different systems for allowing a more natural random flow (not always in one direction like what you would get with having fixed power heads) what i dont understand is alot (the ones posted recently) seem bulky is there not a system that has an inlet (be it comming from the outlet on your closed loop or return pump on your sump) that then has a chamber with several different outlets that it switches between that then runs up to nice tidy smallish inlet holes that can be hidden in out of site, so the actual mechanical unit (the part that can go wrong) is seperate and can be accessed very easily? or is there something like this if so do most people have the bulky tunze strems for another reason or am i way off in my assumption? thanks daniel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted November 24, 2004 Report Share Posted November 24, 2004 that then has a chamber with several different outlets that it switches between that then runs up to nice tidy smallish inlet holes that can be hidden in out of site, so the actual mechanical unit (the part that can go wrong) is seperate and can be accessed very easily? Oceansmotion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pies Posted November 24, 2004 Report Share Posted November 24, 2004 Heya Dan As Ira said the Ocean Motion does a similar thing to what you suggested. Also the SCWD it just a special 'T' plumbing joint with gears. It switches between the left had T and right hand T every 15-20 seconds depending on flow. They are perfectly silent and require no power. I am running one on my 3 footer and it works out brilliantly and works exactly how they say. It is driven by an Ehiem 1262 and is connected to my SUMP return. The Sea Swirl is an 'up and over' mechnical piece of plumbing. It swings the return nozzle back and forth accross a 90 degree arc. They can also be used on closed loops but have to be exteral of the tank, all you see in the tank is the L shaped elbow the returns water. These units require power, are perfectly silent. Personally I think the Sea Swirl are a MUST HAVE, they provide far more realistic water patterens and generate true randomenss. However they will probably not be enough and will need additional suplimentation from other sources. TUNZE STREAMS - These are just big powerheads. They are big and ugly and hard to hide. The are also obscencly expensive, with the pumps costing well over $500ea and the controller close to that (and thats at a major discounted price). The reason people use them is they produce a wide flow (called lamaner flow) which is good for corals where a pump sends a more forcefull narrow 'beam' of water. They also (the 6100, most common model) move 12000 litres of water an hr! this is the same as 4x Ehiem 1262 pumps, but the consume less power than a single 1262! This is why they are so popular, a great unit and the best way to give the tank MEGA circulation. Typically people use a combination of seveal different methods (I am using STREAMS x3 and Sea Swirl x2 + Ehiem 1262 x3). Hope that helps. Pie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan_from_nz Posted November 25, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 25, 2004 cheers a real help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brianemone Posted November 25, 2004 Report Share Posted November 25, 2004 anyone have a scwd that theyd like to sell?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimera Posted November 25, 2004 Report Share Posted November 25, 2004 yeah possibly. i got two (one brand new unused and one 2nd hand) and not sure if i will use either. if you're not in a hurry for one, possibly once the OM come over here or i get my closed loops sorted some other way. will sell the 2nd hand one for $100 and brand new one for $120. seems to be the going rate for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brianemone Posted November 25, 2004 Report Share Posted November 25, 2004 how mush are they new?? no rush Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeBlog Posted November 25, 2004 Report Share Posted November 25, 2004 For those that are fairly DIY savvy and interested in Sea Swirls or Streams, but put off by the retail prices, RC has some pretty detailed threads on how to make these on your own. I have personally made the Streams (not as sweet as I would have liked, but then again only ~$50 including the pump and they can still push a hell of a lot of water, i.e. over the side of the tank!!! ). From what I've read, the DIY Sea Swirls look and perform exactly the same as the retail version (given that you can find the right motor), but a bit involved to build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pies Posted November 25, 2004 Report Share Posted November 25, 2004 Yeah i'd love to see someone try and build a DIY Sea Swirl. They are great units but can't be too hard to make? Still I got my 2 for a sweet price anyway but they are well worth the investment IMO. Streams are OBSCENE for their price. But to be able to control the flow from 30%-100% thought the contoller is something you can't do with the DIY joobies, but you could always switch them on and off. JoeBlog, got some pics of your DIY Streams? Love to see em, what pump did you use. My biggest complaint about the Streams is the difficulty in hiding them. You can buy a foux rock to put them in, but its like $100.00NZ or more!!! TUNZE stuff is soooooooooooooooooo expenive. Piemania Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeBlog Posted December 3, 2004 Report Share Posted December 3, 2004 Well Pies, here's a picture of the latest version of the DIY Stream. I was originally using some cheap Regent power heads and got a pretty decent push. A very cheap option at < $50 including new pump. I was fairly happy with that, but had this Extrema lying around and thought that the extra power (and thus larger propellers: two in a cork screw alignment) would really do the trick. Wow, much better!! I now have a problem with my sand blowing all over the place and occasional splashing over the side. :-? http://www.snapfish.com/slideshow/AlbumID=17429377/PictureID=380300998/t_=17428912 Don’t get me wrong. I in no way suggest that these are the perfect replacement for Streams since it is a real downer not having the controller and I highly doubt that these things push 12000 L/h. Also, I can’t seem to get them to start up again if the power goes out, i.e. the props just jerk around inside until you slightly raise them out of the water. Also, there is only a 50/50 chance of it going the right direction upon startup. On one of the first attempts, I had my wife plug it in under the tank and unfortunately it started up in reverse and A LOT of water blew back out of the tank on to her back side. That wasn’t one of my better moments!!! I'm starting to stock up some Acros and thus needed the extra flow NOW. So, this setup will work for me until I can get my hands on the OM 4-way. If I didn’t have the extra Extrema lying around, I would have never gone this route since the pumps are rather dear and I might as well bite the bullet at that stage and get the real deal with all the perks that come along with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lduncan Posted December 3, 2004 Report Share Posted December 3, 2004 Also, there is only a 50/50 chance of it going the right direction upon startup. On one of the first attempts, I had my wife plug it in under the tank and unfortunately it started up in reverse and A LOT of water blew back out of the tank on to her back side. That wasn’t one of my better moments!!! Yeah, the Streams (and some other pumps) have a directional brake on the rotor to ensure that they spin the right way when power is applied. If you try and manually spin the propeller the opposite direction, it will travel a small rotation and the stop dead when the brake engages. Cleaver and cheap solution to what otherwise would have to be solved by using a DC motor instead of an AC one. BTW we don't seem to be able to access that pic, it asks you to login. I think if you get the OM and put a big pump on it, you should have enough flow... for now. Layton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeBlog Posted December 3, 2004 Report Share Posted December 3, 2004 Sorry about the problem with the picture. I followed the instructions under the technical forum, but it obviously didn't seem to work out so well. Here is another attempt with a different image hosting and sharing website (www.dotphoto.com) http://www.dotphoto.com/SAN1/CA/45/3D/iCA453DAB-25AF-4B43-A781-2CD2EDE617D3.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted December 3, 2004 Report Share Posted December 3, 2004 On one of the first attempts, I had my wife plug it in under the tank and unfortunately it started up in reverse and A LOT of water blew back out of the tank on to her back side. Started in reverse meaning that you turned the powerhead around intentionally, right? hehee, I probably would have done that tooo.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimera Posted December 4, 2004 Report Share Posted December 4, 2004 got any direct links to DIY streams? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeBlog Posted December 4, 2004 Report Share Posted December 4, 2004 got any direct links to DIY streams? http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=253928&highlight=stream Here is the link to the DIY Sea Swirl: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=417003&highlight=sea+swirl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeBlog Posted December 4, 2004 Report Share Posted December 4, 2004 Sorry I'm such an idiot on pictures up. :oops: Third time's a charm! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef Posted December 4, 2004 Report Share Posted December 4, 2004 Nothing beats the real thing The streams can pulse and be controlled. Not cheap ,but great water movers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pies Posted December 6, 2004 Report Share Posted December 6, 2004 Nothing beats the real thing And of course if you do want to buy 'the real thing' Reef will sell it to you. Reef have you checked out any of the DIY STREAMS? Nope? How do you know nothing beats the real thing? Bad for business to find out? Pie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lduncan Posted December 6, 2004 Report Share Posted December 6, 2004 To be fair Pies, there is a bit more to streams than just moving water. There is the ability to control them. But I do agree there is a massive premium on them, simply because they are made by Tunze. Layton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef Posted December 6, 2004 Report Share Posted December 6, 2004 And of course if you do want to buy 'the real thing' Reef will sell it to you. Get a life MARK. How do you know nothing beats the real thing? Bad for business to find out? Find me a link that has a diy stream that will pulse... ......... i thought so, you will never find it. Bad for businesss? what business ? selling a few streams is not a business . I think they call in a past time or hobby MARK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pies Posted December 6, 2004 Report Share Posted December 6, 2004 Get a life MARK. Why do you feel the need to insult me? Pie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeBlog Posted December 6, 2004 Report Share Posted December 6, 2004 I have actually spent quite a lot of time putting these things together and very happy with the amount of water movement I am getting from them, especially since I spent hardly anything for them (monetarily that is, probably way more than the cost of the Tunze counting my time, but I suppose that's the fun of DIY ). Having said that, I certainly don't think that they are a perfect substitute for the Streams (with controller) for the reasons that I have previously stated. In particular, I would really love to be able to shut these things off (or at least tame them down) for feeding, vary the output for greater wave simulation other than just massive turbulance, etc... Actually, the turbulance is quite a pain in the ass since there is a bit of splashing up on the lights, and have to clean them every other day. :evil: For the money, I am totally stoked!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fay Posted December 6, 2004 Report Share Posted December 6, 2004 Naughty boys not surposed to use real names. Anyway I'm splashing out on the real thing, did some checking and Reef is asking a fair price, picking up on Wednesday will up date on what I think of them. P.S. Frog had a fit at the price $1300.00 plus $60.00 for each magnet holder. That's for TS24"S=2 powerheads with controller. Up goes the overdraft again. To be fair Pies at least I had somewhere to buy them, I also think it's great to have a DIY alternative for choice. I used this with DIY Co2 for the freshwater, I would love to be able to afford the real thing for my freshwater plants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pies Posted December 6, 2004 Report Share Posted December 6, 2004 Alois Walloner - Stop editing your posts after I reply! None of that stuff was even there until after I replied! Ohhh its a hobby for me, its business for you mr "Deltec, when only the best will do". I take offence at being told to get a life, I dont think personal insults are allowed on this site, I don't insult you although now I am woundering why. If you want to insult me, give me a call and do it directly don't hide behind your keyboard. Get the thread back on track - Don't forget I am running streams, sold to me by you, after you had already used them and said they were no good. Its good to see you finally following my lead, taking my advice and using them. Pie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fay Posted December 6, 2004 Report Share Posted December 6, 2004 Naughty nnnnaughty boys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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