what is a good powerhead . . .

[Andrew]

need some advice (on a good coupla' powerheads) which brand(s) good, etc.

zoo-med aquatic makes one called the powersweep (rotating powerhead)
that claims is like a wave maker, these any good?

thanks in advance,
andrew

[captexas]

Andrew -
The Powersweep looks good, but don't waste your money on them. They are not very well made and the motor/gears inside quickly get clogged/jam up and you end up with a regular non-moving powerhead. Some will last awhile, but people have had them die in only a few days.

The best brands of powerheads out there are Aquarium Systems MaxiJet, Marineland Penguins, and some people have liked the Hagen Aqua Clears. If you took a survey, the MaxiJets would win easily. They also work well with wave makers.

Hope that helps.

[minimasterflash]

I have a pair of AquaGlobe micro pumps. They have been working great for the month that I have been using them. I have a nano tank and the Aquarium System Mini-404 pumps were a little to unsightly in such a small tank. These micro pumps have a the power transformer seperate from the pump as thus suposedly reduce tank heat. But they come in a 100, 200 and 300 gal/hr size and are probally 3/4" x 1" x 2". If you have a small tank I would reccomend this pump.

[minimasterflash]

^^

[RedDragon]

I would go with maxi jet there great power heads I have 1 1200 and 600 and 1 900 in my 120g tank work goog, and from what I hear every one seems to like them too

[Tim Marvin]

I have 4 of the zoomeds that I bought when they first came out. All of them are still running, but they stop moving in less than a day or two. Maybe they are better suited for fresh water. There are a lot better powerheads for cheaper. Maxijets have a pretty good reputation.

[Tim Marvin]

I've been running the same set-up for a while now, works great. Jim is also running wavemakers. See if Vinh has any on sale at his store.... :D .....

[Andrew]

thanks all :D ;

I'm not sure I want to spend the money (yet) on a wavemaker,
I could just use the maxijets w/out it until later?

[Tim Marvin]

Sure they are great little powerheads.

[Andrew]

I have one penguin already; Could I plug it into a wavemaker at some point, along with maxijets, or are maxijets specially made for use w/wavemaker?

A.K.

[RedDragon]

no you can use any kind it's just a plug, but you would want to use a strong power head pushing the wavmaker, thats like put new trans into an old car it's will move the gears, but why put it on something thats now as good as a mustang or some thing, ;)

[MikeP]

My opinions on powerheads:

Aquaclear - move a crapload of water but suck on a wavemaker and end up dying.

Rio - cheap, not good for wavemaker, have not personally had any problems but they have bad reputation.

Maxijet - best for use on wavemaker that are affordable.

Aquaglobe - great for small tanks but need to be cleaned frequently.

[Andrew]

thanks all