Mobile Bay Reef Keepers

Has anyone ever put a Seio pump on a wave maker or timer? I know the manufacturer says not to but they don't say why. I have 2 in my tank I would like to either get a wavemaker for them or put them on a timer. Doesn't Rich have a tank with 2 of these on some sort of timer? I've never looked to see what he has them set on. I know Seio has an electronic controller for thier pumps (but says they can only be used with 1100 or higher....I have 2 820's). But I don't want to go and spend $170 for it when I can get one cheaper from another brand.

The motor in them just seems to fail. It just can't handle the frequent on/off cycles--though the pumps may be able to handle much longer intervals, like a few hours or so. If you run one of the seios on a wavemaker, it will fail eventually and much sooner than it would normally.

What if I got a regular timer and set it to go on and off 2 or 3 times a day? Do you think that would hurt it?

Or is there another good strong brand (stronger than the Maxi-Jet) that I could put on a wavemaker?

GermanShepherdGirl wrote:What if I got a regular timer and set it to go on and off 2 or 3 times a day? Do you think that would hurt it?

Or is there another good strong brand (stronger than the Maxi-Jet) that I could put on a wavemaker?

I think you may be ok with the timer, so long as there is sufficient time in between. I don't know for sure though, since I only tried some on a natural wave maker and they broke down eventually. What I would do is keep them nice and clean to prevent startup chattering and freeze ups. That should help extend the life, too.

I have mine on a wave maker(can't remember what brand)...but it has a soft start on it and it has worked for me for 3 years+, I know at the old shop I ran some on the red sea one and it worked fine on that one too.

The prob with them is on the magnet assembly they have a small and I mean a small plastic tab that engauges the impeller when the magnet spins, so a frequent "hard start" will eventullay break the tab.

If you spread out the time on a regular timer, you may be ok...but only time will tell.

They do have a timer made by RIO for them...I think it is around $125.00?...prob your safest bet...I was thinking of trying some to see if they are all "that".

I got rid of my seio pumps because they would stick. Even brand new, if the power went off for a second, I would have to give them a spin by hand. Got two Tunzi's now and they work great.

Buzz

AQUAMAN wrote:I have mine on a wave maker(can't remember what brand)...but it has a soft start on it and it has worked for me for 3 years+".

If you think about it next time you're at the shop look and see what brand your is. Or I'll take a look or try to remember to ask next time I'm up there. And let me know when you get your next shipment in I'm always more likely to come up there when I know you have a new shipment of stuff.

I was thinking about getting a timer and at least get it to shut off at night and back on during the day. I have 4 maxi-jet 1200's and would like to get a wave maker for them...thinking of Red Sea or the JBJ Ocean Pulse Quadra (only since it's a little cheaper). I have one 820 Seio on the side of my aquarium opposite my overflow and one 820 seio behind my rocks to make sure there is enough waterflow back there to prevent detrius build up which I don't really need a timer/wavemaker for.

I've had one on a timer, that turns it on / off every 15 minutes for over a year, and never had a problem with it.

You can check out the "Super flow pump Electronic controller" made for them. I think its around 120-140 dollars, but never turns them off, just reduces the powerflow to control the output.