Gyre questions (Maxspect 350)

[TheStrangler]

Ahoy all, I've been terrified of Gyres since their inception. When they first hit the market I got the smallest jebao one and set it on the absolute lowest settings and used it in my 40 gallon tank for exactly 15 seconds before pulling it out and never using it again. Needless to say they were always too strong for my uses so that closed that and I never really learned what they could do.

Now, Im looking to get a gyre for a 48x36x20 150 gallon IM lagoon tank. The trauma of having 40 lbs of sand in the water column in a tank with fish and coral is telling me not to, but I cannot imagine that they're impossible to use in a tank of those dimensions. I thought ok I'll get one of the FX330 cloud edition but I have concerns about the glass thickness being too much for the FX330. Its rated for up to 15mm the same as the tank so if their magnets are particularly reliable and I'd be ok with the 330 let me know. Anyway, can the FX350 be dialed down to a reasonable flow rate? Can I just run one or do you need two on alternating sides of the tank? And do the cloud edition ones that can be controlled by app require the physical controller? I see they're sold as pump only but every setup video I find is a box of two plus the controller.

Thanks all, if you're gyre veterans please feel free to include anything you think is worth knowing, tips/tricks on placement, etc. If there's a generally better brand for gyre style pumps I'd be interested to know as well.

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

I run MP 40/10's plus a Fx330 on my 40 cube, a FX330 on my RS170 and I am going to run a FX330 on my 25 lagoon that I am setting up (same dimensions as the RS170 and 40g cube except for height).
Sorry you had such a bad experience with your first go around. But there is nothing like the laminar flow they produce. With the dimensions of that tank, I would almost start out with 4 pumps, two each side and run them in anti-sync.
You will need a controller for the pumps, whether it is a Maxspect one or a Hydros one. Maxspect sells the pumps with the controller and one or two pumps or just the pumps for ppl. that want to use Hydros or add on another pump to their existing system.
Setting them up is determined by you flow needs, how much if any coral and what type of coral you have. For example, in my SPS tank I run the pump near the surface but in my temperate tank (RS170) I run the pump vertical because I have macro algae.

 

[TheStrangler]

Agreed, I'd really like to run one. Being able to divert the flow in four different directions makes me hopeful I can avoid a mess this time. Thanks for letting me know how the controller works. I'm looking now at the hydros, it seems more future proof than a proprietary controller that's the same cost as a pump. I think I'll get two and run them at low power to to go alongside 2 mp40s

 

[Js.Aqua.Project]

Between turning the power down and using the diverters you should be fine, you can plug the controller in first without the gyre plugged in and set your programming. I've found that they almost always send them preset to come on at 100% which may explain your trauma and trepidation.

If you're still concerned about them being too powerful maybe try to track down a set of the 330s instead of 350s.

 

[jbrady429]

I'm running two 330s on a 40 gallon tank just fine. Just turn them down to 30% or so and use the flow diverters to spread it out a bit and you should be good.

 

[Treefer32]

I've got a 72" by 36" by 31" tall mixed reef.
I have 2 x MP 40s that push water from the back to the front. These are my "treadmills" for my tangs. They swim in front of the two MP40s every morning when the lights come on. They'll fight over who gets to be in front of the MP40s!

That said, I have 4 gyres. 2 FX350s on one side and 2 FX280s on the opposite side. I use the Hydros Wave Engine (that controls 4 devices) to manage them. I have a day and night routine. At night I set them to run around 30% or so, during the day they run at between 50 and 75%.

If I did it again I would go all FX 280s. The blades are larger and easier to clean. They also seem more durable as a pump, and I've had issues with the FX 350 motors jamming up. I've had very little to no issues with the 280s. I did go with the new orange gyre (can't remember the model) when one of my 2 350s died. It is similar size to the 350. Seems like a more realiable design. So far, I've cleaned once in the last year and continues to run like a champ.

I put all the gyres horizontally about 4" inches below the surface. 1. for gas exchange and 2. Most of my SPS /Acropora around around 7-8" below the surface. So, it creates that gentle flow cycle around the Acropora. I've got several that are growing like weeds.

The other advantage of having them nearer to the surface is cord... I don't like cords in the display. And It's bad enough they're visible the few inches they're in the display, but this minimizes how much cord is in the water.

Overall, the ups is gyres have a unique flow pattern that is critical to a reef in my opinion. They are a bit needy with efficiency being lost as algae slime builds up on the blades. I notice probably a 40-50% increase in power right after I clean the blades up. However, that probably only lasts a few weeks as the slime builds back up.

I don't think I could get the same growth or flow patterns without gyres.

 

[Mschmidt]

I have a 60x18x24 with a 350 and run it at 100% when I snow the tank. I want more power.

 

[TheStrangler]

Thanks for the advice. Yeah the invention of the diverters, adjustability, and such makes me a little more confident. I'm probably going to go with the hydros control. I've never used any hydros equipment but always a good time to learn. I'd still go with the 330s over the 350s if I thought the magnets would hold. I'll take a look at your recommendations as well Treefer.