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Game Changer Crossflow Water Movement Device Coming out from Maxspect.

Edwardw771

Edwardw771

NJRC Member
So far zero down side. The flow is spread so wide across the tank and it goes so far across the tank. It will replace the need for many power heads in large tanks. Two of these in a large tank would be enough. Your welcome to come by and see it. That is if you can't wait for the frag swap.
 
M

Mike S

Im not sure if this has been addressed yet but is it controllable with a 3rd party controller? If not does the cord to the controller have a plug or is it direct? If the former I'm sure someone will figure out how to rig something up if its DC.
 
JRWOHLER

JRWOHLER

What about energy use, thought I looked a little high in relationship to other powerheads? Does it generate much heat?
 
hans24hrs

hans24hrs

Alright guys I guess they will have to give me one to "test" on my tank. I know it is a sacrifice but I am willing to do it for you guys lol
 
JRWOHLER

JRWOHLER

I agree Mark they are pretty awesome, was good to see the pump in a reel reef tank that AO set up. Ethan did a pretty good sales job too.
 
hans24hrs

hans24hrs

I think there is a lot of upside to the gyre. Besides flow I like the fact that there is a very slim magnet on outside of tank (don't like wire inside). Also you can position it vertically or horizontally.

But I think I will wait till second generations come out. Hopefully then they will be apex controlable and have more flow options. I know they said there is a pulse mode but still like the options on Vortechs.
Also the suggested MSRP is very attractive. I was told the model on the display at swap was going to be around $300. That is great and also should make ecotech lower their price a little.
 
JRWOHLER

JRWOHLER

Ecotech had the sale and lowered prices already so your right. I was surprised that the darn things were so heavy very well built.
 
TanksNStuff

TanksNStuff

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
I took a good look at it in action at the Swap too. I think it has some positives and negatives when comparing to say a VorTech.

Positives:
- I do like the flow it provided and the fact that you can go horizontal or vertical. It seemed very strong and powerful enough to work on even long tanks.
- I thought it was well made and had a very strong magnet too. Quality materials are very important IMO.
- It had a few adjustments to vary the flow style/rate. They were manual twists on the cover of the unit, which required you to either take it out or put your hands in the tank, but still offered some variance in flow.

Negatives:
- I don't like the fact that the wire and the motor are inside the tank. Yea, other powerheads do too, but with a VorTech, the wire and motor are outside. This not only prevents any possible electrical shocks from damaged wires but it also keeps the heat out of the tank. Granted, the Gyre didn't appear to be very hot, but no heat is better than a little heat and no chance of shock is better than a small chance of shock.
- The sheer size of it compared to a VorTech is a negative. Although it is thin, it's about a foot long, whereas the VorTech is about a 3" diameter obstruction. It seemed more obstructive to the tank view to me... compared to the VorTech. If you put it on a back wall, this won't be an issue... but if you put it on a viewable side of a peninsula tank like mine, it can be an issue.
- Lack of control (at the moment) is one of the main things that would keep me from buying one. I've been spoiled by the wireless control of the VorTech and the ability to change my pump(s) mode, speed, and pulse interval. Coupled with my RA controller and Android app, I currently can put my VorTechs into any setting I desire, at any time, from anywhere I have an internet connection. If I'm away and I ask someone to feed my tank for me, I can just hit a button on my phone and put the tank in feeding mode. I can then also change it right over to nutrient export mode afterwards to help remove any leftover foods that didn't get eaten. Until Gyre has this capability, I don't think I would ever switch.
- Am a bit concerned about the "gyre" effect on the sand. From all the videos I saw, I got the impression that after continued use, the force on the sand at the opposite end of the pump would eventually whittle it away to nothing. I don't recall if there was sand in the tank at the Swap, but in all the videos, I noticed that the flow goes across the tank, down the opposite wall, and then back across the bottom/sand. While coming back, I noticed the sand particles were constantly moving away with the flow, almost ramping it up away from the glass. I guess this might be reduced/altered with a lower flow setting or perhaps running it vertically... but if not, it's a concern for me.
---- Side note on this one --- I think if you have 2 Gyre's facing each other, it would cause the downward flow to happen say mid-tank, likely over your rock work and then down/around your rocks and work it's way through all your corals on the way back to each pump. This could potentially be a very good system if you can create the crashing walls to happen over a non-sandy area!
- No battery backup option. Having a built-in port to connect a battery backup on the VorTech can literally be a lifesaver for someone who doesn't have a generator during a power outage. Sure, you could always buy a separate UPS for just about any piece of equipment and plug it into that. But then you lose controllability of that power port with your reef controller. Having a backup system integrated into the powerhead is definitely a plus IMO.

Although the negatives seem to outweigh the positives, the flow created by the Gyre is incredible and should not be taken lightly. If you want to compare overall raw performance, I think the Gyre wins hands down. But if you want to consider all the extras that make the VorTech technologically better (IMO) I think you have to consider what you would miss if you were to switch or choose the Gyre instead.
 
Daniel

Daniel

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
That was a very good review George. But time will tell with the Gyre.
Ed you do get what you paid for. So I would like to see long term use of the Gyre. Will it hold up in the long term. That has yet to be seen.
 
mrehfeld

mrehfeld

Officer Emeritus
You're right Dan but one thing is certain it's a paradigm shift in the power head market. I might go far as to say it could be a disruptive technology like the CD player was for cassettes.
 
kschweer

kschweer

Administrator
Staff member
Officer Emeritus
Moderator
Did not get to take a really close look at it, the booth was pretty packed every tine I walked by. What I did get to see looks promising. I'm looking to add some more flow to my tank so I'll have to try and get a better look at one of these. Anyone have any info on the sizes? Was the one at the swap the smallest the will be making?
 
jsantoli

jsantoli

The paperwork that was there had a very small clear one that looked like it could be nano size. Hopefully anyway. Is there a release date?
 
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