Tunze Wavebox; worth the money?

[dpnshnks]

I'm thinking about picking one of these up for my 120 and haven't seen a lot of feedback on them. For the people lucky enough to own one, how are they! Any problems with reliability (yes, I know it's a Tunze and it was made in Germany )?

Any feedback on the Wavebox is much appreciated!

Eric

 

[S Hunter]

I think Delta has one, may want to drop him a PM

 

[delta]

Worth every penny. Never worry about dead spots again.
My only complaint is the space it takes up. But that is out weighed by the work it saves me.

 

[Calciumbuf]

Ranks right up there with lights and skimmer IMO, once you have owned one you'll never go without.

 

[NateHanson]

What's the wattage of this clever beast?

 

[dpnshnks]

Thanks for the feedback, sounds like a general thumbs way up. Greg, you mentioned that it saves you work. I'm curious, in what way? Any other benefits for the corals/fish that you guys noticed when dropping it in?

POWER CONSUMPTION in one cycle of 5W to 60W; about 30W on average.

Eric

 

[stevenp]

I don't own one, and I've never run one, but I've heard a couple complaints. One is that it causes added stress to the tank therefore shortening the life of it. The other is that watching it can make you dizzy, esp in a any tank shorter than 6' (I got the assumption that a 4', or even 5' tank, is too short for it to work well).

Again, I've never used one so I'm going on second hand information. I considered purchasing a wave box at one time but the above disadvantages steered me away from it.

Steve

 

[Liam]

Thanks for the feedback, sounds like a general thumbs way up. Greg, you mentioned that it saves you work. I'm curious, in what way? Any other benefits for the corals/fish that you guys noticed when dropping it in?

POWER CONSUMPTION in one cycle of 5W to 60W; about 30W on average.

Eric

i think it cuts down on accumulated detritus Eric.

 

[Liam]

i think if i set up a new tank someday i will go acrylic.I think i might need a couple of waveboxes

 

[delta]

I never have to turkey baste the rocks, no dead spots. Seems like a large
claim but I wouldn't have believed it if i hadn't experienced it myself.

As to it making you dizzy there are ways to deal with that.
You can make a double wave so you have 2 cresting waves.
Also just turn down the wave to create a nice gentle wave it is very relaxing. Then the night before you do a water change crank it up.

 

[dpnshnks]

Last question on this subject; any other opinions on the added stress the wavebox puts on the tank. I would really, REALLY, hate to come home to find 120 gallons of water on the floor if a seam busts!

Eric

 

[Liam]

Last question on this subject; any other opinions on the added stress the wavebox puts on the tank. I would really, REALLY, hate to come home to find 120 gallons of water on the floor if a seam busts!

Eric

i can't speak from experience but some folks claim it can reduce the lifespan of a glass tank.

 

[stevenp]

Last question on this subject; any other opinions on the added stress the wavebox puts on the tank. I would really, REALLY, hate to come home to find 120 gallons of water on the floor if a seam busts!

Eric

Have a look over on the Tunze board on RC. There's a lot of info on this subject there.

Steve

 

[dpnshnks]

Eep. Stories of new 210s splitting seams and disaster if the tank is off by as little as 1/8th of an inch. I've put the question to Roger over on RC to get his feedback, but I think I'll just go for a matching 6100 for my Chanukkah present this year!

Eric

 

[delta]

I don't think it is a real problem if the tank has no manufacturing
defects. I don't think you can really contribute a wave box causing failure on a new setup. I would be inclined to think it was due to other factors.

FWIW the flow is very gentle unless you like seeing flashing lights. I can make a 2" wave but it drives me nuts. So I stick with a 1" wave which is only noticable by the swaying back and forth of everything in my tank.
The result is the same everything stays in suspension.

 

[JohnK]

"if the tank is off by as little as 1/8th of an inch"

IMO that's a lot to be off on tank construction. I would think that that tank would fail over time regardless.

If any tank is out of square, or not level or evenly supported It will fail. Sounds like a poorly built tank, not a problem with the wave box IMO.