Wave Maker Setting

[Scottjbl]

Hey guys. Never used a wave maker before and need some advice. I have a Hydor wave maker with two Hydor pumps. What's the most effective setting? Having both on and off? How long? Having one on at a time alternating? Any advice is appreciated!

[dizzyjay]

I’d alternate. The quicker they alternate, the more movement you’ll get. If you can set them to overlap for a small bit on either end then I’d do that but I don’t know that they have that setting.

[Scottjbl]

So after a couple days running the 5 sec alternating setting I don't know if a wave maker is for me. I'm running two Hydor Nanos. When on constant they are near silent. But with the wave maker every time they turn on they make a loud chatter noise. It's really annoying to hear it every 5 seconds. Any work around? The tank is in my room so I can't deal with the noise if that's just how they are...

[dizzyjay]

I’ve had hit/miss success using a thin layer of rubber between the powerhead and glass to dampen the vibration.

[inurmind]

Hey Scott, Koralias are kinda known for that "clicking" sound when ran on an alternating cycle. What you're actually hearing isn't where the pump meets the glass, it's the impeller and the outer cage of the housing. Those are good little pumps for moving water and I still have a couple tucked away to use for various flow needs, but unless it's in your sump or something where the noise isn't going to bother you if you're using them on a wave maker then you might wanna look at other wavemaker options...you can pick up things like jebaos for fairly cheap new, and those as well as bigger name brands used here on sdr for decent prices from time to time as well

[Scottjbl]

So the setup I bought came with two nice power heads. Older but worked good. Found out they aren't compatible with a wave maker because they can't turn on and off. So I ordered the Hydors because I figured I'm using a Hydor wave maker so the Hydor pumps should work good with it. But you're right, every time they turn on there's a loud clicking noise from the impeller. Had to pull the wave maker and just run them "on". Bought them online so I'd have to pay to ship them back. Wish I knew before buying them.