Review: Seio M2600

[mr_alberta]

I was looking for a high flow powerhead without the high price of the Tunze, so naturally I sought out the Rio Seio line of products which have had some fairly stellar reviews thus far.

Having never owned a Seio before, I was quite surprised of the size and weight of the unit. The unit measures ~8x4x4 which, to me, is quite a step up size wise from the Maxi-Jet 400s that I usually deal with :lol:

The unit weighs approximately 5lbs or so--you'd better make sure its well secured to whatever you are mounting it on! Personally, I'd forget about the included suction cup hangers and use the ones that clip onto your tank walls/trim.

The flow from the unit is quite amazing, but not as dispersed as I thought it would be. I've read cases where others have put corals fairly close to the output of their Seios without any ill effects. I can't say that I've had the same success. Even at 5" away, the flow is still quite strong...it can flip over frag plugs, snails, fish, etc with ease :eek:

Power consumption is in around the 80W range or so. Not too bad considering my Mak 4 pumps uses about 100W or so but has half the output.

So, in summary:

Pros:
Mega flow (2600GPH!)
Cheap cheap
Fairly low power consumption

Cons:
Mammoth size
Laser like water flow
Extremely short power cord! :twised:

[OCDP]

I only own two of the 620's (I think that's the number :redface: ) Your pros and cons list looks pretty good so far (no experience with the big models) But I personally don't find the flow to be like laser . I think the flow is spread pretty widely and not just a steady stream either. Just thought I would toss that in... I have very few issues with mine.

When unplugging and re-plugging the units back in, they sometimes start off rough (makes a clicking sound) and sometimes can take a few seconds before they start. When this happens I have also noticed on several occassions that (as the pump gets broken in) that when you unplug it, and plug it back in.. sometimes the power of the flow is completely different. Not significantly (sp?) but noticeable for sure. Maybe this is due to me using lots of power outlets though (but with reefs all of us are using lots of plug-ins) But I thought that was kind of weird.. I have re-plugged it in and out to get the max. flow from it.


And now that you've said it.. you're right. The power cords are way too short. The power outlets are on the right side of my tank, one Seio is on the left side.. the cord JUST barely reaches to the left side of a 24" stand. Pretty short....

Other than those small things. The Seio is indeed a great PH for the price.

[StirCrazy]

Power consumption is in around the 80W range or so. Not too bad considering my Mak 4 pumps uses about 100W or so but has half the output.



can't realy compare these two as the Mak4 is a pressure pump and will far out flow a SEIO when head pressure is applied.

what is the flow rating for the one you got and what was the price range?

I have the 820's myself and while they are a good pump I don't feel they are anywhere near the preformance of the TUNZE, and two 820's would cost more than one 6060 tunze.

Steve

[mr_alberta]

Hi Steve,

The M2600 is 2600GPH. I bought mine used off of RC, but I did find one online store in Canada that carried this particular model:

http://www.aquarecifal.com/magasin/index.php?cPath=38_51_145

For the price of a new one though, it would be better to go with the non-controllable Tunze IMO.

As for the hard starting problem, I haven't had any issues yes. *knock on wood*

[Funky_Fish14]

I have two M1100's in my 75g. I am please with the amount of flow, and dispersion over distance with them. I also have similar pros and cons to Harvey's reguarding the unit. I dont however have a problem with the powercords because the cords only have to go about 3-4ft to make it to the powerbar. They are short though, yes, not much of a drip loop.

I do not like the amount of HEAT they produce though! The temperature in my tank has been a little higher (1-4 degrees) due to operating the pumps. I also know another fellow who has one 2600 in his 200g and it brings his temps up a similar amount to mine.

Chris

[TRS]

I also purchased two SEIO M2600 powerheads. The power cords are definately too short. Heat transfer is slightly noticable, but only a couple of degrees increase. I am also a bit leary about the suction cups when mounted on side glass panels as they can fall quite easily, however, they do come with several fasteners and can be mounted more securely. I did have a problem with the impeller assembly on both of them. I had them on a 12 hour timer cycle and they kept grinding at startup until they each crapped out. TAAM admitted that they were experiencing failures and replaced both impeller assemblies...no questions asked. They also recommend not to run them on wavemakers as this can intensify the impeller failure. Overall, I find them a great powerhead for their 80 Watt power consumption and purchase price.

That was until I discovered and purchased an EcoTech Marine powerhead. :biggrin: Their flow and reduced heat transfer are exceptional, but the retail price is quite steep. They too have manufacturing problems that they are working out successfully.