Choosing between a Koralia 4 and a Nanostream 6045 [Archive]

trilinearmipmap

01-01-2008, 03:31 PM

I have a 120 gallon mixed reef, over the past few years it has gradually been moving in an SPS direction although there are still plenty of LPS, a few soft corals and about five BTA's.

My only flow is the Mag 12 return pump, I know I am severely under-powered as far as circulation goes. I do have a sand bed about 1/2" to 1" deep which I am willing to get rid of if necessary.

I was looking at getting either a Tunze nanostream 6045 or else a Hydor Koralia 4. I would put the pump at the far end of the tank away from the BTA's of course. The other option I really liked was the Vortech, the price is not so much a barrier but I thought it might be too much flow.

The reviews I have read about the nanostreams say there have been issues with the impeller and also issues with the mounting bracket breaking. I understand Tunze has tried to fix these issues.

So I need advice on the 6045 versus the Koralia 4. Factors that will go into the choice include: noise, aesthetics/size, reliability, and flow characteristics.

Der_Iron_Chef

01-01-2008, 03:45 PM

I've had three of the nanostreams, and they all ended up breaking on me! Having said that, when they *were* working, they worked well and I liked them. Very inobtrusive.

I have two Koralias now, and I'm quite pleased. I've had no problems so far. They are a bit bulkier, but that's it.

I'm pretty sure the Vortech's flow rates can be controlled....so I don't think it would have to be too much flow. But for the price you'd pay, I'm not sure it would be worth it to ramp it all the way down and just leave it that way.

skylord

01-01-2008, 05:59 PM

I also have 3 Tunze nano streams and all are being held together with supper glue and zap straps. I wouldnt recomend them to anyone. But they do put out the flow.

I have 2 of the korilia 4's and they work real good but the down side to them is the magnet is rather weak.

Third option now is a Maxi Jet 1200. By far the best out of the three if you get the mod from J&L (rated at 1600 gph) or the mod that Chen brought in that puts out 2500gph. I have both and the 2500 is the best flow I have ever gotten from these small type power heads. I have Tunze 6101's and this 2500 is real close to those in power. This is a $25 mod to a MJ...less money and a lot more flow than the nano streams or the hydors.

Scott

Skimmerking

01-01-2008, 06:56 PM

i have the modded maxi 1200 in my 120 gal reef mixed and its alot of flow i have mine at the bottom pointing up to the top and its wicked current along with my tunze 6000 and mag 12 i have lots of flow... very happy with the maix mod too

SeaHorse_Fanatic

01-01-2008, 09:43 PM

I have used all four (Nano, HK4, 1600 mod, 2500 mod and for a 4' long tank, I would recommend the HK4 if you don't already have spare Maxijet1200s especially. They are great bang for the buck pumps if you want high flow with magnet holders. With the Maxijet mods, the 2500gph ones would probably be too much flow for your size tank. They are great on a 6' long tank though. With the 1600g mods, by the time you add the cost of magnets and a Maxijet, it will cost more than the HK4.

trilinearmipmap

01-01-2008, 10:10 PM

OK it looks like I will get one Koralia 4 and then depending on how it works out I may add another one later.

Snappy

01-01-2008, 11:14 PM

The HK have a crappy magnet that barely holds the weight when over 3/8 thick glass. I prefer the Tunze.

trilinearmipmap

01-01-2008, 11:32 PM

The HK have a crappy magnet that barely holds the weight when over 3/8 thick glass. I prefer the Tunze.

I have 1/2" thick glass.

With the magnet issue, will the magnet hold the Koralia in place or not? If the magnet is strong enough to hold it there that is all I need, if it keeps falling off the magnet then that is another story.

skylord

01-02-2008, 12:02 AM

I have one on 3/8 glass and I havent had a problem but on the half inch glass my rabbit can flip his tail and knock it off the glass. However its been on the tank for 3 months and I have only had it fall twice because of the fish. When I added the maxi mod I spent a couple of hours making it work, the maxi keep blowing the K4 off the glass. Along with the magnet is a suction cup and between the two, do an ok job. Could be better but......

Scott

trilinearmipmap

01-02-2008, 12:43 AM

So it looks like I have a choice between a higher priced German unit that will break, or a lower priced one that will fall off its magnet.

Skimmerking

01-02-2008, 01:04 AM

I had the Hydro 4 on my 120 the glass is 5/8" and I didnt like the magnets on it that is the only down fall.

SeaHorse_Fanatic

01-02-2008, 01:58 AM

It's not super powerful, but I had my HK4 on my 210g with 1/2" glass no problem. I now have it on the 120g with no problem.

Myka

01-02-2008, 02:26 AM

So it looks like I have a choice between a higher priced German unit that will break, or a lower priced one that will fall off its magnet.

Or you could buy the Maxi Jet 1200 ($27), the Sure Flow mod kit for it ($20), and a Sure Grip magnet holder for it ($28-40 depending on how thick your glass is). Then you beat all the problems... :D

Btw, the Sure Flow mod kit has two propellers in the kit, one propeller will make any MaxiJet do 1600 gph. The second propeller is for the MJ1200 only, and will make it push over 2000 gph. AND, it has a bracket that you super glue onto the Sure Grip magnet holder that allows the MaxiJet to swivel like the Nanostreams and Koralias. PLUS, it widens the flow of the MaxiJet as it uses a propeller instead of an impeller. Both the Tunze Nanostreams and the Koralias use propellers. A MaxiJet originally comes with an impeller.

MaxiJets have a 2 year warranty, and if they break down after that they're only $27 to replace. Well worth the money if you ask me!!

http://www.algaefree.com/sure_flow.html

http://www.algaefree.com/images/sureflowpump.jpg
http://www.algaefree.com/images/sureflowparts1.jpg

fkshiu

01-02-2008, 02:46 AM

Just picked up a Tunze 6055. Those infamous clips are fine so far (knock on wood :) ). Looks like they've managed to work the bugs out of the original design and materials used. I think if you purchase any of the "post-fix" Nanostreams their build quality shouldn't be a huge issue anymore.

erikages

01-02-2008, 03:13 AM

So it looks like I have a choice between a higher priced German unit that will break, or a lower priced one that will fall off its magnet.

I've had Tunze pumps -- including the nanostream 6055 -- for a few years now, and they've never had a problem. Admittedly they're expensive, and for the price they should work flawlessly.

Perhaps I've been lucky, but thus far I'd recommend Tunzes. Also, their magnets are fantastic. I've got "0.5 inch glass and they stay fixed like bricks, never drifting down.

Some people have complained about too much noise with Tunzes, but this hasn't been my experience. If noise occurs, the pump may need to be nudged from whatever's causing it to vibrate. Once in the right location, they're noiseless.

I don't know about product support for Tunzes as I've never had to use support.

Myka

01-02-2008, 03:27 AM

Skimmin

01-02-2008, 03:38 AM

fkshiu

01-02-2008, 04:39 AM

I worked for a short period at an LFS recently, and there were a TON of Tunze Nanostream returns. There was literally a HUGE box filled with them to go back on warranty work. Some of them ARE noisy, and need to be replaired, some break the propellers. I won't buy one. The Koralias are great for smaller tanks with thinner glass. :)

Which is why I wouldn't buy a USED nanostream. Tunze obviously didn't do proper beta testing on the nanostreams until after the raft of returns on the first few batches of nanostreams. I've been watching the saga unfold over the last year or so on the Tunze forum over on RC.

To be fair, Tunze seems to be have been quite good about warranties and poor Roger Vitko has been handing out free replacement parts like a candy on Halloween. One reason why I waited until now to get a 6055 is because it appears that the build quality issues have finally been worked out on the nanostreams. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. So far I'm quite pleased with the 6055 - a bit pricey at $200 even on Boxing Day, but I already had a Tunze 6000 and wanted something to work in conjunction with that - meaning true variable speed control in a small package.

BTW, 30 secs with a Dremel tool on part of a nanostream's shroud will allow you to get at least another few hundred GPH out of them.

Myka

01-02-2008, 05:46 AM

To be fair, Tunze seems to be have been quite good about warranties and poor Roger Vitko has been handing out free replacement parts like a candy on Halloween. One reason why I waited until now to get a 6055 is because it appears that the build quality issues have finally been worked out on the nanostreams. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Yes, they do have very good warranties, but it's still a royal pain in the butt to have to wait for a replacement/repair. I'm not sure if they've ciphered out the build problems, but I am hoping you are right. They'll get it figured eventually.

Personally, I want my powerheads on full blast all the time, so I have no urge to spend that amount of cash on a variable speed powerhead. The modded and magnetted MaxiJets work for me. :)

hershey

01-02-2008, 03:52 PM

I have a koralia 4 in my tank and it is quite noisy, I've had no problems with the magnet or the powerhead staying where it is tho. I myself am thinking of going with a tunze 6060

Der_Iron_Chef

01-02-2008, 04:09 PM

My Koralia gets a bit noisy at times, but it just takes a good soak in some vinegar water to make it right again. The same thing also happened with the Nanostream, but vinegar water never did help the shattered impeller shaft :)

erikages

01-04-2008, 11:06 PM

I'm the proud owner of two 6045 nanostreams and no problems yet. I believe the problems may have been worked out. Flow wise they are really gentle and have a super wide stream. I'm happy with them. Although I will be getting rid of them once I talk myself into spending the money on the Ecotech Vortech.$400+ dollars though.... Ouch!:eek:

The Ecotechs look very interesting; has anyone had experience with them? My only reluctance is that much of the cost seems to be for the wave algorhythms. I run a Profilux system that already runs wave features (providing the pumps are variable), so don't need this feature set. It's the combination of high output and heat reduction that look so great.

Have any of you who run these experienced noise and magnet drift with thick (.65") glass?

Erik

Canadian

01-05-2008, 05:36 AM

Please keep in mind that when you see Roger going above and beyond on RC that you won't get that kind of service here in Canada. Roger will refer you to Tunze Canada if you contact him with warranty issues. I have 2 6025s that I've modded (shortened the shrouds and cut out the flow restrictor out to bring the flow rate up to about 1100GPH). The infamous clips have broken and I've fixed them. When I contacted Phil at Xenia (the Canadian distributor for Tunze among other German products) about getting the new and improved C-clips he ran me around, lied and then just ignored me. Worst warranty/customer support of any product I've purchased. And don't assume this is an anomoly - there are tons of threads about Phil's poor customer service on RC (warranty issues with Giesemann products as an example) and I've spoken with several LFS owners, employees etc. and they all say that Phil is a great guy to hang out with but his product support is atrocious. I'm sure things are busy for Phil with all the distribution stuff he does but it's incredibly frustrating to see the great customer service Roger provides to a much larger population in the US and know that you won't get that up here.

Keep that in mind if you decide to go with Tunze.

With that said, if I had to do it again I'd still probably go with Tunze and, again, modify the shrouds if only because the Koralias are ridiculously huge in comparison for a comparable flow rate.

trilinearmipmap

01-06-2008, 07:56 PM

Canadian

01-06-2008, 09:28 PM

Don't even think about buying the 6045 if you own a Dremel and have even the slightest amount of patience. If you mod the shroud on a 6025 you'll get the same 1189 GPH out of the 6025 that you will out of a 6045. The only difference between these two (the 6025 and 6045) is that the shroud on the 6025 restricts the flow - the "motor" for the 6025 and 6045 is the same. Roger has admitted this on RC. The restriction of the shroud on the 6025 was done so that there was a Nano Stream that could be used on small tanks.

fkshiu

01-07-2008, 12:15 AM

OK a couple of final questions.

Comparing the Tunze 6045 vs. the Koralia 4 vs. the modded MaxiJet vs. the Vortech: which would be quietest and which would be loudest in order?

Also what is the cord length for the nanostream and Koralia?

The K4 is silent and so should the Nanostream (Canadian is correct - get the 6025 and cut the shroud). Most people have no problem with the recent commercially modded Maxijet products such as the Oceanflows, but they will click on wavemakers and you have to understand that you are modifying something so there is a chance that you'll get some vibration. The Vortech is in a different league both price wise and performance. Some people find the two halves tricky to line up correctly resulting in vibration and noise.

The cord length on the nanostream is easily enough to reach across a 6-foot long tank.