Petsmu

Here are six pumps I will review :1. ReSun : - This pump (power head) was totally left off their list, although not as well known in the USA/Canada they are very popular in Asia and Australia. ReSun has some sizes such as the #6 that are quite capable for very “mucky” pond environments and yet operate very well. The stainless steel coated impellers along with the ceramic shafts found on the larger models) are extremely durable and almost never fail. These pumps are very reliable and start up without a problem; they also have very excellent head pressure (in fact among the best)! ReSun pumps can be submersed or place in line.

The models 3A, 5, and 6 are awesome in heavy duty applications such as ponds or very large aquariums where high flow and head pressure are necessary (as well as ability to deal with large amounts of particulates in the water). About the only con is that with their heavy duty construction, these pumps can be somewhat noisier than some others (although still not bad here either). ReSun power heads are also not as adjustable in flow as some other power heads, but this a minor inconvenience IMO.

2. Via Aqua : - This is a real workhorse line of pumps that is VERY widely used in the professional aquarium maintenance community yet did not even get mentioned by about.com (go figure!). These pumps in the power head line (not the basic line) also have ceramic shafts and very durable construction. Via Aqua pumps (along with ReSun) can be used in sumps or as a power head and have excellent head pressure. The Via Aqua power head line (such as the VA 1300) can be submersed or used in line which adds to versatility that not all pumps can match. For Aquarium sumps (usually in marine applications) the Via Aqua 2600 and 3300 are unsurpassed in usefulness.

Again the only con is these pumps are a little noisy, but only when used in line (they are a little quieter than the ReSun line when submersed). Via Aqua power heads (as with ReSun and Rio) are also not as adjustable in flows as some other power heads, but this a minor inconvenience IMO. This inconvenience is more than made up for in versatility! I will also admit to a couple of models by Via Aqua that I not recommend due to less than desirable durability and these are the 2300 and 4900.

3. Rio (by Taam) : - although no longer a preferred pump by me as the person who founded Rio started Via Aqua and improved on some of its problems. These are still excellent pumps IMO and although I partly agree with about.com with their assessment, I think they go overboard with their comments as to high maintenance. Rio power heads are very powerful with excellent head pressure (depending on the model).
The cons are the impeller (although very durable), seem to have problems in environments (especially ponds or dirty aquariums) that have a lot of debris and organics in the water column. However they still are very good at starting up when used as wave makers and are properly maintained. These pumps are also not adjustable in their flow

4. Maxi Jet Power heads : - I will have to agree the most with about.com on their assessment of these pumps. They are reliable and economical and start back up easily even when used as wave makers. However they do have their cons and that is they have poor head pressure and are not very versatile (unlike the Via Aqua, ReSun, and Rio pimps) as they are only power heads and nothing more.

5. Penguin Power Heads : - I do not generally agree with assessment by about.com on these power heads. Although they do have a neat feature with the reverse flow power head for UG filters (which are not very common anymore though), the other nice feature is the adjustable flow feature.
However nice these features are these power heads have a poor track record for reliability, they have very poor head pressure, and do not re-start well after the pumps have been in service for a while (in applications such as wave makers).

6. Hagen Aqua Clear Power Heads : - This pump is also over rated by about.com in my extensive experience with them. I have used more Aqua Clear power heads than ANY other (including the Via Aqua pumps I now generally recommend). When these power heads first came out they were industry leaders in design, however they are of 1980s technology IMO and although they are better than Penguins in reliability and head pressure, they still would stop and not re-start in many of my applications when power was even briefly interrupted, making them a poor choice for wave maker applications. Aqua Clear power heads also do not handle high organic/debris loads well and need more maintenance than the Rios that about.com claimed needed!

Bottom line with Aqua Clear power heads is that they are reasonable “retro” pumps, but certainly NOT the latest in technology!

7. ZooMed Power Sweep : - even though I sold these in my business, I rarely recommended them. They are basically a gimmicky power head with poor head pressure and low output. They are not real durable and the “sweeping” directional output feature is run by cheap plastic gears that often fail. These pumps do not handle high bio loads well and are best used in small aquariums or better vivariums where not much is asked of them.

SUMMARY:
I have had persons also ask me why many brands such as Via Aqua are not as commonly available as Hagen and does that make them of lower quality as no one really wants them?

The answer is quite simple; Hagen is sold through a larger network of mainline Pet Store distributors (although they are now transitioning to their own in house distribution system). This system promotes an all or nothing approach to marketing their products basically meaning you carry the whole line (good and bad) or not get discounts or even sell anything at all. This marketing system has been very successful (not to mention slick packaging), however this does not mean a better product.

Via Aqua (among many other high end brands) does not sell through traditional marketing distribution methods and systems, rather it sells many high end Marine fish importers and similar without all the expensive marketing gimmicks. This in particular places their products in the hands of Aquarium Maintenance Professionals who do not care about slick marketing or whether it is the fad, rather whether it works or not which is why Via Aqua and many other similar high end companies choose to sell this way.

For further information and pictures in an article that is still being added to, please visit this url:
Review of aquarium (& pond) power head pumps based on real world experience
About the author: I am 49 years old and have been in the Aquarium (& Pet ) business since I was 17. I have a spouse (Jodie), and 3 children (Michelle, Danielle, & Timothy). I recently sold my LFS in LA and moved to Oregon to be near my sister who is gifted in helping with our children, who all have special needs (Autism and more)
Source: http://www.articlesbase.com

The marine aquarium hobby was once viewed as very hard, very expensive, and needing a touch of magic. The first two were correct, but not the latter, that simply being how it probably appeared to anyone not in the hobby but perhaps with a spattering of knowledge. There was little knowledge of the needs of captive marine life, and for the most part (the biggest most part) only very hardy life in very small numbers survived for any length of time, and that was usually measured in months.

I can just see those pioneer marine aquarists sitting arguing over the possibly best way to proceed. If they could see us now, their flabber would certainly be gasted.

The first real breakthrough in filtration came with the under-gravel filter. I hang my head in shame as I forget the aquarist who did it, but a plate was put under the sand and water pumped through it to keep the sand clean. Keep it clean physically that is. However, after a while it was noticed that life was surviving for quite a while, much longer than usual. So experimentation ensued, with the same results. Eventually the reason was obtained for the extended life of the livestock (from a scientist maybe?) and of course the reason was that an ‘army’ of ammonia and nitrite destroying bacteria had been established. Despite my lean knowledge of the event (I‘m not that old!), I do recall that the aquarist didn’t believe that the answer to keeping marine life could be that simple, he continued to believe that it was because the sand was clean.

Anyway, the door was open. Filtration capable of supporting marine life had arrived, or at least capable of supporting fish on the whole. This must have caused a leap in the desire to keep marines, and indeed the hobby from that time did open up and expand considerably.

Jumping forward a decade or so (great when you can time travel), look at us now! The under-gravel filter continued in great popularity for quite a while, but now that marine aquarium keeping was much more popular there were higher numbers of innovative minds wondering if they could ‘do it better’, and, of course, the commercial manufacturers started taking an interest, first in under-gravel equipment, and then in canister filter equipment and media suitable for marines. From there the hobby has leapt forward. There are now highly efficient protein skimmers (what an aid to water quality they are), biological ‘trickle towers, denitrators, anti-phosphate reactors, water level top-up systems, calcium reactors etc. Seawater quality in the modern saltwater aquarium is unbelievably good compared to how it was not that long ago.

The very latest move has been to natural filtration techniques. Modern marine aquarists consider this to be the best, this is what nature does so it is considered that lead should be followed. The obvious example is ’live’ rock, with all its bacteria, doing the work that the old under-gravel filter used to do but doing it so much better - used properly it even gets rid of the nitrate. Then there is the DSB (deep sand bed), the plenum (a raised DSB), further examples of nature’s way. Very good and successful they are too.

Looking at all the above it can be seen why filtration is such a hot topic, though it depends which angle the aquarist is coming from.

There are aquarists who may or may not have tried different filtration techniques, but now have one which has worked very well for them. Their fish and corals are a sight to marvel at. Water quality is very high, and without doubt they have done well. They will often argue vehemently that their filtration or filtration combination is best. Well, so it seems to them. Truth is, there could be another aquarist who uses different methods and gets just as good results. They’re not going to agree, more discussion!

Then there are the more serious aquarists. They too have marvellous aquariums, usually filtered by live rock and often linked to a sump with a DSB etc in. Maybe they use algae (Caulerpa) to enhance filtration. Maybe they use other means. What they do is keep up to date with new ideas and emerging technology that they may be able to use to enhance their systems. Of course, they will discuss and argue over the potential benefits or otherwise of new filtration equipment etc.

Then there are those leading aquarists who are not really content just to achieve a great captive reef display. They wonder if there is any new way to enhance their systems. There already is a display aquarium, of course, and an attached sump with a DSB and probably Caulerpa. Some attach another area that is in total darkness permanently, so that some sponges and other filtering life forms can develop. There are other experiments being done. One leading aquarist even pondered the possible beneficial qualities of Aiptasia anemones. These anemones usually make the average aquarist go on the offensive. But what is being considered is their filtration ability if they are allowed to multiply and grow. Any spread out of the designated area would be controlled. However, spread within the designated area would presumably be controlled by the supply of food. I can see aquarists arguing about that one!

All of this is an effort to make the display aquarium part of as natural a system as possible, where interference from the aquarist is minimised. It is my opinion that there will always need to be some interference and action by the aquarist as, no matter how big the aquarium system, compared to its wild counterpart it is very tiny.

So the marine aquarium hobby is advancing. From the inexperienced newcomer who is simply researching the systems and methods available right through to the pioneer who is adding another experimental area to an advanced system, there is discussion and argument. The absolute beginner can puzzle over and discuss filtration when one system appears, at least theoretically, to be ’better’ than another. The very advanced aquarist or pioneer can argue in great technical depth about the merits of the latest potential advancement in filtration techniques. All those in the middle, the majority, can discuss and argue about just about any type of filtration in general.

It is a hot subject, filtration. It should be. It is an essential part of a successful, healthy, and vibrant aquarium. It is also the way forward, all this discussion, argument, and experimentation. It is also one of the things that make this hobby of ours so fascinating.

About the author: Peter Cunningham and John Cunningham between them have been keeping saltwater aquariums for over 35 years. Check out their Aquarists Online website if you are interested in learn more about aquarium filtration hobby.
Source: http://www.articlesbase.com