Wave2K

Product Review - Wave2K

(Written 2004)

There are many different wave-making devices on the market, however, there's nothing that compares to the water movement that a Wave2K generates! I've seen just about everything when it comes to producing water movement and/or making waves in the aquarium. Most direct alternating streams of water, but Wave2K actually creates repeated surges of water at both the upper and lower levels of the aquarium, which is especially useful in reef systems. And when Wave2K is installed, there is no longer a need for powerheads, timers, extraneous plumbing and wires in the aquarium.

A couple of years ago I met two gentlemen at a MACNA marine conference where they were demonstrating a new concept in water movement. The device, which is now called "Wave2K" appeared to present a totally new and different concept when it came to moving water in closed systems. Now finally perfected, Wave2K is basically a black flat box-shaped device that lays flat against the inner side or back wall of flat-sided aquariums. A bracket connects the top of the wavemaker unit to the supplied electrical motor, which drives its internal yet very simplified and efficient mechanism. And its external motor is not visible as its body is nicely hidden below the top outside edge of the aquarium.

Wave2K was developed to give the hobbyist a more practical and useful pattern of water movement in closed systems. In fact, it resembles the tidal patterns in the wild as it cycles between forward and backward wave movement, creating an alternating circular vertical pattern in the aquarium. During one complete cycle of the test unit, which occurs every six seconds, 2.2 gallons of water are forced outward through its top located slotted openings while drawing in a similar amount of water through its lower slotted openings. Three seconds later, just the opposite happens with 2.2 gallons of water being forced out the lower slotted openings while drawing in a similar amount of water through its upper slotted openings. A total of almost 9 gallons of water is being circulated in one complete six-second cycle! This type of flow produces the natural back and forth movement that corals experience in the wild.

The folks at JOMI Aquatic Products were kind enough to send me one of their smaller units for a product test. As the device must set inside the aquarium, there needs to be sufficient space to locate the unit. Since my present aquarium is cylinder shaped it was not feasible to test the unit in my aquarium. Finding a client system that would accommodate the unit also proved a challenge since their systems were mostly large and crowded and/or were acrylic aquariums that contain a large collar around its openings. This would have meant a hole would have to be drilled through the acrylic collar to allow the units shaft to protrude through. Even though JOMI Aquatic Products can provide a template to exactly locate the hole, none of my clients wanted go this far with helping test this unit. And besides, many of these aquariums already had live rock leaning up against the area where the unit would have to be located. I fully understood their reluctance to rearrange the décor or have someone drill a hole though the top edging of their acrylic aquarium.

Therefore I took it to the best aquarium store in my area where the owners were not only happy to help, but intrigued with its concept of water movement. Without me saying another word, they set up the device in one of their store tanks. In fact, they didn't even read the setup instructions, which may be a good thing because the instructions are being rewritten and at this time as they are not as informative as they should be. With all that aside, the unit was installed in a glass 55 gallon aquarium where it performed flawlessly. In fact, they were amazed with the circulation it created and happily dumped flake food in the aquarium so everyone could see how it was circulated upwards and downwards, without it ever touching the bottom of the aquarium. Impressive would be an understatement! A few days later they moved it to the end panel of a glass 125 gallon reef tank, where it again preformed admirably with the corals exhibiting a gentle back and forth swaying motion throughout the entire five foot length of the tank.

JOMI Aquatic Products notes that if any very small creatures are drawn into the unit, they will be expelled outward without any harm. They also say snails will not clog the internal mechanism. And I should add, its does not make any noise, and of course, since the heavy duty thermally protected self cooling AC motor is external, no heat is transferred to the aquarium water as with powerheads. Also, there's no wiring in the aquarium, which is a distraction with powerheads. And since the body of the unit is black, no algae should form inside it. There are various size models available along with corner units, and custom made units can also be ordered. Wave2K units are also supplied with spare drive belts and various other parts for future maintenance or varied mounting possibilities. In fact, JOMI Aquatic Products is willing to provide additional mounting fittings and/or any type of help you need to fit Wave2K to your aquarium at no additional cost.

If having water movement as described above is of interest, then Wave2K is something you want to checkout. Is it for everybody? Not really, but if the logistics associated with the device are something you can work with, then water movement in your aquarium will be outstanding. And I should note that some public aquariums are using Wave2K's because of the excellent water motion produced and that their involvement time-wise and cost-wise in this important aspect of aquarium husbandry is greatly reduced.

For further information you can call JOMI Aquatic Products at Tel: 770.329.3682, Fax: 770.263.1760, or email them at JomiAquaticProducts@Hotmail.com, or visit there website at www.wave2k.com. Really an impressive device!