Modified Maxijets
Printed From: Utah Reefs
Category: Specialized Discussion
Forum Name: DIY
Forum Description: Do it Yourself
URL: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=16960
Printed Date: July 16 2026 at 12:28am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.03 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Modified Maxijets
Posted By: Daren Wightman
Subject: Modified Maxijets
Date Posted: March 06 2007 at 7:07pm
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Well I tried a couple of the modified maxijets that Dana discussed in the meeting. All I can say is WOW!! That is mucho flow for not a lot of $$.. Anybody else using them?
Daren ------------- 300 gallon in wall |
Replies:
Posted By: john hill
Date Posted: March 06 2007 at 7:34pm
where are you geting the parts to mod I cant find any thing to do it 
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Posted By: Daren Wightman
Date Posted: March 06 2007 at 7:55pm
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Like Dana said the site that makes the mods he prefers is out of comission due to family illness. I went with the http://www.mjmods.com - www.mjmods.com . Dana had trouble with the stops in this design not correcting the propeller direction effectively. It is critical to get the stop inserted at the proper depth. The idea he had with using a nylon bolt for adjustment is a pretty good idea. I just did some adjusting(w/o nylon bolt method) on mine to where it corrects the propeller direction every time so far. ------------- 300 gallon in wall |
Posted By: Adam Blundell
Date Posted: March 06 2007 at 9:39pm
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We spoke with Dana about this later and Jake and I discussed this on Saturday. While we do think these are great, the cost is still concerning to us. For instance the oceanflo mod is about $50 plus the cost of the maxijet. For that cost you could just buy a seio.
But they are a great way to convert your existing mj, just pricey.
Adam ------------- Come to a meeting, they�re fun! |
Posted By: Daren Wightman
Date Posted: March 06 2007 at 9:53pm
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MJ 1200 $18-20. MJ mod is around $25 or you could round up the parts yourself for less. It was kind of fun to play around with. Although I have no way to measure it the rated 2400 gph wouldn't surprise me. The stock 20 W consumption is hard to beat. How much do you think the mod would increase power usage?
Daren ------------- 300 gallon in wall |
Posted By: chris.rogers
Date Posted: March 06 2007 at 10:22pm
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Adam, I always thought the seio was a bit less flow. ------------- Ils sont fous, ces Romains! |
Posted By: Kevin
Date Posted: March 07 2007 at 10:01am
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I have made one. If you have any extra props I need another. I bought extra when I bought last but I cant seem to find them.
As for cost -- it depends on how much of the stuff you buy from mjmods and how much you diy. The only thing you NEED from them is the prop. So for cost -- $20-25 for the maxi-jet -- $3 for the pvc pipe from home depot (to make the shrowd) -- $1 for the plastic tube/shaft, $0.50 for the pvc test cap. Then it will cost you about $2 + shipping ($5.00) for the prop. Almost forgot -- you also need a center shaft. Either get a stainless steel rod from a welding supply shop (Always free so far for me) or buy a carbon fiber rod for $5. (I like both - and you get enough for about 8 maxi-jet mods with either one). Grand total -- about $36-41. Cost if you already have a Maxi-jet -- $11-16 -- Doesn't seem to expensive to me doing it that way. I really is amazing how much flow they put out, but I have never seen a seio to compare. If you ever want to see one working your more then welcome to come on down to pleasant grove and see it working. The biggest problem I have had with them is they vibrate and make a lot of noise. At least, I cant seem to get mine to be quiet. |
Posted By: Kevin
Date Posted: March 07 2007 at 10:19am
| One other note -- On the maxi-mod site there is a review of a person saying that it puts out way more flow then their seio. |
Posted By: DaveB
Date Posted: March 13 2007 at 10:30am
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I have done four of these mods so far. The one thing I have found for sure is to not use an MJ 900 for the mod. Even with the smaller prop, it is very very difficult to get the thing to properly start in the right direction everytime. The MJ900 is just not powerful enough to do this mod and work flawlessly. The MJ1200 mods I have done all work perfectly after getting the stop in the right position.. The magnet holders they sell at MJ Mods are also very nice. The ones with the swivel are a bit pricey, but the round plain mag holders work wonderfully. Nothing I have tried puts out the amount and randomness of flow these MJ Mods do.
Dave
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Posted By: Adam Blundell
Date Posted: March 13 2007 at 10:33am
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Nothing I have tried puts out the amount and randomness of flow these MJ Mods do.
Dave- nice to see you here. I agree on the amount. Great total flow. But I don't agree on randomness. They aren't random at all to me. (although neither are my closed loops)
Adam ------------- Come to a meeting, they�re fun! |
Posted By: DaveB
Date Posted: March 13 2007 at 10:40am
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Adam, I have two on my 100 gallon reef. They sit exactly opposite each other on the sides of the tank. I run them on timers, one on a half hour, then the other one on a half hour, then both on for half hour, then both off for a half hour. Within two days of setting it up this way, my ORP reading increased by 50 just based on the increased RANDOM flow created by this, especially when both are running at the same time, and the opposing force of the flow meets in the middle of the tank and collides...
Dave
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Posted By: DaveB
Date Posted: March 13 2007 at 10:46am
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I could not believe how much "Stuff" can settle and accumulate in the rock until after I set this up. After only a half hour of both being off, then they restart that cycle and the flow comes on, it never fails to amaze me how much "Crud" gets blown off the rock and into the water column. My Skimmer output has also increased by double since running these mods in my tank.
Dave
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Posted By: Adam Blundell
Date Posted: March 13 2007 at 11:01am
Ahhhh, well with alternating timers, yes okay random flow. (maybe you mentioned that part before, but I didn't see it) But hey my closed loops would have random flow as well if they were on timers, and so would my powerheads. 
Adam ------------- Come to a meeting, they�re fun! |
Posted By: DaveB
Date Posted: March 13 2007 at 11:09am
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Yes they would Adam, but it is not just the timers that make it random. It is the amount of flow, colliding in the water column that causes thsi too. Without the amount of flow these mods put out, the "collision" would not cause the random flow created when the flow put out of the mods hits rock, sides of the tank, and the flow from the other mod at the other side of the tank.... also, the flow coming from the mods is a very wide flow pattern compared to power heads, and closed loops. On a four foot tank, the flow from one MJ1200 mod actually bounces off the other side and you can see the flow change directions as it bounces off the wall of the tank. Everyone I have done one of these mods for always askes, "Are you sure this is not too much flow?" LOL Dave
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Posted By: jfinch
Date Posted: March 13 2007 at 11:16am
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I wonder if "random" flow isn't overrated. Overall flow is definitely beneficial, but I'm not so sure I buy the need for sqwds, seaswirls, OM, wavetimers, etc. But then again, I could be wrong. ------------- Jon https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6y_EzjI_ljbIwf2n5uNzTw" rel="nofollow - What I've been doing... |
Posted By: DaveB
Date Posted: March 13 2007 at 11:21am
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Maybe it is, and maybe it isn't. But I will say this. When I see the detritus coming off the rock, from places you can't even see, and see it in the water column, being skimmed off the surface in the overflow, down to the skimmer which has doubled the amount of skimmate my skimmer puts out, I would say, yes Random flow makes a difference. I used to have a few areas that I would have to blow off with a baster a few times a week to keep clean. Those dead spots no longer exist.
Dave |
Posted By: jfinch
Date Posted: March 13 2007 at 11:25am
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Did you run both modified maxijets without a wavemaker (both on all the time pointed at each other) before or did you put them on a wavemaker from the start? ------------- Jon https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6y_EzjI_ljbIwf2n5uNzTw" rel="nofollow - What I've been doing... |
Posted By: Adam Blundell
Date Posted: March 13 2007 at 11:27am
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I think two big pumps (mods or powerheads or whaterver) aimed at each other colliding isn't random. It is continuous. It may be a bit chaotic, but not random. It is the same flow. The way that water collides and bounces off doesn't really change through out the day.
I'm not saying that is bad. In fact that is nice to have. Remember I'm the guy with 8,000 gph in his tank. But I don't have random flow. The flow in my tank right now is what it will be in 10 minutes, an hour from now, and 4 days from now. To be really random it has to change directions or actually turn on and off.
Trust me- I have several seio pumps and a couple mods. I just don't use them.
 Adam
ps- Jon, I think "sloshing" is the best water flow. If I could I'd put a huge piston on one side of my tank. ------------- Come to a meeting, they�re fun! |
Posted By: DaveB
Date Posted: March 13 2007 at 11:29am
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Yes Jon, I did run them both all the time at first. On my 110, which is only a four foot tank it was too much to have them both on all the time. When the flow met at the center of the tank, on all the time, it actually created a hollow spot in the sandbed at the center bottom of the tank, and my LPS would not open up fully. It was TOO much flow for this size tank to have them both on all the time.
Dave |
Posted By: DaveB
Date Posted: March 13 2007 at 11:38am
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Actually Adam, I have spent quite a bit of time watching the flow, especially when both are on, and the flow collides. Random or chaotic, whichever term you prefer, is exactly what happens. All of this is affected by the size of the tank, the placement of live rock. All I am saying is, that with two of these pumps, on timers the way I described above, my water quality, skimming, ORP readings have all improved dramatically. I no longer have ANY dead spots anywhere in the tank. I would reccomend the use of these MODs to anyone. And they are not really any more obtrusive in the tank than the outputs from the closed loop, for they are actually not very big for the amount of flow they put out..
This year, I am working on putting a 180 along with my 110 into a two tank inwall system. I am anxious to see how they work in a much larger tank. I am sure the dynamics will be very much different in a larger tank.
I have been thinking about using four of them in the 180, sort of corner mounted and coming on and off around the clock so to speak, using timers, much the same way a FOUR WAY OM would work.
Dave
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Posted By: Adam Blundell
Date Posted: March 13 2007 at 11:39am
it actually created a hollow spot in the sandbed at the center bottom of the tank, and my LPS would not open up fully
Tell me about it.
Adam ------------- Come to a meeting, they�re fun! |
Posted By: DaveB
Date Posted: March 13 2007 at 11:45am
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Yes, and one last thing. You absolutley have to have an easy way to turn them off for feeding, or the food will be surfaced skimmed and down in your sump before anything can eat... LOL
Dave
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Posted By: Adam Blundell
Date Posted: March 13 2007 at 11:47am
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When you set up that next tank I'd consider using a wave box of some sort. I think they are ugly in a tank, but I have to admit they really do move water back and forth. Who knows you may end up throwing out your mods after you get a wave box. Adam
ps- can you tell I'm asking for a wave box for Christmas this year ------------- Come to a meeting, they�re fun! |
Posted By: jfinch
Date Posted: March 13 2007 at 11:49am
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Well it's been my anecdotal observation in my tanks that having lots of steady (however you'd like to describe it) flow ranked a 10 in the importance scale, while converting this steady flow to be more random ranked a 2. I would have ranked it a 1 but aesthetically I like the look that the random flow produced.
I realize I'm likely standing alone in this opinion because every speaker we bring and every article I read preaches random flow. ------------- Jon https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6y_EzjI_ljbIwf2n5uNzTw" rel="nofollow - What I've been doing... |
Posted By: Adam Blundell
Date Posted: March 13 2007 at 12:02pm
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Jon- I'm still not sold on random.
(obviously since I don't use it) "Alternating Laminar Flow" that is the term baby, oh yah. That's what you're shooting for.
Adam
------------- Come to a meeting, they�re fun! |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: March 13 2007 at 12:08pm
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But can't you have too much flow if it's in the wrong direction? I've lost 2 LPS' because their tissue was blown right off from too much flow. |
Posted By: Adam Blundell
Date Posted: March 13 2007 at 12:32pm
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Yep, true dat. That's why you want your entire tank sloshing back and forth.... regardless of what Jake's overy paranoia tells you about the tank walking across the room or the stand collapsing. It isn't fast flow, but it is bulk flow.
Adam ------------- Come to a meeting, they�re fun! |
Posted By: sshm
Date Posted: March 13 2007 at 1:31pm
I like random. Waves crashing over a reef away from the shore and waves gently rolling into and out of the coast are two different flow patterns. the first in random and the second is laminar and alternating (with one direction -the "backwash" if you will - being a little less violent than the other). ------------- http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1157896 - Difficult and special care reef inhabitants |
Adam Blundell wrote: