Rio vs Mag

[idgy]

Rio or Mag Drive which pump is better! I have heard stories about Rio pumps failing.

 

[badspstank]

Rios has had its share of problems but they are improving I currenty run the new rios seio 802 and a demo pair of seio 1200 they work great. mags do stop running also the impeller stop time to time but that with any pump. the advantage is the new seio because it can me put on a wave timer and get random water movemnet but the mags can not hope this help a little

 

[Witfull]

no question,,MAG!

 

[iamjosh]

I've seen lots of people w/ MAGs on Wavetimers and I've also seen a mod to clip the front 'pipe' off the mag to generate really random water movement with a wave timer.. for me its gotta be a MAG hands down. the few rios I have get clogged and cause things to trip.

 

[badspstank]

I have never seen a mag on a wave timer turning on and off mags are not built for that purpose but you guys can be right if that is true mag is a more durable pump and will last longer

 

[iamjosh]

I have heard/read to many horror stories about RIO melting and nuking tanks, I have yet to find one about a Mag killing a full tank.

 

[upsjopop]

I have had 3 rio 600's going since Oct 2003 without a problem. Keep them clean. I notice the newer ones have a much thicker plug wire. I wonder if the thinner wire ones were the problem everyone talks about.
John

 

[DonW]

Mag hand down, the rios are a pita. Josh, I think your talking about the maxi-jet mod that changes flow on a wave timer. You just hack the oulet off flush with the case, this makes the impellor change directions on occasion when the pump is restarted.

Don

 

[Scooterman]

I never used either, I use OceanRunners. I also have two Maxi's, they run forever lol

 

[big t]

I was at the LFS store the other day, and I was taking in a 2 yr old maxi 1200 that was covered w/ nice green zoo's. They didn't want to take it because the pump was old. I told them that maxi's run forever and that they were the best powerhead available. They quickly replied that maxi's were junk and they have to replace them in their tanks at least every 6 months. I didn't have the patience to argue w/ them. I just said well I have 5 that have all run w/ no problems for 2 years and left.

 

[DonW]

I was at the LFS store the other day, and I was taking in a 2 yr old maxi 1200 that was covered w/ nice green zoo's. They didn't want to take it because the pump was old. I told them that maxi's run forever and that they were the best powerhead available. They quickly replied that maxi's were junk and they have to replace them in their tanks at least every 6 months. I didn't have the patience to argue w/ them. I just said well I have 5 that have all run w/ no problems for 2 years and left.

I'll take it :razz: .

Don

 

[big t]

sorry dude, I basically just gave it away, because I didn't want it in the tank, didn't care about the ph, but did want the zoo's to find a good home. So go check indoor reef they may still have it. If they are chargin a lot of money for it I would like to know.

 

[Witfull]

ive got a maxi from the mid 90's still running strong, and its been on a wavemaker on 30 second pulses...a diehard workhorse...the timex of PH's!!

 

[the mad reefer]

the mag is a great dependable pump! i also have a maxi 500 from 1993 and it still runs today. I hope the new seios are good, since i have 2 of them. i have heard and read decent things about the seio. would not own any other rio.

 

[Elmo18]

I pick the MAG for reliability, although both pumps will add some heat to your tank, albeit not much.

For powerheads, Maxi-Jets.

- Elmo

 

[badspstank]

I have ran rios for many years with no problem the do have to be cleaned I have also ran mags in time if you do not clean them they will give you problem aqnd maxi well they are great not much water movement and yes you can cut the tip off of a maxi and get random water movement with a wave device AQUA CONTROLLER is what I run

 

[Ritsuko Nashida]

The new Seio by Rio may be a better pump and maybe, just maybe Rio has gotten it together finally and quit putting out junk, but in my opinion given the track record of Rios I have owned, I sitting the sidelines on this one for a while until they have a proven track record.

Untill then...MAG DRIVES all the way for a water pump. Powerheads, I will place my money on Maxi-jets any day of the year. I am sure there are other pumps that hang just as well but these are what I have used for several years and this is what I am sticking to for sometime to come given a choice between Rio's or "somebody elses" pump.

I havent had any Rios Nuke my tank but I have been zapped by more than a few that were way too new to be doing that, and I have had a number of them out right fail that were still pretty new (less than 4 months old). I cant really beat Rio up about it becuase they are cheap powerheads and pumps but I have way too much invested in my 6 tanks to be playing russian roulette with a product of poor quality even if they are cheap enough to replace on a regular basis. It just aint worth losing my live stock over and it definitely aint worth 300 gallons of water on the floor or worse yet a coming home to where my house used to be and finding a pile of ashes. Evebn if I do have insurance...its just not worth the risk in my opinion.

 

[jmaxwell]

I have had very bad luck w/ Rio Pumps failing, but I havn't bought one in 5 years for that reason, so I am unsure of their reliability today.

 

[wrightme43]

IMHO I think Rios are junk from the factory, You may get lucky and get some that work, I never have been that lucky.