koralia powerheads

duneenworywifit

duneenworywifit

AC Members
Jul 23, 2007
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this is my first try with one of these and Im not happy with it at all.the flow is not as powerful asI thought and the magnet and prop keep sliding up the steel shaft causing it to jam.this is the #4 pump.is the magnet and prop supposed tobe able to slide up and down on these pumps?
 
Yes, it is normal for the shaft/impeller to move forward and back during startup, and yes, sometimes they jam on startup (especially the 4's because they are so powerful). A quick bump of the impeller when it jams ususally gets it going again and usually doesn't jam once going.. it is the initial power on that jams them, hense the reason your not supposed to put them on wavemakers.
 
Koralias work well for the money, IME. If you are interested in different powerheads (smaller ones with potentially equal flow ratings), check out Tunze's NanoStreams. The 6025s (cheapest model) can be modified to pump ~1500gph and at a very small size. These include the magnet mount (much more powerful than the ones included with Koralias) and better positioning options.
 
Ace25 said:
Yes, it is normal for the shaft/impeller to move forward and back during startup, and yes, sometimes they jam on startup (especially the 4's because they are so powerful). A quick bump of the impeller when it jams ususally gets it going again and usually doesn't jam once going.. it is the initial power on that jams them, hense the reason your not supposed to put them on wavemakers.
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I just took a look at my new K-4 and I can't for the life of me see how it can jamb. I extended the impeller all the way to the end of the shaft and there's more than enough room for housing clearance. The rounded nose of the impeller also has very little contact with the front axle point.
 
I have several Koralias (1s, 2s, 3s, and a 4) and haven't had any real problems with them. The flow out of them is dispersed, which is deceiving if you put your hand or anything else in front of the powerhead and compare the flow to a more traditional powerhead with focussed flow, like a Maxi-Jet.

The only issue I've had with them is how much of a pain cleaning them can be if you get some algae growing on / in between the slots. It takes me longer to clean one or two of them real well than it use to take me to clean 4 MJs. But, it's been worth it.
 
I think my problem was air under the magnet,ace was right about the initial startup,with the air and the torqe it would push the impeller up the steel shaft.so i pointed the powerhead up and the air came out and it seems tobe working fine.Was me going to fast!From what Ive been reading about these things theyre the BOOM SHACKALAK.Ill just keep and eye on it for a while and see what happens thanx all.
 
fsn77 said:
The only issue I've had with them is how much of a pain cleaning them can be if you get some algae growing on / in between the slots. It takes me longer to clean one or two of them real well than it use to take me to clean 4 MJs. But, it's been worth it.
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Really? I have always found them to be one of the easiest powerheads to clean. Turn the cap a 1/4 turn to take it apart, pull the shaft and impeller out to clean, and put it all on a bowl with 50/50 vinegar/water. Let soak for 10 minutes then use a toothbrush to scrub the slots.. everything falls right off.. literally about 60 seconds to clean one once you soak it for a few minutes, even hair algae wipes right off. Rinse clean when done and put back in the tank.
 
The algae I get on them is the really short, hard to remove soft algae (it's not coralline, but some kind of green alga). I've run them in vinegar + water for 30+ minutes, which cleans any coralline right off, it's this other algae that's more of a pain. But, yes, they are definitely easy to disassemble.
 
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