The Maxspect Riptide Gyre Generator has a uniquely innovative design which changes the way that we have seen water movement created in the past. Sparse information is available at this juncture regarding the Riptide as it appears that the announcement about this product was "accidentally released" just prior to Europe's InterZoo Exposition. We expect to see more information about the future availability and specifications of various models. As of this writing, it appears that they will offer at least 4 different sizes and that shipping will begin this summer. Here is what Maxspect has to say about their entry into the aquarium water movement segment with it's Riptide Gyre Generators:
The Maxspect Riptide is the world's first "Gyre-Generator". Compared to traditional powerheads and wavemakers that are based on propeller nozzle flow technology, the Maxspect Riptide is based on advanced crossflow technology which produces massive horizontal water movement leaving little to no dead spots.
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Why gyre generator and not wavemaker?
Wavemakers excel in making waves, while waves are spectacular to watch in motion, they are in fact moving the majority of the water vertically up and down, with relatively low horizontal movement, especially near the bottom of the aquarium.
On the other hand, gyre generators excel in moving shear flow of water from one side of the aquarium to the other. The shear flow of water is so strong that i would bounce back from the opposite site to achieve full circulation within an aquarium, ie. generating "gyre flows".
Keep an eye out for the "coming soon" listing on Aquarium Specialty. For product images and water flow diagrams, please visit this link.
