No Saltwater Aquarium should be without some type of water movement. Good water movement is one of the most important factors in maintaining a healthy aquarium.

Water movement helps sweep away debris by keeping it in suspension and allowing it to be more easily captured by aquarium filters. It also increases gas exchange and dissolved oxygen levels and helps to control Algae, which grows in areas of poor circulation. Fish also enjoy the currents and get a cardiovascular workout, keeping them healthy too!

In Reef aquariums good water movement is even more critical. Corals and anemones rely on it to provide food and oxygen, as well as for waste removal — it is absolutely vital to their survival. Providing alternating water currents, that mimics actual wave patterns in the ocean, stimulates live corals and provides a more realistic aquatic environment. Varying water circulation also helps to reduce dead spots.

Creating water movement can be as simple as adding a power head or water pump to your aquarium, however creating alternating currents or randomly generated water movement is a bit more involved. To create that effect you'll need a device that can either turn your water pumps and power heads on and off or can rotate the water flow from side to side. Fortunately there are a number of commercial devices available to accomplish that.

Devices that turn pumps and power heads on and off include the Natural Wave by Aquarium Systems and the WaveMaster Pro by Rea Sea.

The Natural Wave has 3 power outlets with adjustable frequency and 3 standard power outlets. The adjustable power outlets allow you to have up to 3 power heads, turning on and off at cycles from 20 seconds to 3 minutes. The standard power outlets allow you to plug in other accessories such as heaters, lights and filters.

The WaveMaster Pro allows you to control up to 4 water pumps or power heads. It has 4 pre-programmed wave motions – gentle, rolling, turbulent or alternating. It also has a night mode for calmer seas at night and 2 feeding modes.

Those devices that rotate the water flow from side to side include the Power Sweep power heads by ZooMed, the OSCI-Wave by Bell Marine and the Sea-Swirl by Aquarium Currents.

The Power Sweep power heads have an automatic rotating outlet that can be used as a wave maker. They are inexpensive but will need to be serviced frequently to keep them in good working order.

The OSCI-Wave uses an electric motor to control a single power head. The power head is attached to an acrylic paddle with 2 plastic cable ties. The device, almost silently, then sweeps the power head in an arc of approx. 90 degrees every 30 seconds.

The Sea-Swirl is a rotating return device. It uses an electric motor to power the rotating return that oscillates the return water from your existing pump or canister filter 90 degrees every 60 seconds.

Choosing the device that is best, depends on how you've chosen to set up your aquarium, its size, the equipment you already have and on the available budget. Naturally we'd be happy to help you with that decision and/or to supply you with one of more of these wave making devices.