Benefits of Owning An Aquarium Wave Maker

by Aquarium Hygger May 28, 20220 comments

Nowadays, more and more aquarium products have been produced to help people enjoy the fun of fish-keeping. The aquarium wave maker is one of them.

You may know the heater is for raising the water temperature to create a warm environment for tropical fish, the light is for plants growth and mimicking natural light, the filter is for keeping tank clean, but how about the wave maker? The can create waves, but why should I need waves in my fish tank?

Well, don’t worry, every device has its unique features. We are today to help you know more about the wave maker, what is it, what are its benefits, where to place it and some recommended wave makers in our website.

What is an aquarium wave maker?

An aquarium wave maker is a device used to keep the water in your fish tank moving, which can help bring oxygen, clean your fish tank and mimic the natural environments.

Do I need to buy a wave maker for my aquarium?

To be honest, it is not a necessity for a fish tank. The answer should depend on the fish you are keeping. Some fish love slow-moving water, even if the filter should be less powerful, not to mention adding a wave maker, which will make the water flow faster. But some types require waves in water, which make them feel comfortable and can mimic their natural habitat.

If you don’t know whether your fish need a wave maker or not, do some research on Internet or observe their reaction towards water current. If your fish swim bypass the current, do not add a wave maker; otherwise, buy one for them.

The benefits of having an aquarium wave maker

1. Create a natural environment

In natural, whether it is a lake, a river or an ocean, there are waves in it, and fish are accustomed to the waves in water. Adding a wave maker to your fish tank can mimic the water flow in natural environment and the plants will shake because of the wave, which is also a natural phenomenon.

When we build up an aquarium for the fish, we want to make it more realistic and more suitable for fish, having an aquarium wave maker is one of the measures you can take.

2. Generate oxygen

The movement of water helps generate oxygen, which is a vital element for the survival of all of the creatures, whether aquatic organism or terrestrial organism.

The plants in an aquarium can help produce some oxygen by photosynthesis, but it can only serve as a supplement, and it is far less than the oxygen needed. There are many ways to add oxygen to a fish tank, among which is adding a wave maker.

3. Help clean the fish tank

The water in your fish tank will be stirred up when the wave making is working, and the waste accumulated in the fish tank will move with the water. Once you put some decorations in your fish tank, such as a substrate, some rocks, caves or driftwood, you are creating a lot of dead zones in your fish tank, which are ideal places for the waste to hide and accumulate and raise the ammonia and nitrates levels in your fish tank.

No matter how powerful your filter is, it can not reach every corner of your fish tank, but a wave maker can. They can let all of the water in your fish tank move, and the movement bring out the waste. Combined with an efficient filter, you’ll make your fish tank ever cleaner.

4. Facilitate the flow of the water

You can not make sure all of the water in your fish tank keep moving, there are chances that some water remains still. Water in these areas will contaminate the water quality in your fish tank and finally, resulting in death of fish.

But having a wave maker in your aquarium can solve this problem. It improves the flow of water, diluting some of the harmful substances that build up in the water, reducing the impact on fish, and further purifying the water through filters and regular water changes.

5. Reduce aggression

The waves it makes will draw the attention of some aggressive fish, then they will not attack other peaceful fish and it will be safe for the fish in your fish tank. After all, aggression always brings injuries, and injuries lead to diseases and death.

What size of wave maker should I buy for my fish tank?

It’s determined by many factors, such as the live stocks in your aquarium and the size of your fish tank. In general, for a 50-gallon fish tank, the water turnover should be 1000-1500 GPH, which means the water turnover rate should be 20-30x of the volume of your fish tank.

And for live stocks that require a faster water flow, the number should be larger. If you can not find such a powerful wave maker, you can add more wave makers to your fish tank to meet the demanded water turnover rate.

Things to consider when choosing a wave maker

Price-It should be affordable for you.
Noise-It should work quietly without disturbing you and the fish.
Quality-It should be durable and efficient without any abnormal risk.
Installation-It should be easy to set up, so you won’t be confused about the installation.

Where should I put a wave maker in my fish tank?

Knowing that the fish you are keeping need a wave maker, the benefits of owning an aquarium wave maker and things you should consider when choosing a wave maker you may have ordered one. But when you receive it, do you know where to place it? Can you place it casually? The answer is negative. You should choose a place where you can maximize its efficiency.

Before we talk about the exact place to set a wave maker, you should be clear that the wave maker should be placed on the top of a fish tank. Now, the problem is where should you place, on the left or on the right or other directions.

Well, it should determined by the placement of your filter if you want it helps filter the toxins and dirt in your fish tank. The wave maker should be set on the same side where you set your filter. Let’s make it clearer, if you set your filter on the left, and the intake of it will be on the left, but st the bottom of the fish tank.

In order to push water to the left, the water current at the bottom should move from the right to the left. And to make sure this happen, the water current on the top of your fish tank should move from the left to the right, which means the wave maker should create waves form the left. So it’s on the same side of your filter.

To sum up, you should make sure the water can be pushed to the intake of your filter when you place a wave maker in your aquarium.

How to clean a wave maker?

Cleaning a wave maker is not difficult, all you need are one bucket, one small brush, some freshwater and some cleaning agent (usually citric acid).

Unplug the wave maker and get it out form your fish tank.
Fill the bucket with some water, which you can immerse the whole wave maker in.
Add some cleaning agent (usually citric acid) to the bucket and wait for a while. You’ll find the water getting dirty.
Use a small brush to clean the stubborn dirt and rinse it with clean water.
Put it back to your aquarium and plug it.