Tunze Wavebox 6215 Review

I just searched the forum and can't find a reference to anyone owning one of Tunze's waveboxes, so I figure I better put up the review I'm working on.

I've always been a fan of the look waves in a reef tank can give your corals, and I've always run wavemaker pumps for this reason. I've also always been very curious about the waveboxes that Tunze makes, but never got a chance to even see one in person or see one running. That all changed this week when I received a Tunze 6215 Wavebox to play with. I wasn't sure what to expect out of these interesting devices, but I can definitely say, it's not what I expected. Check it out after the break.

There's not a terribly large amount of information about these online, but I think some manufacturer specs are as good a place to start as any.

Dimensions: L125 x W113 x H 300mm (L4.9 x W4.4 x H11.8in.).
Immersion depth: approx. 280mm (11in.).
18 W on average at 18 V, 26 W at 24 V,
power supply unit: 100 - 240 V / 50 - 60 Hz).
Magnet Holder up to a glass thickness of 19 mm (.74 in.).
For tanks from 200 to 1,500 litres (52 to 396 USgal.).

This doesn't tell you much and the pictures online don't so much either, so here's my account of first checking out the wavebox hands on. My very first impression was how much it weighed. This things is built like a tank which is evident by the complete lack of flexing in the plastic housing, and the pump only adds to the heft. Looking it over, I'm greeted by very well molded plastic sealing the entire box in except for the port where the pump sits. The pump output sits neatly in the opening with enough room in the box to pull it out and service. Under the pump, in the housing, is a foam pad, used most likely for noise reduction, and above that it is simply an empty box. Much to my satisfaction this wavebox DOES attach to the aquarium with magnets, so keeping it in place won't be an issue.

The plugs to get this bad boy running are where it gets a little complicated. Things get started, of course, with a DC converter that plugs in to the controller. Right next to where this plugs in is a dial to tune the voltage of the pump and vary its speed. The pump then plugs in to the controller as well as an optional light sensor. The controller is a fairly straight forward design with several labeled buttons on the front and some flashing diodes to show the status of your pumps. It has an extra port so that an addition pump or wavebox may be added.

I first had to play with the wavebox on a large empty tank, and after figuring out some kinks in the controller programming, had it kicking some big 5" waves. After getting a feel for operating it, it was time to get it on a real reef. I selected a 75 gallon SPS reef for its first test and managed to squeeze it right behind the rockscape in a corner. At this point, I was really sold as it now looks like there are no pumps in the tank at all. It's now kicking up waves in the 75, but you will have to wait for more details after I get some video and pictures shot. Stay tuned...

 

Awhile ago I unboxed a Tunze 6215 Wavebox for your viewing pleasure, and now that I've been playing with it for awhile, I'm ready to give some thoughts on it. For my testing I ended playing with the 6215 on a 150 gallon, 75 gallon and 40 gallon tank. Though it's rating really only justified it being on the 150 gallon, it worked extremely well on all three. Follow along for the details and video after the break.



Testing started out on a 150 gallon tank, and it didn't start as quickly as I had hoped. I've run a fair amount of aquarium equipment, but this was my first experience with Tunze. Their controls are different from what I'm used to seeing, and because of that, it took awhile to get it figured out. After this though, I was off and having fun splashing water around. The controller has a nice auto set features which slowly changes the pulse timing from smallest interval to longest. When it gets to the wave pattern you desire, simply tap the button again, and it stops. You can then fine tune the wave with the use of the increment adjustment buttons. Overall it's a very smooth design that's easy to adjust once you get used to it.

The magnets that attach the 6215 to the tank are frighteningly strong. You can tell this is designed to attach to some pretty thick tanks because on my 40 gallon, there's no force on Earth that could make it fall off.

The thing I found strangest about the testing process for this one is that it seemed to have the ability to make the same size waves no matter what size tank it was on. On the 150 gallon, it could blast some three and four inch waves with ease, and all the way down to the 40 gallon, it was the same story. I couldn't tell you the exact science behind it, but the displacement of the wavebox must play a big part here.

No matter what size waves you set it to run, the corals get blasted from every angle with oscillating flow that should make keeping SPS, LPS and soft corals all happy in the same tank. Wave generators truly are the best way to go for a mixed reef due to the multidirectional yet strong flow patterns. Even fish seem to dance and play in the flow a little more than any other pattern, and anemones of course flow beautifully in the current.



The only downside I noticed to the Tunze 6215 wavebox was one that came to light on my 40 gallon. I feel I must first get in to something I call aquarium ambient noise. To define this I like to use two terms, base ambient noise and peak ambient noise. Base ambient noise is the noise produced by the equipment, such as pumps and fans, that are always running. Peak ambient noise is the noise created by devices that run off and on such as wavemakers. Obviously the bigger the tank, the more ambient noise devices will be running and the more they will drown out peak noise devices. On the larger, louder, tanks I tested on the ambient noise was great enough to drown out the 6215 wavebox. Even on the 75 gallon, it's noise was undetectable. On the 40 gallon however, the peak noise made by the wavebox was far to great. This drives home for me the size tank that this device is rated for. The nano sized wavebox should be a perfect fit for smaller tanks.

There is one more feature that I almost forgot to mention. The included light sensor can be connected to effectively deactivate the wavemaker while your lights are off for a night flow mode. It works very well with all tanks I tested it on even when ambient light in the room is on. An interesting side effect I found is that on my AI SOL lit tank when it dims out for a lightning storm the pump shuts off and when lightning strikes is briefly surges. This should add even more realism to storm mode.

Tunze has definitely captured an interesting nitch of the market with their waveboxes that even EcoTech Marine can't claim. Due to the displacement of the box, their wavebox makes very large waves on a wide range of tank sizes, and seems to move water more effectively around the entire tank. They may be expensive, but to the true hobbyist, they're worth their weight in gold.

This review wouldn't be complete with out some wave video, so without further adu, here's a peak at some waves kicking on my 75 gallon SPS reef.

 

Any follow up? I am planning to add this wavebox to my new 180. Please post vids if you can get them.
Thanks for doing this

 

bump

 

I should have some more soon.

Michael Rice
Marine Engineers
Sent from Tapatalk

 

Video added.

 

Any comparison to say a vortech wave?

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I hope quieter! The Vortech is flat out annoying on short pulse mode.

Nice review so far Mike, look forward to hearing more.

 

Full review done and added to the second post of the thread. Enjoy!

 

I just happened to address this. I would say the noise is comparable to a MP40, but I don't think an MP40 will be adequate for tanks as large as the wavebox.