My AIO Reef

The perfect pico tank wavemaker?

Why do I need a wavemaker? Claimed 165 gph of return pump worked great for my rock flower nems, zoas and other soft corals. It was working ok for montipora digitata. However I didn’t think my return pump was quite enough and when I added more SPS corals I decided it was time to increase flow and add a wavemaker. I decided on the Jebao ELW-3M because of its size, flow, and programmability. It is crucial to have the smallest pump you can in a Pico Tank

First Impressions and Introduction to the Jebao Jecod ELW-3M Wavemaker

Tiny! This was the smallest programmable wavemaker I could find but it still offers plenty of power. Power can be reduced down to 30% (except in random which unfortunately does not allow you to cap max flow) It fits great in a 5 gallon pico tank.

Wi-Fi Connection

Wi-Fi was surprisingly easy to set up. I downloaded the app. After registering a clicked on add a new wavemaker, and followed the prompts. You basically hold down the Wi-Fi button on the manual remote for 5 seconds and after about 15 seconds the app found and connected to the wavemaker. I have occasionally gotten warnings when first starting the app that it is not connecting the pump but I simply ignore the message and it seems to be work with no issues.

App/Programmability

There is plenty of ability to program on both the manual control and the app. You can manually adjust mode, flow, and frequency on controller. There is also a feed mode button that pauses the pump for 10 minutes. In app you can set up a program to schedule different modes/flows/frequencies to automatically come on at different times. I currently have sine wave flow overnight at 30% flow and 70% frequency. During the day it automatically switches to random mode. There are other modes including classic wave, constant, and an alternating pulse which is really designed to be used with another pump but can be used alone. Speaking of other pumps the Jebao ELW-3M can be used with other pumps and it seems simple to set up pumps as master or slave. Even though the app works fine I love that you also have the ability too manually control the pump as well. Sometimes I feel like I have too many apps, and if the app is no longer supported or crashes I’ll still be able to use the pump (just without scheduling).

Flow

Plenty of flow for 5 gallon aio pico reef. Jebao/Jecod claims 660gph which can be reduced as low as 198gph. I was a little disappointed that the random mode is truly random and you cannot set a max flow for random mode. 100% blasts are too much for my rock flower anemones and some soft corals. This is not a huge problem it just means I had to be more careful with placement and ensure that the nems aren’t getting blasted. If they’re getting too much flow they can move on their own, but I don’t want them to settle over any of my other corals. I also happen to like them where they are.

Noise

The pump is definitely quiet. My pico tank is on my bedside table and is about 2-3 feet from my head when I sleep so it’s important for anything I add to that tank to be as quiet as possible. I did notice slightly more noise coming from the tank but its honestly barely noticeable and could have been the return pump. If you notice more noise than your comfortable with you can set a schedule to have the flow reduced while you’re sleeping (which I would do during lights out anyway) or even have it completely off.

Instructions

Instructions aren’t well written, which is to be expected. Its not too hard to figure out what to do. The app is easy to use but the manual controls take a little figuring out. I’m hoping to write some better instructions in the future, check back soon for those

Longevity

I have been using another Jebao wavemaker for a few years and it has never let me down. I expect that I wont have any issues with the longevity but you never know. I will update this post if I do have any issues. I think over all Jebao/Jecod have done pretty well with quality control and longevity despite some bashing on the internet in the past.

After 8 months of ownership my pump is still going strong. I have cleaned it with tap water a handful of times to help keep the gunk out. It is easy to disassemble and reassemble for cleaning. No complaints so far!

Bonus!

The packaging includes a mountable holder for manual remote which is a nice touch

Check back later for long term review