WaveStrip WS-1 Wave Maker

Water motion in a reef tank is a critical element in a successful tank. Many tanks have been setup successfully without the use of a wavemaker device. However, I personally like the idea of random water flow coming from all angles and the corals swinging back and forth in the currents. It seems the corals like this much better also.

Many wave makers are sold for more than $200 to $300 each. This is a crazy price and most likely the main reason people do not bother with them. The "WaveStrip" that I use is made by LaVoie Technology & Invention and it is priced at $50 when I bought it. This is an ideal design -- a modified power strip. The "WaveStrip" has four independently controlled sockets that you plug your powerheads into. You then adjust the turn dials to control the amount of on-off time. Unlike other devices like X10 boxes, it does not make a "clang" from a relay every time the power goes on or off. The "WaveStrip" is totally quite during operation.

The "WaveStrip" claims to use a "SoftStart" which is a little gentler on your powerheads. Without a soft start feature you run the risk of shortening the life span of your powerheads. It is questionable if the soft start feature as implemented by the WaveStrip is useful enough. Startups don't seem soft to me. However, I use MaxiJet 1000 Powerheads which are durable and survive being turned on and off hundreds of times a day.

Pico II Fuse

One day my wave strip just stopped working. I drilled out the rivets holding the unit together and used a multi-meter to start testing the circuit board. I tracked it down to this little fellow called a Pico Fuse. I had no idea it was a fuse at first but thats a different story. In the end, I just had to cut this off the circuit board, track down a new one, and soder it on. Wavestrip works as good as new again.