MaxiJet 1000 Powerhead

I used to provide water motion in my tanks with four Maxijet 1000 powerheads made by Aquarium Systems. All of these powerheads were switched on and off to create wave movement via the WaveStrip. The Maxijet line of powerheads are high quality, quiet, small and powerful. They are smaller and quieter than other powerheads I have used. The true test of a powerhead is if it can survive the constant on and off switching of a wave maker. Maxijet's have an excellent reputation for doing well on a wave maker.

After nearly three years of service on a wave maker I have removed all of these powerheads. I've replaced them with a Gemini Powerhead.

These are fully submersible, electromagnetic drive pumps. It can be mounted with a bracket that uses three suction cups.

Product Features

• 265 Gallons per Hour (1000 l/h)
• Consumes 20 watts
• Maximum Head 5.7 feet (1.75 m)

MaxiJet 1000 Powerhead attached to first proto-type hanger

Here you can see what happens to the powerheads after a year or so. They get covered in coralline algae and need to be cleaned. The other problem is that after a year or so the suction cups are useless and need to be replaced or removed.

I decided to remove them. I took a 1 inch PVC pipe and cut it down the middle. I then used plastic wire ties to secure the powerhead to the PVC pipe.

If your tank rim has a lip on it, like most tanks do -- you'll need to notch the PVC pipe for the lip. This actually helps to stabilize the powerhead.

MaxiJet 1000 Powerhead mounted to light hood

This picture shows how I mounted the powerhead to the inside of the hood. I used a plastic cable TV wire holder. This has a round clip that can be "un-clipped" to allow for easy powerhead removal. The cable holder is held in place with a small screw going into the hood.

The top of the PVC pipe has a small hole drilled into it. I used a plastic wire tie to attach the powerhead and PVC pipe to the cable TV wire holder. Also notice the notch in the PVC pipe were the rim of the tank passes.

MaxiJet 1000 Powerhead - DIY Replacement Acrylic hanger

I found the PVC holders I made above to be annoying when I needed to move powerheads around or if I needed to hang a powerhead in the back of the tank. I had no place to mount the PVC holder to. I used a piece of acrylic that was 2 inches x 8 inches by 1/4 inch thick. Each bend is 1 inch long with 6 inches available to mount the powerhead onto.

The acrylic can be bent easily by holding it over a gas stove flame. Be sure to keep the acrylic moving as it can catch fire. I bend the acrylic against wood blocks to get the 90 degree bends.

MaxiJet 1000 Powerhead - DIY Replacement Acrylic hanger

This shows the Maxijet 1000 powerhead attached to the acrylic hanger with plastic wire ties. You should get a nice snug fit and the powerhead should not slide when the power is turned on. If the hanger is to lose adjust the angle of the back part of the hanger to point inwards. This will apply pressure to the tank wall and keep the powerhead in place. If that does not solve the problem, try wedging a piece of soft foam between the back part of the hanger and the tank wall.