The multicontroller 7096
These pumps are compatible with any Tunze controller, but I chose to buy the Tunze multicontroller 7096 which is extremely small and it only has one button for feeding mode and a USB plug for connecting it to a PC and setting it up via a its program.
The multicontroller 7096 has four channels and it differs to the 7095 in that it can be totally adjusted by pc using the USB cable, while the controller is physically smaller and it has only one button for the feeding mode pause, which can be adjusted to be longer or shorter: I set it to 15 minutes.
The multicontroller has a white LED light functioning just like a nocturnal moon light with a light intensity sensor which allows a reduction in the pumps flow rate as the light intensity decreases. We will see all the multicontroller’s features later on.
A 5 meters USB cable is also included to facilitate the connection to a PC.
In the picture you can see the inside of the cabinet next to my tank in which I placed the multicontroller and the power supplies box.
The green LED signal the number of pumps currently functioning.
The controller computer program is available for Windows or MacOSX, a very appreciated feature not always obtainable for aquarium controllers.
You can see above the program interface for Windows, which is basically identical for Mac.
The settings above are those I have been using for the past months. There three different modes, pulse only, interval and sequential. In the last mode the pumps work with intervals but those belonging to the second group still work at a minimum rate.
In the power control group the power of each pump is indicated from minimum to maximum, the pulse interval, the sequential functioning or the random currents depending on which mode we chose.
Under options we can manage the feeding mode time, for how long the pumps will switch off during feeding. Here we can also activate the night led so we can reduce the pump flow rate with the decreasing light intensity measured by the light intensity sensor. Last but not least, the very useful storm cycle function, which for any interval chosen brings the pumps at their maximum for 15 minutes in order to move the sediments on the rocks.
There is also a section dedicated to the wavecontroller system functioning.
I set the system in the pulse mode, with pump 1 and 4 counterposed: the first pulsing from a minimum of 30% to a maximum of 100% and the fourth from 100% to 30%. When pump 1 flows at 100% pump 4 is at 30% and vice versa. The third pump, behind the rocks, works constantly at 50% and is number 2 on the controller.
The pulse interval is set to 5 seconds: the pumps go from 30 to 100 and then 30 again in 5 seconds then it starts again. I disabled the night mode because I think that water movement is essential during night time to remove the mucus from corals. I also don’t use the storm cycle because currently, with the way my pumps are working, it would be useless. It definitely is worth using with different pumps set ups.
The multicontroller 7096 is extremely valid and widely adjustable in its settings. A computer is needed for this, but once done we have an amazing tiny controller under our tank with one useful switch… the feeding mode one.
CONCLUSIONS
These pumps are the best the market has to offer today, they are produced by a leader brand and their manufacture is excellent without any faults encountered.
The flow is wide and well distributed, and the controller allows us a wide range of personalizations in our set-ups.
Are they perfect? Once again I cannot say they are, but they get really close to perfection. Their stronger antagonists are the Ecotech Marine Vortech, which are in many ways complementary to the Nano Stream.
Tunze Turbelle Nano Stream 6095 can be preferred because of the price, versatility and low noise (actually silence). The flow of a pair of Tunze is probably inferior to a pair of Vortech’s, but with the same price we can buy 4 Tunze pumps. The Ecotech Marine controller is definitely more advanced than the multicontroller 7095, which is anyway still excellent in its features.
The Tunze Stream are an excellent purchase, the adjustable flow is still powerful enough to manage a marine tank 130 cm long containing SPS of remarkable dimensions. Whether they are the best-buy still remains a personal position in the war between Tunze and Vortech.
