Aquarium Shows

A quick look at Neptune Systems’ forthcoming WAV pump

The Neptune Systems WAV pump is an incredibly unique new pump for use with the Apex aquarium controller. While theDOS dosing and fluid meteringdosing pump and containers may have gotten the lion’s share of the press and attention at MACNA this weekend, Neptune Sys also quietly showed off their in-house water pump which we speculated upon earlier this year.

Back in January weshared some imagesthat hinted that Neptune Systems was working on their own water pump for the Apex ecosystem which we dubbed the “Apex Pump”. While the WAV is not the same body and style as what we spied at the company headquarters, it is much better and portends some amazing new functionality that will go way beyond the WAV pump.

The WAV pump in itself looks like an amalgamation between aSicce XStreamand aRossmont Mover. The new pump has a low profile, appearing sandwiched against the glass but with an articulating base that allows pivoting up to 20 degrees up and down, and the magnet base can naturally be twisted to point the pump left and right. Neptune has been light on details but we’re told the new WAV pump should be comparable to the output of the benchmark Vortech MP40 water pump.

What is arguably an even more exciting feature of the WAV is how it’s being driven, using a new module Neptune Systems calls “1Link”. The 1Linkprotocolincorporates both power and control into a single cable. You have to run power to your pumps and your lights anyway, but with 1Link now all the controllability is baked right into the power cable itself so there’s no need for further connectivity via daisy chaining or wireless links.

The WAV pumps that were displayed at MACNA in the Neptune Systems appeared to be fairly early prototypes but they pushed the water, they had the neat articulation, and better yet they were powered and controlled through a single cable. Since Neptune Systems focused on promoting and featuring their new DOS dosing and fluid metering systems we presume that the WAV pump and 1Link module will be released much later than the doser but we’ll keep an ear out for more details and future announcements about the intriguing approach that Neptune Systems is taking to creating a controllable reef aquarium water pump.

Jake Adams

Jake Adams has been an avid marine aquarist since the mid 90s and has worked in the retail side of the marine aquarium trade for more than ten years. He has a bachelor’s degree in Marine Science and has been the managing editor of ReefBuilders.com since 2008. Jake is interested in every facet of the marine aquarium hobby from the concepts to the technology, rare fish to exotic corals, and his interests are well documented through a very prolific career of speaking to reef clubs and marine aquarium events, and writing articles for aquarium publications across the globe. His primary interest is in corals which Jake pursues in the aquarium hobby as well as diving the coral reefs of the world.