The Eheim StreamOn+ pump had its first American showing at the Global Pet Expo last week and we made sure to spend some time wrapping our heads, and fingers, around what this new propeller pump is all about. Pricing and availability for Eheim’s StreamON+ was not disclosed at the show but there were a few working models in tanks that we were able to briefly evaluate.
First of all, the StreamON+ pump comes in two sizes, the StreamON+2000 and the StreamON+4000. Both pumps are a little on the large side, probably to increase efficiency from these power-sipping motors spinning the propeller. The StreamON+ 2000 is rated for 2,000 liters per hour (528gph) while consuming a paltry three watts of energy. The StreamON+ 4000 is only slightly physically larger and it is rated for 4,000 liters per hour with a power consumption that is still minuscule at just five watts.
With so little power consumed and relatively few RPMs, coupled with the vibration absorbing magnetic mount, it’s quite easy for the StreamON+ to be bordering on silent, which they were when we saw them in action. The one characteristic of the Eheim StreamON+ pumps which is disjointed is that they are relatively low flow rate, but large in body, making it hard to know how well these pumps will do in a larger tank where lots of flow is required, or how well they will fit in smaller tanks where space is at a premium.
There’s a whole new crop of low-power propeller pumps coming on the market lately – the Hydor Koralia 550 and Sicce Voyager Nano being two of the latest models. While the Eheim StreamOn+ pumps definitely fit into this new category at three and five watts of power, by comparison they are much larger than their low-power counterparts. Eheim was vague about any definitive pricing or availability so we’ll just have to wait until Eheim is good and ready to tell the world.
