I bought these for the sleek design and programming options for my Waterbox 35.2 AIO build. I liked everything about the pumps, however, after the warranty expired I started having problems with one of them. I kept having to do the factory hard reset and manually control. Not the worst thing, but I bought them to pair together and keep things hands off. A few months later it stopped working. Did the full teardown and deep clean per AI and still nothing. I expected a much longer service life given the brand. I reached out to customer service, still waiting to hear back. I assume I will have to mail back and pay for repairs. I ordered a Nero 3 clone, the Jebao SLW10 in the mean time to keep my flow going until I decide what to do with the Nero. Disappointed so far.

These pumps are great while they work. Only issue is after a little over a year they completely stop working. Both times it happened after one of their firmware updates. Customer services solution is to mail it in and pay for them to fix it since it’s outside of warranty. Kind of disappointing it happened the same way twice and they don’t admit fault, especially for the price.

I bought two around December ‘21. Within 6 months both were sent back to AI under warranty. Prior to sending in I noted that there was obvious water intrusion into the stator portion of the pump. Both were seemingly replaced. One failed within 12 months. The other is still kicking in December ‘25. I switched to Sicce XStream pumps and am very happy with them.

using this pump on a pulse mode in my sump for the fug to keep the chaeto turning !

Using as my only power head in 34 gallon Red Sea, 3 months no problems! Low profile and powerful

Like many others on here...bought 3 all failed around 1 year mark...1 was under warranty and replaced by AI...now trying Hygger powerheads (Amazon)...less than 1/3 the price...still working

I’ve had this pump up and running on my new tank now for about 7 months 06/05/2025 and it’s been working perfectly! Only 1x issue with the Bluetooth now connecting, but was solved with a quick reset! Other than that it’s worked beautifully!!

Had this for 2 months, and it will randomly stop working.

I own 2 of these, along with a Orbit 2. All of them have the same problem, which is they don't turn off during pulse mode as an option. In random mode, you can set it down to 1% minimum, which is the same as feed mode, but in pulse mode, the minimum is 2%. Even at 1% or 2%, in a small tank, it's too much flow. The 1% is basically the same at 5% or even 10% and it position at the top of the tank aimed towards the opposite wall, the current will flow that way, then down the glass and back towards the other side. The corals on the bottom opposite wall get blasted with current at 1% or 2% as the pump doesn't have a 0% option. Ideally, you should be able to set it to spin at whatever % for the on phase, like 30% for a duration, then 0% for a duration to create an actual pulsing pattern. I have other wavemakers, like a Sicce XStream SDC that is capable of this, and it produces a much better wave pattern. I'm sure AI could release a firmware update to fix this. These are pretty expensive little pumps, they should be able to turn off if desired from an end-users program.

I currently own 1 but as soon as they go on sale I will be getting at least a second one. They definitely move water and are surprisingly small for their output.

Added the Nero 3 to my fluval Evo 13.5 and it has been amazing. The AI app is great I’m able to control the power it generates and I can even set my schedule. I’ve had no problems yet.

Had my Nero 3 for almost a year now. Still runs like a dream. Simple to use and change settings through the app. Would get another any time.

Bought two Nero3’s. AI replaced the first one that failed. Now all 3 pumps failed. They start and then abruptly stop and the red lights go on. Simply not worth the aggravation and time.

This pump was great.... when it worked, I've had it running for barely 6 months, cleaned it and maintained it regularly. Now the fan blades won't even move. I've taken it apart and checked for clogs and nothing.

I have two of these one since they came out and the second around 6 months after. So for years now. I’ve never had any issue except for when I had them stopped overnight on accident a starfish crawled into one and jammed it. Had to clean it out and then it was fine again.

Good, reliable and decent price what you pay for. Works good for me and fully customizable through the mobius app or Ai.

the most frustrating piece of aquarium equipment ever owned. Absolutely zero reliability when it comes to it turning back on. only will stay running for about 48 hours until it shuts itself off. this powerhead has a priming mode when it turns on that is some sort of fail-safe in the event it gets clogged so the propeller will spin for a brief second on if it senses resistance, it will stop spinning. it will try and do this 3 times until it eventually stops trying and goes into error and will just flash a red light indicating that there is an issue. the frustrating part about this is the only resistance its sensing is the normal film that builds up on a powerhead internally. which only needs to be cleaned every couple of months, so to fix this you have to take apart the powerhead every time and wipe it down then put it back together for it to work again. the sleek profile is utterly useless if you continually have to take it in and out of the tank 2 to 3 times a week. worst $200 ever spent.

While I enjoy the 3 for my nano tank appearance wise. I am tired of it breaking. I have to take it apart at least once a week to spin the blades because it completely stops. I put in a service ticket which the team was great. However, when I got the replacement, even the new one did the same thing. Only difference, the new one has a dull clicking sound. Which isn't ideal because the tank is on my office desk.

works great and app control is easy to use

works great in my 65 gallon mixed reef

I purhaseed two one for each end of my tank. One failed within the first year. Aquillumination did replace it prompley, and I thank them for that. Now the replacement has failed and the second one from the original purchase has failed. Both lasted less than two years. When they did work, I liked the performance and the controlabilty through the app.I have AI lighting and am completely satisfied.

I have had two of these for about a year now. Both stall constantly and require being manually started by nudging the blades to start spinning with a tooth pick.

Used one for a year & recently added a second. Overall they've worked great, app is great, and are super easy to clean. Only complaint is the padding on the year-old magnet has worn out and is super thin. After cleaning the pump is loud/vibrates for a few days; this noise thankfully does go away.

This product has a 1 year warranty for a reason. I used it for about 18 months, cleaning it regularly, and it gave me the flashing red led. Never to work again. I will say when it did work it was amazing. Provided great control and powerful flow while being sleek. Still don't recommend. If they came out with an updated version and gave it a 5 year warranty like Tunze then they would have my attention.

I have 2 of these in my e-170, they have been running for a year now. They are dead silent up to about 95% power, you can hear a slight hum when running 100%. I love how low profile they are, and the range of flow can go from super super gentle to more than enough to churn the sand up. Paired will with my MXM and Apex. I have them configured to mimic a MP40 nutrient export pattern twice a day, which has done wonders to keep the sandbed cleaner and manage nutrients. I just wish the app had a few more flow patterns.

I've only experienced the stopping problem once or twice in the beginning, and i would just stop all the pumps and restart it, then it would work again. Otherwise it has great versatility and i like how i can play with flow until i dial in what i think will be perfect.

I loved the control of the flow, how easy and simple it is to use, but not so great with how long it lasted. I started getting the red light at 10 months. Sent it to AI under warranty and replaced it twice with no resolution. Both times I received it back, it would work fine for a week or two but then it’d stop working again. I would have expected this to be valued at $80 but for $180 and it’s life expectancy, I wouldn’t recommend it unless you have the cash flow to replace it yearly.

I have 2 Nero 3's and after one year both are working as they should. They've been running on random flow 35-55% during the day and a low steady flow at night. I have had them stop occasionally, but they always start back up after disassembly and a quick scrub with an old tooth brush. I ultimately chose the Nero's because the small size is fantastic, fish guard is included, and I already had the AI app for my lights. I do think they are overpriced. That is my main reason for knocking one star.

Just like everyone else. Cleaned the pump and got the red light issue. No way to fix it. Horrible quality.

The pump stops working after 12 months working period. Red light blinks and no way to recover, too bad for this product.

This unit has the best flow, the best looks, the best app, the best interface, and with all that it has going for it, it should be a five star unit that just leaves every other brand out of the equation. Except for one big factor - life expectancy. Mine seems to have lived a long life compared with many, but for this money, it should have lasted longer than 18 months. If you have the cash flow, then this one is for you. I need a new pump , and I’d like to be under 80 bucks, with an app. I’m not sure if I can. Anyway, if you choose this one, you will love it, and show it off to your friends, and then it will die and break your heart. PS - "Contact us" to AI via phone (NO Answer), email (ChatGPT response) or text (No reply) is a further waste of your resources. Just buy something else.

I bought a Nero 3 last year. When I got it, I put it in the water and it automatically didn’t work. I took it out and took it apart. I then cleaned it and put it back together. And it worked for a little while. I did this for about half a year then just had enough. I then wrote to brs (great costumer support) and got another one sent to me. It worked abt 6 hours then stopped. I cleaned it and put back together. It worked about another 6 hours then stopped. I wrote brs and said I would like my money back and I would return both pumps if need be. They were excellent again and I got my money back. But needless to say just like a majority of people saying here it’s a bad pump. I have never written a review bf on anything (except this). But I hope this saves someone from wasting there hard earned money on this pump.

Bought 2 and they worked great…. until they didn’t. They barely managed to last just outside of the warranty period and ended up being a complete waste of almost $400.

Had two of these and loved them at first…4 months later 1 stopped working out of the blue and now my other at the year mark. It seems like the drivers have a component failing and the company won’t admit it…what do I know I’m just a controls engineer.

Purchase a Nero 3 and it didn't work right out of the box. It appears I got a defective unit. Thinking I should have purchased something different that has more reputable review ratings.

I have three of these and they all broke......expensive piece of junk

I have bought 4 Nero 3's in the past 20 months, 2 at start of tank and two several months later. One of the first two failed within the year warranty, and was replaced, but has now failed. Two others have also failed. 4 failures of 5 pumps within 20 months.

While I do like the pump, design, and remote control so far...this pump could really use a 0% / off mode for feeding (with a feeding 5 or 10 minute timer would be nice too). Even when turned down to 1%...there is enough agitation to cause floating food to drop faster. I want the ability to turn it off completely from the control. Also, I'm constantly guessing the speed and trying to listen for the loudest mode (100%) and then guess the count of button presses to know what speed I have it set to. Ugh! Instead of a just a green light on the control button...a number or percent would be nice.

I purchased two of these over the last maybe 3 years. It’s a good product but don’t expect it to last more than 1 to 2 years. Durability in this price point seems to be the industry standard. If you’re new to reefing it’s a great pump to start with and I would absolutely recommend it. It will be one of those pump you think back at and say “I had one of those… worked great! Until it just stopped working one day…”

This Powerhead is a Rockstar....

I have five Nero 3 pumps some are several months old now and I’ve not had any issues at all out of them. They have worked flawlessly so far. I would definitely recommend them and will likely buy more in the future as my flow needs evolve.

I ordered 2 Nero 3s . One I had to return because it was obviously dirty/ used. Lucky BRS is awesome enough the instantly ship me out a new one. These pumps love to stall and stop working all the time. I will take them apart and deep clean them and 3 days later they will both be seized up again. They will not even be dirty. I do not recommend these pumps they are not worth the hassle. Ohh and you have to sit on hold for over an hour to chat with Aquaillumination.

Bought two Nero3 and a Nero5. Two of the three just stopped working. Per AI i cleaned the powerhead but still will not work. Frustrating for the money they charge for them.

I bought two of these pumps for my Red Sea Reefer 170 G2 and they have performed very well. I have had two instances where some sand got wedged into the movement that locked it up (my fault) but that was a simple fix by clearing the sand from the movement. Very quiet operation and the thinner more pliable cable makes it easier to route. I’m happy with them so far. I do t know how long they will last… time will tell.

I purchased two Nero 3 for my 60 gallon in August 2021. One died the first year, and my second died this month. Aqua Illumination did replace the first one because it was under warranty. I am very disaapointed that neither Nero 3 lasted two years. The replacement is still working, but I do not trust it. I ordered and am waiting for a Maxspect Gyre to arrive. I am giving two stars only because when both Neros worked, I was very happy with the flow, and the AI app was very easy to use.

I purchased 2 of Nero 3 pumps and on week 4 BOTH pumps stalled and I got the blinking red light. I “cleaned” the already clean and virtually brand new pumps and placed then back in the tank. They ran for 2 days before they both locked up again and the light flashed red. I did this once more and a day later one was making a high pitched noise and locked up the second was locked up and flashing red. I contacted AI and they advised they would send me ONE pump at a time to replace the defective pumps. They were not interested in troubleshooting just told me they would send me one pump at a time. I got the first pump on Dec. 27 2022 a couple days later it was blinking red as well. I contacted AI and was told they would send another pump out. That replacement pump for the replacement pump never came not to mention a replacement for the second pump!! I was later told a technician would call and that phone call to date 01/16/23 was never received. Luckily BRS immediately accepted the return without question!! The second pump I made the mistake and purchased from a different retailer who did not accept the return. (Had points I needed to use) At this point I accept I am out of 180 for the second pump. AI customer support was atrocious!

I have 2 Nero 3’s and 2 Nero 5’s. They frequently shut off (flashing red lights). Sometimes a hard reset of holding the power button down, unplugging, plugging back in and waiting for lights to flash red will turn the powerhead back on. Sometimes the pump has be unassembled/reassembled and then reset. Very unreliable. Do not buy unless you want to spend time fiddling with powerhead a that should only need fiddling with when cleaning.

I have been in the cheap pump camp for many years. This splurge was more worth it than I thought. It's so powerful yet so quiet! I enjoy the ability to control the action of the pump hour by hour in the app.

This pumps don't live to their expectations. Bought one and only lasted 8 months suddenly stopped working no apperent reason. Did everything from cleaning it to resetting it ,no luck. Now is just junk. In short save your money and buy something else.

Given the price point it’s okay. It’s pretty noisy (actually the noisiest thing in my tank). Most likely will replace with something different soon. Flow ok, but for my 36” 60 gallon tank I would say adequate but I probably should have gotten the nero 5.

I purchased one of these powerbeads in Feb 2021 through BRS, and it has just stopped working. I tried cleaning it (though it wasn't particularly dirty) in case that was the cause, but this had no effect. It starts to spin, but only does about 1 rotation before stopping. It's now out of warrantee as I've had for 18 months. If you want to spend $150+ on a powerhead that will only last 18 months, then have at it. Caveat Emptor.

I purchased two Nero 3's at the end of March from BRS. The main reason I purchased them is for their low profile appearance to keep my all-in-one tank looking as minimalistic as possible. One unit has worked flawlessly, but the other is defective. AI replaced the motor after my first complaint, but they did not replace the controller and I had to figure out by myself how to swap them out because no instructions were included. I have continued to have problems with them same unit, but they will not replace the controller. They recommend I send it in for service and repair. AI's email response time is very reasonable, but I am very unhappy with their run around process of cleaning, photographing the motor/propeller, a telling me there is a "break in period" which is ridiculous. They refuse to replace the controller which I feel is the problem, and probably costs them the most to replace. I would not recommend a purchase for this reason especially with the high cost of the unit.

It works with the app and it allows for decent control. It may not allow you to angle it much but considering how slim its design is, the pump does a good job. I'm definitely buying a Nero 5 at some point because I love the Nero 3

The nero 3 pushes as much water as a smaller reef tank needs. I have 1 in a biocube 16 on random between 10 and 30% and after only a week I can see an improvement in all my critters. Im in process of a 60 cube build and have a 2nd one to add when I fire it up. Only negative so far is the fish guard hinders the ability to angle it. I found a 3d printed one that allows full movement on etsy that is perfect. If I run in to any reliability issues in the future I will update this review

I've been running this pump in a biocube for 3 weeks. Already dead. Getting the flashing red stall light, not stuck at all. Tried the resets, etc.. Nothing. I've had their Sol lights for over 10 years and counting without an issue, been very happy with those. Very disappointed in this product.

Let me preface this by saying that I love AI lights and the app. I purchased this for my mom's biocube. When it worked it was great. It worked for about 2 months and completley siezed up. I dissasembled and soaked in citric acid. Nothing. I expect more from AI, but seems to be the norm in this hobby. Hype up the product and then it breaks after a month or two. I have 5 year old jeabo pumps that still work. This pump is absolutley not worth the pricetag.

Pretty disappointed with this pump. I doubt it’s even good for 1000 gph. The app is nice and easy to use so there’s a redeeming quality. I wouldn’t put this in anything bigger than a 40g

Bought this pwerhead a few months ago. At first it worked great. Then it started siezing and stopping. Took it out and tried to clean it. Couldnt get the impellar off. Thought maybe you couldnt with this model. Ran it in vinegar and it worked great. Rinsed it off, pyt it back in tank and it would start. Finally grabbed a pair of pliers to pull the impellar off. It wasnt dirty. Tried to start it again and the only way it would start is if i gave it a spin during start-up. Its running for now but i wouldnt buy the 3 again. I also bought the 5 and that one seems to work great.

Have 2 of these in my corner flow 90. The work great and the app is awesome

I have had cheap power heads and expensive power heads. Ecotech marine and the Chinese kind. This power head is really nice. For the price and the features its great. I orgianally bought this for a nuvo fusion peninsula which worked fine but then upgraded to a 40 gallon peninsula and wow huge difference in flow. Works great and packed with features.

Really the recurring story with AI, fantastic products paired with a truly awful app. The app is so difficult and frustrating to use its really hard to describe. It is in the same league as the cheap Chinese apps from Jebao and InkBird. Video reviews of this product say that it is really easy to use and set schedules for flow, but once you get your hands on it you get the real story. Is your schedule running? Or is the pump off? Is it running at 100%? You can't tell on the app unless you press the button for the action you want. Want to see your current flow rate? Good luck. The remote is convenient and the pump really pushes water. Syncing 2 pumps is nice too. Its too bad that an awful app hampers the true functionality of the product.

I'm pretty happy with the pump overall. Setup was simple and had it up and running in less than 5 minutes. Installing the app and connecting the device was also very easy. It's bluetooth connection with the app is a bit suspect so if you set it and forget it, it will be fine. If you want to interact with it a lot it may annoy you as I've found unplugging and plugging in the pump tends to be required to get the bluetooth connection restored.

Pump is powerful. Has a little wine to it I can hear. My biggest complaint is on random, it isn't crazy random like the mp10's reefcrest. It just seems to go from high to low every few minutesor so

I use the IOS app and couldn't be happier. It is surprisingly powerful. It is also really quiet even when running 0-100% 3 second pulses. I really like the feed cycle button as well. I have this in a 32G cube with a Jebao SLW-10 on the other side. The Nero3 at 50% power is more powerful than the SLW-10 at 100% power. Going to buy another Nero3 and put the SLW-10 in a QT tank.

I really like this pump. I have the Nero 5 and a Tunze 6055. I added this little guy to get a little more flow. I really like how slim it is and and quite it is. It was a little noise at first but I turned the pump on and off and its silent now. I love the controllability of this pump as well. I have used a lot of AI's stuff and have loved every product. I'm glad I snagged one when they were in stock for a week or two.

I have had this pump for about six months. My problem is when the pump is greater than 50% power you can hear every ramp up. I set mine on the wave/pulse mode. I wanted to put it on random but the noise got to be where I had to adjust the settings to fit my noise tolerance level. very distracting. If your tank is somewhere were you do not mind the humming of the motor, it is a very powerful and sleek looking wavemaker, I do recommend it with the noise cavoite.

Nero 3 arrived on time. Had it setup and registered within half an hour using my iPhone. Downloading and programming the Nero 3 on my iPhone was effortless. We bought it for our Biocube 16. Love the flow it creates on random setting between 25-40%. Couldn’t justify dropping the $ on a MP10 for a nano with softies and LPS. This is an outstanding less expensive option. Can barely see it in the tank and it’s silent.

I love these power heads. I have two Nero 3’s in my 29 gallon. I really like them. I haven’t had any of the connection issues that other reviewers mention (I’m using an iPhone). They look really sleek and take up minimal space. Since these are the only equipment in my display tank, I wanted the most unobtrusive powerhead available. They are plenty powerful for smaller tanks. I’m only running them at 30% power. I cannot hear them at all. They are pretty expensive, which is the only real negative in my opinion.

I like the pump. Great form factor. But the app must be from some Belarus sweat shop. Not the world class hackers .... the ones that cant get jobs. blue tooth drops at a rate of every 2 to 3 minutes so program fast! Oh wait you cant because the drag and drop works like garbage. get the pump and PRAY you never have to alter your schedule. This batch of AI I purchased will probably be my last.

Have to say, disappointed in the technology. When the powerhead works, it's great. The My AI app is pretty basic, and not very robust in that it often just quits working (Android)-- not to mention it's pretty much bare bones features. Big surprise is that I cannot access it from WiFi. Only my smartphone (it's Bluetooth only, just like the PRIME lighting-- ugh). And, we all know bluetooth is very finicky and even moreso with the My AI app. If I use a power switch to turn on/off the powerhead, it many times forgets it's bluetooth channel and requires a reboot of the device while holding the button down. Speaking of the button, there are lights on it, but there's nowhere in the docs that explains what a blinking red light means. In fact you can't even find ANY documentation or manuals online. That's a first for me. Another big surprise is if you go to your My AI online account, expecting to set this thing up, you'll find quickly nothing works. That's because it's BT only and doesn't work over WiFi. Took me a while and some digging to figure that one out. There's terribly little about this device in the support section. Perhaps someday they'll figure it all out. But you would think having a downloadable manual wouldn't be that hard of a thing to provide.

Using 40 gallon breeder tank. Nice size pump it’s small and powerful. Using the app is fairly easy after playing around with it for a bit. The biggest down side is once you program it to be above a certain percentage in power it can be heard across your living room. That being said I have set it to a point where I can’t hear it and will likely never use it on a higher setting.