Can you make a decision for me, please ?

[Casey8]

I am running 2 Tunze pump on my standard 48x18x20 75 gallon tank right now. One is 6055 and another is 6085, but they are not giving enough flow in my dominant sps tank. So I put 3 extra 1200 Maxijets and 1 Koralia 4 to help the flow, but I hate the look with too many powerheads in the tank. I don't know what I should buy, Tunze 6055 or Vortech 10 ? Can not afford the 40 though. I can't decide which pump will give a good flow, I want to get rid of those ugly Maxijets. Can anyone help me to make a decision before Boxing Day comes ?

[fishytime]

roughly the same gph between the MP10 and tunze 6055......kinda depends on what you need and where you wanna put it.......the tunzes are point able and will give you more mounting options........ie, I have one tunze mounted to the overflow box with the "dry side" magnet submerged ..... cant do that with a vortech.......the tunzes also seem to be more durable......the MP10 will have smaller profile and be less intrusive in the tank......easy to use "modes" and are wireless......sorry guys and Ecotech, but the wetsides on all vortechs are the weak link in the pump......they suck IMHO......

[Skimmerking]

roughly the same gph between the MP10 and tunze 6055......kinda depends on what you need and where you wanna put it.......the tunzes are point able and will give you more mounting options........ie, I have one tunze mounted to the overflow box with the "dry side" magnet submerged ..... cant do that with a vortech.......the tunzes also seem to be more durable......the MP10 will have smaller profile and be less intrusive in the tank......easy to use "modes" and are wireless......sorry guys and Ecotech, but the wetsides on all vortechs are the weak link in the pump......they suck IMHO......
Im with Doug on this one .

I was going to do that Doug with the magnet on the wet side in the over flow.

[reefgirl189]

I feel your pain. I too am going to need to upgrade powerheads if I have any hope at all in getting a few SPS in the future.

I really do like the vortech but the price is hard to swallow. MP40s are what? $500 for one?

Could you perhaps keep your eyes open for some great boxing day sales and upgrade to a better tunze model? Some placed like redcoral are offering 15% off, which is actually pretty significant. I hope this sale includes absolutely everything when they say "dry goods".

[tang daddy]

Tunze would match the other pumps you are running and as the OP said its directional so you can pretty much angle it in any way you want.

while the Vortech are alittle bit loud, they protrude less in the tank and with a decent flow it doesn't need to be directional just place it on the side of your 75 g and the half of the tank will be rolling waves!

[Aquattro]

Tunze all the way, IMO.

[Casey8]

Yeah, it is overpriced with poor quality reviews on the wet side pump as Fishytime said. But, if I only need to spend $500 for a pump, I will definitely go for it. The problem is, I have to many things to buy for the whole year supplies for my tank. 4,5 pails of salt, MH and T5 bulbs, all kind of additives and test ... with too many things I can't even write it down without looking at the list. It really sucks being poor but I got addicted to this expensive hobby, I can't get out :sad:

[Casey8]

Tunze would match the other pumps you are running and as the OP said its directional so you can pretty much angle it in any way you want.

while the Vortech are alittle bit loud, they protrude less in the tank and with a decent flow it doesn't need to be directional just place it on the side of your 75 g and the half of the tank will be rolling waves!


Only half of the tank ? :cry:
I wish I have the luxury pump like yours ... psst ... and all your high end frags too :mrgreen:

[reefgirl189]

Yeah, it is overpriced with poor quality reviews on the wet side pump as Fishytime said. But, if I only need to spend $500 for a pump, I will definitely go for it. The problem is, I have to many things to buy for the whole year supplies for my tank. 4,5 pails of salt, MH and T5 bulbs, all kind of additives and test ... with too many things I can't even write it down without looking at the list. It really sucks being poor but I got addicted to this expensive hobby, I can't get out :sad:

Look for things gently used!! Unfortunately all the "good" things people usually don't want to let go of but every once in awhile you can find great things on kijiji and this site. I found an awesome deal on an aquarium and set up I'm very thrilled to have right here on canreef by simply asking around.

[reefgirl189]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4gqAYg27Jc&feature=related

[Casey8]

Look for things gently used!! Unfortunately all the "good" things people usually don't want to let go of but every once in awhile you can find great things on kijiji and this site. I found an awesome deal on an aquarium and set up I'm very thrilled to have right here on canreef by simply asking around.


I would love to get some lightly used pumps because it is much cheaper and you pay no tax. Unfortunately, those good deals were gone too fast before I had a chance to send them a PM. I was always behind from someone. If too old or no history behind it, I prefer to just pay for a new one, maybe a 50 to a hundred more but I know I have a waranty for 1 year. That's why I have decided to take advantage of this Boxing day coming up to get a decent pump. But learning from my many mistakes I have made, I would love to hear your comments before I buy it. So please, anyone with your experiences, please help me this time.
Thanks for the link :biggrin:

[Casey8]

Thanks for all of your inputs, I think I am going to get a new model Tunze 6095 to match with my other 2 Tunzes.
Thanks and have a Merry Christmas everyone.

[jostafew]

Just thought i'd chime in quickly on the vortec's reliabilty; i'm not a vortech fanboy by any means (they were well suited to my tank, so that's why i have an MP10 ES and an MP40 ES W) but here's my experience with them in the 8 months or so that they've been running. I've had to do zero maintenance on the MP40 despite having to clean heavy calcium deposits out of all 5 of the othe pumps, 3 of which had actually stalled out, including a smaller MJ, a koralia, and the MP10. That being said, after figuring out how to disassemble the wetside and giving it a quick cleaning it's back up and running, no big deal. The MP10 i bought new and it's always had noisy bearings, but it's running on glass that's too thick so i haven't tried to warranty it. The MP40 i bought new but 2nd hand from a fellow Canreefer and has been awesome, nearly dead silent and zero problems despite running in less than ideal conditions.

Edit: looks like i'm a little late with this comment, but have a merry christmas and good luck with the boxing day shopping!

[Casey8]

No you are not late, thanks for your comment about the MP40 ES. I am looking for a good used one in the future, if I am fortunate enough to get it before someone else send a PM to the seller.

Edit : I also see that the Vortech keep their value well and re-sell it fast if compared with Tunze today.

[regent2009]

MP 40 esw. it's save room, easy maintainance-just clean the wet side propeller, no worry electricity leaks, powerful too (i'm only running 60% of the power for 72 g BF). i can see the coral make a big difference after i installed this. so far the best investment i made.

[Casey8]

Can you guys stop telling me how good is MP40 esw, you made me drooling on my keyboard here.

[fishytime]

well I work for a LFS and we see our fair share of warranty issues with the vortechs and sell lots of wet sides.....I think the thing is, when people spend $500 on a powerhead that breaks they tend to keep their lips tighter on the forums:wink:......far less warranty issues with the tunzes......

did that help with your drooling?:lol:

[Casey8]

... hahaha ... thanks fishytime, you really made me feel much better now :mrgreen:

[gobytron]

dude...
Get a wavebox.

Even the Nano wave box will work in your tank.

Honestly, the motion in your tank is incomparable to anything else once you've had a wavebox, its tough to look at a tank without one.

[Wayne]

+1 After lots of reviews and talk a wavebox is going to be my next investment.

dude...
Get a wavebox.

Even the Nano wave box will work in your tank.

Honestly, the motion in your tank is incomparable to anything else once you've had a wavebox, its tough to look at a tank without one.

[Casey8]

I know wavebox is the best for me, but as I said about my unluck with Vortech, I also had no luck with Tunze wavebox, big or small ... because Calgary, Alberta, Edmonton ... canreefers prefered to sell for local people first (with a good price too), before me :twised:.

[gregzz4]

I have one tunze mounted to the overflow box with the "dry side" magnet submerged ..... cant do that with a vortech

Actually, you can. I saw it done @ Carrera75's house. He cut the top off of a square-ish plastic bottle, put the dryside in the bottle and, with the bottle in the overflow just above the water level, you didn't even know it was there.

[fishytime]

Actually, you can. I saw it done @ Carrera75's house. He cut the top off of a square-ish plastic bottle, put the dryside in the bottle and, with the bottle in the overflow just above the water level, you didn't even know it was there.

hm.....cool idea.......he's got more cajones than me:lol:.....I wouldnt take the chance with a $500 pump, but hey, to each his own....

[mike31154]

Been running two MP40s for a few years now, one for 4, one for 3. They've both been very reliable. The first I bought new just before they changed the wet side magnet to the newer ones (the original Gen 1 had a poor plastic coating & would start rusting after a while). A $10 upgrade kit fixed that. It was still working fine even with a rusty magnet, but who wants that in their water. Anyhow, been running like a champ since then. Second I got slightly used a year later & it's also been running with no issues. Both also came with the 1st Gen wireless drivers, that is, non ES. I upgraded that feature as well a year or so ago when the ES drivers were initially offered at a pretty good discount.

Just relating my own experience here. There are plenty of different experiences with them out there, but they work for me. I've found you need to set them up properly & handle them with a little bit of care. All of the wet side parts are easily user replaceable & generally not that costly, so you should be able to keep any VorTech running for many years. Don't think you'll see that kind of longevity with the average Koralia. Something goes wrong with any of the other pumps & you pretty much have to send the whole unit back. I've snatched up two more used MP40s over the past couple of years, so have them as spares in case I need to service my currently running pumps. Also will come in handy for a tank upgrade. I don't mess with my pumps that much, only clean the wet sides when they really get grunged up bad. Never soaked them in vinegar, just use a toothbrush & scrub in old salt water.

Long story short, VorTech wet sides have not been a problem for me. No experience with Tunze, but from what I've seen on most forums, they're a very good product. Have also read about issues with them as well, however. I prefer the smaller footprint of a VorTech & the fact that there isn't an electrical power cord submerged in the water.

[tang daddy]

Yes very good point Mike made, less space taken up inside is more space for coral!!

I use to have a wavebox in my tank but it took up lots of room, much happier with the space saving Vortech now.

On a larger tank no big deal as space is not an issue, but with a small 75g space is always an issue....

[Parker]

dude...
Get a wavebox.

Even the Nano wave box will work in your tank.

Honestly, the motion in your tank is incomparable to anything else once you've had a wavebox, its tough to look at a tank without one.

I've had one for about 6 months now on my tank. I'm considering selling it, it's neat to watch but I'm not sure it's all it's all their cracked up to be, at least on my tank. I'm sure the function better on some better than others.

[vanreefer]

6105's will help check out this deal... don't know if he still has them but I got 2 of the 4 he had for sale and they are in great shape...http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=81698
VR

[Casey8]

6105's will help check out this deal... don't know if he still has them but I got 2 of the 4 he had for sale and they are in great shape...http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=81698
VR

Thanks for the link, but I just got a nano wavebox on Boxing Day and I think I had made a right choice. All my sps corals are opening up more polyps than ever before. No more detritus at the bottom of my BB tank. All I need in the future is getting a Vortech and a good skimmer. but I think I have to wait at least another few months to recoupe my savings again after spending a little over my budget on the last holiday.