MP40s - what setting do you prefer?

[mike31154]

TSM for me. I have 3 pumps, one on each end & one at the back. Every so often I'll do the NTM to shake things up. The back one is speed limited to about 35% since my tank is relatively narrow & if that one were to slave along to a higher speed with the other two, it would be too much flow back to front at some point during the TSM cycle. I had intended to buy an MP10 for the back, but the speed limited 40 works very well thanks to the many options available with the W ES controllers.

[Coralgurl]

Does anyone run them master/slave or all independent? Markod has already answered this, anyone else? I initially set mine up to try for the waves but it didn't seem to work. I have 2 on my 180 running at 100% think I need another on the back. I have an MP10 on my 55 and it picked up the programming, even though it's in another room, also programmed to my lights, this runs all 3 in night mode until 11 am-9 pm.

[mike31154]

Mine are in a Master/Slave grouping, but as mentioned, the one on the back is speed limited. 180 is a big tank to get a wave with two MP40s, although you should get at least a small one going. What length is the tank? Mine is 4 ft & no trouble getting a good wave going. There is a good explanation in the manual about letting the controllers 'auto' tune a wave for you. You just need to set them up master/slave with the slave anti-synch and keep an eye on the water surface as the auto tune feature changes speed & ramp up frequency. Once you see the wave start, all you need to do is hit the Set button (I think) & the controllers will memorize that setting. After that, any time you want a wave, you simply need to choose the pulse mode & the pumps should remember the 'wave'.

[Coralgurl]

I never did get a wave going, but I don't think I had them correctly programmed. The tank is 6'x2'x2'. I started the tank with 1 mp40 and that was definitely not enough to push flow to the other side of the tank, so added another. Will leave them on reef crest for now until I can pick up at least one more.

[mike31154]

Not sure I have the latest version of the Eco Smart User Manual, but in mine the Auto-Tune procedure is on page 25, Section 4.3. It appears they only talk about a single pump there though. If you are using two or more, you will need to ensure they are in a proper sync/anti-sync, master/slave configuration. A pump on the back glass will not help and may in fact hinder the generation of a wave. On a 6 foot tank you may need two MP40s at each end, or a pair of MP60s to get a decent wave going. Even though you haven't had success generating a wave yet, the back & forth movement of the water with two pumps in short pulse mode should provide some sort of rocking motion in your livestock & may help flush detritus out of your live rock. Personally I don't like the wave mode since it's one of the noisier ways to operate these pumps with them ramping up to 100% & down to idle rather quickly in most cases. There is also a warning & disclaimer in the manual to consult with your aquarium tank manufacturer to determine if your tank can withstand the extra stress of water sloshing back & forth. I use the Nutrient Transport Mode from time to time & the waves created at the beginning of that cycle are enough to discourage me from using wave mode for very long.

[Madreefer]

I have 2 MP40's and 1 MP10 all on the back wall in sync mode. The best wave I could get without having to play with any settings was on NTM at 80%. That is what I run at all times. Probably wont work for the average tank though as mine is a half circle shape.

[Coralgurl]

With the bigger tank, I've tried a few things with the phs and lights. My biggest concern is enough flow throughout the tank. I'm going to unsync the phs from the lights and not use night mode for a while, keep the flow the same 24 hours a day. Regarding the noise, the phs are nowhere near as noisy as the rest of the tank equipment so I'm not concerned. For the waves, I think I would need 2 more mp40s but I'm not sure this would be the best flow for the tank anyway.

I believe my phs are in sync, not anti sync. I just use the online manual as mine are in boxes in the basement, but I can admit I'm not a very techie person so not one for fidgeting too much with things.

[regent2009]

mine is 180g same as ur size. i use 2 mp40 on pink mode (sync both with 90% power). flow-wise seems working fine with me.

[mike31154]

Originally Posted by Coralgurl

I believe my phs are in sync, not anti sync. I just use the online manual as mine are in boxes in the basement, but I can admit I'm not a very techie person so not one for fidgeting too much with things.

To get any kind of wave with two MP40s they will need to operate in anti-sync in the Short Pulse mode, that is, while one is ramping up, the other is ramping down. To do this they have to be in a master/slave group so that they communicate with each other. With the EcoSmart drivers and pumps postioned for a typical rectangle tank, opposite each other, the dial on the master will show the colour of whatever EcoSmart operational mode you are using, NTM, TSM, etc. The first slave on the opposite side of the tank should show an orange dial colour. If you have one on the back in the same master/slave group it's dial should light up turquoise. In any EcoSmart mode, there is no sync/anti-sync option, each pump is set up with a certain colour based on where it is located on the tank. The EcoSmart modes themselves take care of changing speeds depending on the EcoSmart mode selected.

If you were to use a second MP40 next to the master on the same side, you would set it up in sync so that they both push water at the same time. In this case, this slave would show a white coloured dial (sync). Sounds complex, but EcoTech has actually taken much of the guesswork out of setting up the pumps effectively with the EcoSmart drivers. A good short explanation of this is on page 32 of the online manual.

I printed a copy of the full instructions so I don't need to fire up a computer every time I need to refresh my memory, which is often. It's also a very useful reference for someone that may be looking after your tank when you're away. Techie or not, these pumps have a ton of options & if you own one or more, it's very worthwile to do your best to become familiar with what they can do. After all they cost a few $$$s more than your typical powerhead so you may as well get the bang for your buck.

[mike31154]

oops, double post. Sorry. Very untechie of me!