Are the Vortech MP40 Worth the $$$

[shrimpchips]

I'm just wondering for the people who voted "no" - why? Are these people former Vortech users or people who haven't had one?

[kien]

For me it just came straight down to price. I knew I needed two powerful powerheads so I needed to spend some major dollars. It was much cheaper for me to buy two 6105s than two MP40s. That savings was put into other expensive gadgets (controller, dosing station, etc..). Sure they are not as pretty as the mp40s but at 3434 gph (each), they get the job done and everyone is happy, including the bank account. I'm still very curious about the mp40s and I'm sure the are awesome, but I got what my budget could afford me at the time without too many compromises. 1 brand new tunze 6105 and one used one. Oh, and they both had the benefit of plugging into my profilux controller giving me programmable settings for each powerhead.

[blacknife]

how bout the 10's and 20's?

I have a 33 and was thinking at some point it would be nice to upgrade to something variable.

[mike31154]

Originally Posted by globaldesigns

JUST AN UPDATE:

I must say I am even more impressed now that I have had this for a couple days... I am using Reef Crest mode and it does a great job of moving around the crap and now my water is even brighter/cleaner, as all the crap it dislodges has been filtered out.

In my opinion, this is a must item.

Are you still running any of your Koralias with the VorTech? If so how many?

[mike31154]

Originally Posted by blacknife

how bout the 10's and 20's?

I have a 33 and was thinking at some point it would be nice to upgrade to something variable.

I only have experience with the 40s, but for your size tank either the 10 or 20 will work fine. Depends on your livestock/coral requirements, although to me, more flow is good even in a FOWLR to keep the 'crud' from settling too much.

The 20 has the advantage of being upgradeable to 40W for a couple hundred $$ if you need more flow in the future. I've also read that because the MP10 is much smaller, it runs at a higher rpm, meaning the possibility of more noise when running full blast. If you go with a 20, you may be able to run it at a lower speed which should also keep the noise level lower. Some folks do complain about the sound of these pumps but I don't have a problem with the whirring sound. It's more apparent when using short pulse wavemaking mode, which I don't use. You're going to hear them more readily with the motor running outside the tank. Submerged pumps have the advantage of the water dampening the sound of their motors.

[plutoniumJoe]

Originally Posted by kien

1 brand new tunze 6105 and one used one. Oh, and they both had the benefit of plugging into my profilux controller giving me programmable settings for each powerhead.

I was thinking of going this way also. I like the idea of being able to aim the powerhead and hook into my controller eventually. I haven't used either yet but I was wondering if any tunze users switched to vortechs.

[globaldesigns]

Originally Posted by mike31154

Are you still running any of your Koralias with the VorTech? If so how many?

I am still running 4 of them with the vortech, they are only #2's so only 600GPH each but I can define different currents along with the vortech... It is very nice how I have things now.

[globaldesigns]

Originally Posted by plutoniumJoe

I was thinking of going this way also. I like the idea of being able to aim the powerhead and hook into my controller eventually. I haven't used either yet but I was wondering if any tunze users switched to vortechs.

I can say that you don't need to worry about aiming the Vortech, the amount of debris it pull out of crevaces, cracks and crannies was awesome... And the width of current it creates gets everything moving and the undercurrents it creates also does a great job.

Now I have only had it for 3 days now, but Wow!

[shrimpchips]

Originally Posted by plutoniumJoe

I was thinking of going this way also. I like the idea of being able to aim the powerhead and hook into my controller eventually. I haven't used either yet but I was wondering if any tunze users switched to vortechs.

The only real 'disadvantage' I can think of for the VorTech is that they aren't releasing the controller side to any third-party controller makers.

If I already had the Profilux before I bought the VorTech, I might have gone Tunze for the controllability from the Profilux, but at this point, I don't regret getting the Vortech, and intend to get a second one sometime soon.

[globaldesigns]

K, just an update... I have now changed my settings and now am running Short Pulse... It took a bit to dial it in, but got a nice wave action going, short pulse alternating on/off at about 3/4 second intervals.

It has been a couple days at this setting and I can see even better polyp extension.