powerheads, best bang for your buck

[sdreefer69]

ok, is the ecotech mp's really worth the money? all the different setting sounds really cool but is it really worth it?

or am I really just better off getting a couple sure flows or korilas?

what do you guys think? should I buy a couple new power heads or, just spend the possible extra $ and get the vortech?

Also to the guys that own the vortechs, do you really think they are loud?


pleases let me know if there's already a thread about this. thanks

[bpro32]

Look at koralia evo's. When they are on sale I think those could potentially give you the best bang for your buck. I have a 1050 and it puts out a pretty strong and wide stream.

If you want alternating flow, look at getting an rkl to go with it since the new evo's are wavemaker compatible.

[junkie]

I just got a wavemaker and run my k3's through that. It's no where near as controlable as the vortech's but it is doing the job very well, and I didn't have to drop hundreds on powerheads. Not to mention that you can't really direct the flow from the vortech's as much as you can with the koralia's. :2cents:

[Techknowledgy]

Korialas rock my tank. Plenty of flow.... and the wire is hard to spot.

[Fink Ployd]

+ 1 for koralias with or without a controller

[reeftarded]

vortech's all the way the direct flow from a vortech is not ware the pump excells in my opinion its the draw of water to the vortech thats amazing not a single spot in my tank that doesnt have flow of some kind and the reef crest mode is awsom completely random flow when you have two just running not linked best purches ive done for my setup hands down come look if you want

[Acefspds]

Depends on how you want the water to flow in your tank. Vortech is 110% up to you how the water moves. Also with vortechs you buy 1 pump and thats it in most cases. They are upgradeable so if they make something badass you dont have to go buy another pump like with the koralia. It also gets rid off that big powerhead in your tank and wires comin out of the water. I love my mp10. Got it for my nano and never looked back. The flow is amazing. My tank went from leaning to the left to flowing back and forth. I will be getting the mp40 for my 60g as soon as i can afford it.

I loved my Koralia until I got my mp10. My Koralia is in a box in the garage somewhere in no mans land now :lol:

Someone start a poll.. Vortechs, Koralia, or MJ with or without mods.

[duecejt]

Maxi 1200 with Sureflow kits. Are really a great deal. I run Vortech's and the controls are great but kinda hard to direct them a certain way. On a 24"wide tank you need more than 1. So I have 2-1/2" Sea Swirls for my return from the sump and I have a MJ 1200 modded, 1-MP40,1-MP10.

[Bananahands]

ok, is the ecotech mp's really worth the money? all the different setting sounds really cool but is it really worth it?

or am I really just better off getting a couple sure flows or korilas?

what do you guys think? should I buy a couple new power heads or, just spend the possible extra $ and get the vortech?

Also to the guys that own the vortechs, do you really think they are loud?


pleases let me know if there's already a thread about this. thanks



What size tank do you have? IMHO, if you have a small enough tank that one MP10 would be enough then Yes, I think its worth it. Its when you need 1-2 mp40's that imo its not worth it. I couldn't justify $8-$900 for some power heads.
buy 2-3 koralias and call it a day.

[pollywog]

I run 2 MP40W in my 48"X24"X24" mixed reef tank and I love it. I use the reef crest mode also. I also love the feed mode and the night mode. Not too sure if the night mode is necessary but prolly more for the fishies than the corals benefit.

[Techknowledgy]

vortech's all the way the direct flow from a vortech is not ware the pump excells in my opinion its the draw of water to the vortech thats amazing not a single spot in my tank that doesnt have flow of some kind and the reef crest mode is awsom completely random flow when you have two just running not linked best purches ive done for my setup hands down come look if you want

Are you inventing your own language?

[sdreefer69]

My tank is a standard 60 gallon 48 long, 18 tall and wide. And I have a mag5 for retun with about 3 feet of return

[Bananahands]

in that case, I'd go with a couple of Koralias, one in each top corner and call it a day. You won't even notice them once you have some coraline algae built up.

[bpro32]

Koralia evo 1050... wait until they are on sale and get a pair. Should be around $36 each.

Or check reefcentral for used ones.

[Bananahands]

Koralia evo 1050... wait until they are on sale and get a pair. Should be around $36 each.

Or check reefcentral for used ones.

What he said.

[h20poloman]

For powerheads I've used seios, koralias, vortechs, and tunze. For me, I owned my share of MP40's and MP40w's and IMO, they were not a quality build considering the cost so I switched to Tunze. I haven't had any experience with the newest models and when they worked, I was happy with them. But for a powerhead that cost over $300, in my opinion that pump should last longer than a year without experiencing any issues and I had multiple failures. Don't get me wrong, I think they have some good technology and it's good for a new company to keep the market on it's toes but I'm sure they have had to make so many tweaks since launching because all of us early adopters paid the price for an unproven product.

[reeftarded]

thats funny i havent had a single problem nor has any of my freinds

[davocean]

thats funny i havent had a single problem nor has any of my freinds

Then you may want to seek friends w/ more exp or that read reviews on them.
It's pretty well known they have quality control issues, even they admit probs w/ them.
But they do seem to try to resolve them as best as possible, not too difficult to get replacement parts.
But I agree, for what they cost, there shouldn't be so many probs w/ them.
I do have 2, and I like them, but I have had to replace wet sides, and one does vibrate a lil now and then.
I also agree Tunze is about as good as it gets for quality.

[reeftarded]

Then you may want to seek friends w/ more exp or that read reviews on them.
It's pretty well known they have quality control issues, even they admit probs w/ them.
But they do seem to try to resolve them as best as possible, not too difficult to get replacement parts.
But I agree, for what they cost, there shouldn't be so many probs w/ them.
I do have 2, and I like them, but I have had to replace wet sides, and one does vibrate a lil now and then.
I also agree Tunze is about as good as it gets for quality.

yeah and if you send it in they pretty much fix it for the shipping unless you did something dumb like drop it or get the dry side wet it is a high end piece of electronics and needs to be treated as such

[davocean]

Yeah, so if you don't mind paying postage and being w/out a PH for a week or 2, there ya go!
I would have to say best bang for the buck, tunze 6025's w/ simple mod, gives about 1,100gph on 7 watts.
Koralia's are good too, but a lil bigger/more intrusive.
The Vorts are great, if you get a good one, and have budget for them, but I would not call them best bang for buck.

[sdreefer69]

Thanks for all the input everyone. I'm looking into the tunze right now. What do yu have to do for the mod? I'm only running a k1 with my return right now. Seems stable but deff needs more flow.

[davocean]

Basically you just cut out a flange in the screen.
I had a thread in I think it was DIY forum, should still be there, but I can find pics if you need, pretty easy to do.

[Therapy]

I have run the same two tunze pumps for around 10 years or so with ZERO issues. I currently run four in my tank. I also run a vortech for the battery backup. The vortech has given me nothing but trouble. Looks good but is not at all durable. So many things can go wrong with the thing on both the magnet and wet side. Great concept but the not practical over the long haul.

[da6d2003]

+1 on the tunzes vs. vortec. I'm very happy that I switched back to tunze.

[davocean]

http://www.sdreefs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=57778

[bpro32]

If Tunze's are in your price range I think thats a good way to go. I've heard nothing but good things about them.

[sdreefer69]

so the best way to use the tunze is with the controller right? how do they work without it?

also do you really have to get at least the nanostream 6055 to use the tunze with a controller if i choose to go that route later? thanks

[h20poloman]

so the best way to use the tunze is with the controller right? how do they work without it?

also do you really have to get at least the nanostream 6055 to use the tunze with a controller if i choose to go that route later? thanks

There are controllable Tunze's and non-Controllable. If you want controllable with the nanostreams, then yes, the 6055 is the lowest controllable model you can get. I have the larger non-controllable 6065's on my 120g because with the 6055's on a controller I felt like there wasn't enough flow during the slow cycles. Just keep in mind what kind of corals you are keeping and their flow requirements.

[sdreefer69]

my tank is mostly lps and soft corals. i was thinking the 6045 might be to large for my application and to use it i would have to have a controller to slow it down, plus it will cost me a small fortune for pw and controller. I'm thinking of just ordering a mp10 and calling it a day.