acroholicreefer
New member
Great looking reef! I love to 45g cubes. One of my favorite aquariums and my second reef was a 45g cube.
45 Galllon Cube. My dream tank...only smaller!
- Thread starter chrishayes
- Start date
chrishayes
New member
lol. Well after crunching the numbers heres how it breaks down.
2 mp10's route: 297$
mp40wES route: $378-$175ish for recoupe by sale of the mp10 I have=$203
Now which would you do?
2 mp10's route: 297$
mp40wES route: $378-$175ish for recoupe by sale of the mp10 I have=$203
Now which would you do?
chrishayes
New member
Hey thanks man! I am a fan too aside from the flow being tougher than snot to get right. Any opinions on the direction I should go?
As I previously mentioned, I really think (2) MP10's offer greater flexibility and more ramdon flow then (1) MP40 for a 45gl Cube setup. JMO, but a MP40 will be overkill on a tank that small.
I am building a 60gl Cube as we speak and I am most definitely going with (2) MP10's regardless if they are maxed out during operation.
HTH
chrishayes
New member
Well I bought the mp40. I just couldnt be sure that another 10 would suit my needs long term. Im sure it wouldve been fine but I was just afraid id end up with them on both side of the tank in the end due to my scape...if I had it to do over again with the scape id have designed it for the 10's since they are smaller and duh, I already have one!lol so I guess ill hang onto the 10 until im sure the 40 will work well itself. If it doesnt then either ill keep the 10 I have and use it with the 40 turned down or ill sell the 40 since itll be brand new with such a good deal I wont lose money, or much that is. We shall see. I just didnt wanna be stuck with a too small pump that I would surely lose money on PLUS have to buy a 40 in the end. This way im sure ill be able to make it work. As I said, the money isnt the object here, not that im rich, but my goals were to make this THE best setup I possibly could. And since I could, I did!
As to the used route. THe prices were the same or just slightly lower for them than new. Plus all the ones that were close to what I paid new were over a year old, no warranty, and tattered in one way or another. Theres no reason to take chances with something this pricey! So I just sat down with google yellow pages and called every shop that sold ecotech and found the place that was willing to work with me the most and still had a reliable reputation. I wont name them in the open forum but if youre interested pm and ill be happy to pass it along. This is not a deal you can get without doing A LOT of homework! I mean it, I used every core in my computer today, mustve had 30 tabs open at once! lol It was worth it in the end I think.
So everyone, i have 2 mj1200's for sale. THey are the new ones that come with the propellars. Only use for them was the cycling of my tank and the one has been on the tank since the begining til current. I fear that shipping will cost more than the pumps though so theyll end up in the stock pile im sure we all have. The mp10 will be up for sale once im sure I dont need it any longer. It too is almost not worth parting with as ill likely net 150 or less after shipping it since its the first gen thats "out of date" and its been cleaned every month since ive owned it so its still in great shape and all
As to the used route. THe prices were the same or just slightly lower for them than new. Plus all the ones that were close to what I paid new were over a year old, no warranty, and tattered in one way or another. Theres no reason to take chances with something this pricey! So I just sat down with google yellow pages and called every shop that sold ecotech and found the place that was willing to work with me the most and still had a reliable reputation. I wont name them in the open forum but if youre interested pm and ill be happy to pass it along. This is not a deal you can get without doing A LOT of homework! I mean it, I used every core in my computer today, mustve had 30 tabs open at once! lol It was worth it in the end I think.
So everyone, i have 2 mj1200's for sale. THey are the new ones that come with the propellars. Only use for them was the cycling of my tank and the one has been on the tank since the begining til current. I fear that shipping will cost more than the pumps though so theyll end up in the stock pile im sure we all have. The mp10 will be up for sale once im sure I dont need it any longer. It too is almost not worth parting with as ill likely net 150 or less after shipping it since its the first gen thats "out of date" and its been cleaned every month since ive owned it so its still in great shape and all
chrishayes
New member
Believe it or not every shop I called today had the same things to say! Couldnt believe even though theyd have made more money off the 40 than one 10 only one place said "oh youll need at least 3 on that tank". It surprised me to know that most all the shops around are stand up places and not just out to make a buck. Pretty cool if you ask me!
I too feel this woulve been the right way to go had I planned my scape for two pumps but I didnt. I made it slope from left to right thinking my mp10 which had to be on the left side, would keep the upper column moving and the undertow crashing into the corals down low. If I did two 10's they most definately wouldve ended up on both sides of the tank where my son woulda played "up down, up down" with the dry side like he does my mag float! lol Plus itd be sticking right out in the walkway to the deck. Greasy hands full of hot plates, yeah, it wouldnt last long.
Reef_Noob
New member
Dang Chris you beat me to it. I was figuring all that math which I'm quite poor at and by the time I could say something yu got the MP40.
Well I do believe that the MP40 was the better choice for the tank. Don't part with ur MP10 also. Ul need it I'm sure ul be upgrading I know it I feel it. The DIYer in you will never be held down
The MP10 and the 40 in combo will give you excellent control and great flow options and ul not need any more pumps.
Now get em running and show us all those waves!!
Wait let me get my surfing gear....
Well I do believe that the MP40 was the better choice for the tank. Don't part with ur MP10 also. Ul need it I'm sure ul be upgrading I know it I feel it. The DIYer in you will never be held down
The MP10 and the 40 in combo will give you excellent control and great flow options and ul not need any more pumps.
Now get em running and show us all those waves!!
Wait let me get my surfing gear....
chrishayes
New member
Dang Chris you beat me to it. I was figuring all that math which I'm quite poor at and by the time I could say something yu got the MP40.
Well I do believe that the MP40 was the better choice for the tank. Don't part with ur MP10 also. Ul need it I'm sure ul be upgrading I know it I feel it. The DIYer in you will never be held down
The MP10 and the 40 in combo will give you excellent control and great flow options and ul not need any more pumps.
Now get em running and show us all those waves!!
Wait let me get my surfing gear....
LOL, yeah i will FOR SURE be able to push water right on out the tank! Maybe ill diy a new waterchange system by installing gutters around the rim leading to a cistern and make a solar still to seperate the salt from the water then reuse it and drink the freshwater! Could be the next big thing! Reuse, recycle is big these days ya know!
Wanna be the first customer?
chrishayes
New member
lol, would you rather drink fish pee or people pee? Funny, back when I was a teen I had my first 75 gallon tank setup with mbuna and I kept the water so clean I always said id be happy to drink it! Glad I never did! But I am tempted! Now go tell us where that dang goby is!
chrishayes
New member
I think I won your contest! Do I have to drink my own water then? lol
I love that you do that on your thread, it fun! Keep those trivia games comin, I for one enjoy it!
chrishayes
New member
I picked up a cleaner shrimp yesterday, hes a beauty! Big and fat and sassy, just the way I like em! lol
I changed up my acclimation process due to them being one of the more sensitive creatures IME. I tested the water he was in in the bag and it had a ph of 8.3 where my tank is always low at 8.0 and the salinity was 1.024 where mine is 1.026. Ive read that people use a 1 hour rule of thumb for each .001 difference so I acclimated him for almost 3.5 hours just to be on the safe side. Instead of using a bucket sitting on the floor with my homemade drip line, I kept him in his bag placed in the sump and ran the drip into it. This helped a lot I think cause usually the water in the bucket is colder than the tank just from sitting at ambient temp. I also slowed the drip to one drop/second and allowed the bag to fill almost to the top before dumping some out and continuing. I normally scoop a cup full of water out of the bucket every few minutes but I think that may be too fast...
Anyhow, once I released him, he started cleaning my hand right away then went to the tallest rock and made himself known to the fish. I was shocked when the coral beauty swam right up to him and did a little dance then allowed the shrimp to pick him over! It was awesome! He even let him get into his gills! SWEET! Ive never really seen fish let a cleaner shrimp pick them over like that so thoroughly especially that fast. After the coral beauty was done it was like a little line at the carwash with each fish waiting their turn! Wish I wouldve been ready with the camera but I was just in awe so I didnt even think about it.
I also picked up some frozen bloodworms and a dozen harlequin rasboras to bump up the school in my planted tank. Then I got 2 longfin albino zebra danios just cause I am so bored with that tank so I wanted something that ive never kept and ive always hated albino fish so maybe this will make me look at the tank a little more...I struggle all the time with not breaking it down and turning it into a reef! I mean hell, I have a 4 lamp t5 fixture and a full co2/controller setup on it which would only require a diy cal reactor and lamp change to get running...thanks to my wife for telling me NO!
So heres a few pics: Finally starting to see some new growth and color returning slowly.
I changed up my acclimation process due to them being one of the more sensitive creatures IME. I tested the water he was in in the bag and it had a ph of 8.3 where my tank is always low at 8.0 and the salinity was 1.024 where mine is 1.026. Ive read that people use a 1 hour rule of thumb for each .001 difference so I acclimated him for almost 3.5 hours just to be on the safe side. Instead of using a bucket sitting on the floor with my homemade drip line, I kept him in his bag placed in the sump and ran the drip into it. This helped a lot I think cause usually the water in the bucket is colder than the tank just from sitting at ambient temp. I also slowed the drip to one drop/second and allowed the bag to fill almost to the top before dumping some out and continuing. I normally scoop a cup full of water out of the bucket every few minutes but I think that may be too fast...
Anyhow, once I released him, he started cleaning my hand right away then went to the tallest rock and made himself known to the fish. I was shocked when the coral beauty swam right up to him and did a little dance then allowed the shrimp to pick him over! It was awesome! He even let him get into his gills! SWEET! Ive never really seen fish let a cleaner shrimp pick them over like that so thoroughly especially that fast. After the coral beauty was done it was like a little line at the carwash with each fish waiting their turn! Wish I wouldve been ready with the camera but I was just in awe so I didnt even think about it.
I also picked up some frozen bloodworms and a dozen harlequin rasboras to bump up the school in my planted tank. Then I got 2 longfin albino zebra danios just cause I am so bored with that tank so I wanted something that ive never kept and ive always hated albino fish so maybe this will make me look at the tank a little more...I struggle all the time with not breaking it down and turning it into a reef! I mean hell, I have a 4 lamp t5 fixture and a full co2/controller setup on it which would only require a diy cal reactor and lamp change to get running...thanks to my wife for telling me NO!
So heres a few pics: Finally starting to see some new growth and color returning slowly.
chrishayes
New member
Tri color no longer all doo doo brown! yes!
chrishayes
New member
chrishayes
New member
Figured ill put up a few of my planted tank too...
chrishayes
New member
I should also note that now since ive had a stable alk of 7.8 for the last 3 weeks I decided it was time to start vodka(40 proof) as ive been feeding HEAVILY lately trying to get the coral beauty to eat. He wouldnt touch flake or pellet so I kinda had to throw the freezer at him. lol cyclopeeze, reef caviar, mysis, roe, homemade shrimp, squid, scallops mix and then bloodworms and even some of the instant ocean algae pouches. Hes finally eating, thank God. Bloodworms did the trick! it was like crack to him. Now hes happy to look up for food and is even taking a flake here or there. He grazes all day long too but he doesnt care for macros. I tried hanging a chunk of the ulva I grow in the fuge plus theres some growing naturally on a few pieces of rock that he just wont touch for some reason. He does munch on the brown fuzzies that grow around the glass at sand level...
So, ive been dosing .2ml's every other day since last monday and this week I bumped it to .3ml every other day. I still am adding one drop of MB7 daily and have switched to every other day 8 drops of tech iron due to I think its adding to the growth of the ulva in the display.
The fuge is still going nuts and I am about at the point that I need to do a harvest for the first time as the ulva has grown in the whole right side and the caulerpa has grown all the way to the surface on the left! My skimmer still doesnt produce much in the cup but the neck gets nearly black in a weeks time. I have it adjusted to where the bubbles turn large is just above where the cone meets the neck...maybe I need to raise the water? Also, as soon as I wipe the neck out with a paper towel, it take days to produce a head again. Im stumped but just chock it up to the fuge producing so much growth.
Last thing, I also got some phyto to dose to the fuge to try and boost pod growth. I still dont see many mysis or other larger amphipods. There are LOTS of copepods on the glass all the time. Another note, I still have only sen the squat lobster the one time despite looking for him every night. Crazy
So, ive been dosing .2ml's every other day since last monday and this week I bumped it to .3ml every other day. I still am adding one drop of MB7 daily and have switched to every other day 8 drops of tech iron due to I think its adding to the growth of the ulva in the display.
The fuge is still going nuts and I am about at the point that I need to do a harvest for the first time as the ulva has grown in the whole right side and the caulerpa has grown all the way to the surface on the left! My skimmer still doesnt produce much in the cup but the neck gets nearly black in a weeks time. I have it adjusted to where the bubbles turn large is just above where the cone meets the neck...maybe I need to raise the water? Also, as soon as I wipe the neck out with a paper towel, it take days to produce a head again. Im stumped but just chock it up to the fuge producing so much growth.
Last thing, I also got some phyto to dose to the fuge to try and boost pod growth. I still dont see many mysis or other larger amphipods. There are LOTS of copepods on the glass all the time. Another note, I still have only sen the squat lobster the one time despite looking for him every night. Crazy
Reef_Noob
New member
Thats a cooool update Chris,,,,
Very nice PE on those SPS...they are loving the MP40 eh?
And seems like they are colourin up and growin quite fast with those growth tips showing. Greattt!
Congrats on the "fish cleaner guy" he will clean your hands as well...
Your fresh water tank looks really cool...nice calming feel to it.....
Your macro shots are nice...using another camera?
And about winning the "spot the goby" trivia on my thread you get to keep the 10 gallons of Aqua Chris....drinking it will be "at your own risk" The competition organizer will and shall not be held responsible in any way.
Hm about the skimmer, what level does the manufacturer recommend it to be kept? Maybe you need to raise or lower it, then you can bring out the best performance....but everytime we put our hands inside the tank the oils on our hand inhibits the skimmate production for a a short while.
Its always a plus to have a thriving refugium to have some nutrient export.
:beer:
Very nice PE on those SPS...they are loving the MP40 eh?
And seems like they are colourin up and growin quite fast with those growth tips showing. Greattt!
Congrats on the "fish cleaner guy"
he will clean your hands as well...Your fresh water tank looks really cool...nice calming feel to it.....
Your macro shots are nice...using another camera?
And about winning the "spot the goby" trivia on my thread you get to keep the 10 gallons of Aqua Chris....drinking it will be "at your own risk" The competition organizer will and shall not be held responsible in any way.
Hm about the skimmer, what level does the manufacturer recommend it to be kept? Maybe you need to raise or lower it, then you can bring out the best performance....but everytime we put our hands inside the tank the oils on our hand inhibits the skimmate production for a a short while.
Its always a plus to have a thriving refugium to have some nutrient export.
:beer:
chrishayes
New member
No noob, I dont get the mp40 til wednesday dang it!
Funny about "The competition organizer will and shall not be held responsible in any way"! I like your style!
Oh and the macros arent macros, theyre "close ups"! lol same camera, a video camera at that!
Ill have to play with the skimmer some more I guess. It is reccomended where I have it...it just doesnt hardly ever have a head on it...
Funny about "The competition organizer will and shall not be held responsible in any way"! I like your style!
Oh and the macros arent macros, theyre "close ups"! lol same camera, a video camera at that!
Ill have to play with the skimmer some more I guess. It is reccomended where I have it...it just doesnt hardly ever have a head on it...
chrishayes
New member
Good God this things HUGE!
What I got:
What it comes with:
How BIG it is:
What it replaces:
After being smacked in the face by how big it was, the next and most important thing I realized is how FREAKIN quiet it is! I have NO idea what folks are talking about when they say this is loud...My MP10 is 10 times louder than this and it hasnt even broken in. My 10 made me turn it down to nothing when I was home at first and I continued to hear it day in and day out for the 2 or so years ive had it. Pleasant surprise to say the least.
It is PLENTY enough for this size tank with power to spare. So far im very happy with it. The nutrient transport mode works as advertised. Kicks up the funk and gets it moving upwards which is definately much different than just short pulse mode on the old pump...will give more opinions as the day go by and I play with it more. SUPER HAPPY so far.
What I got:
What it comes with:
How BIG it is:
What it replaces:
After being smacked in the face by how big it was, the next and most important thing I realized is how FREAKIN quiet it is! I have NO idea what folks are talking about when they say this is loud...My MP10 is 10 times louder than this and it hasnt even broken in. My 10 made me turn it down to nothing when I was home at first and I continued to hear it day in and day out for the 2 or so years ive had it. Pleasant surprise to say the least.
It is PLENTY enough for this size tank with power to spare. So far im very happy with it. The nutrient transport mode works as advertised. Kicks up the funk and gets it moving upwards which is definately much different than just short pulse mode on the old pump...will give more opinions as the day go by and I play with it more. SUPER HAPPY so far.
