What would you guys recommend for in-tank circulation. I really like the Ecotech What do you think?
My current round of research. You have 3 real options:
1) Tunzie 6105/6205 (6305 might be too big for you)
2) Vortechs
3) Koralia Magnums (don't laugh I'll get there in a second).
Tunzies are the king, and the best (imho).
Pros: They flow the most, they are controllable by ac3 pro (and probably RKE?) directly. With a good controller the sky is the limit on what you can get them to do. They are magnet mounted. They swivel.
Cons: The 6205's are damn near $600 a piece and you have to kill someone to actually be blessed enough to get someone tto sell them to you.
Vortechs:
Pros: Wireless, smallest footprint, good flow, wirelessly talk to each other and can communicate for wave maker stuff, ect
Cons: No big boy controller can talk to them directly. You are limited to there controller they come with. This is a problem for automatic feeding cycles, ect where you want to co-ordinate powerhead shutdown with return and skimmer shutdowns ect. They are NOT swivel-able. Wherever you mount it it flows straight ahead from that point. They are loud, and there can be issues getting the drive unit aligned properly with the prop unit. There were also issues with early units heating up so much they burned acrylic tanks. This has been fixed as far as i can tell. Biggest issue (for me) is they don't work on anything thicker that .75". at 1.25" I'm hosed
Koralia Magnums (5-8):
Pros: CHEAP! GPH flow is directly comparable to tunzies. Same volume as a tunzie.. slightly shorter, but slightly bigger around. Much better built than I expected, quality construction. Swivel-able, comes in different ratings to match flow.
Cons: Not controllable. Its either on or off. The 1-4 models are controllable and supposedly they will release 5-8's that are, but I wouldn't hold my breath because no big boy controller supports the 1-4's anyways. They are only rated to a thickness of 13/16". That said mine have been stuck on my 1.25" for 3 weeks now. I'll throw on a Neo magnet on the back if it becomes an issue. Since you can't throttle them down you have to pick your models wisely. I bought 2 8's to test them and I have a mini sandstorm in one area because the flow is too high.
I bought the Magnum 8's to hold me over till the Tunzies were available. I liked the 4's i bought for the fuge and frag tanks so I figured why not. As I posted in my thread I'm not sure I'm going to buy the tunzies now. I need like $2500-$3k in tunzies which is pretty hard to swallow. The Magnums flow so much and are so cheap I can have extras just sitting on the shelf for a fraction of the 3k. On top of that the way my tank is designed I don't want wave action. I'm pretty full and close to the braces and wave action is just going to make a mess. I want strong flow. I'm thinking if I do get the tunzies they are just going to be stuck on all the time. I can simulate tidal flow and ebs by turning the Magnums on and off via the ac3 pro socket control just like I would the tunzies directly.
I'll let you know how it goes. Kinda sounds like I just talked myself out of the Tunzies
