FirstContact
Active member
Two Jebao RW15s here. Had them for three years. Guess I'm just lucky.
jebao vs vortech
- Thread starter Mrs. Music
- Start date
Mrs. Music
New member
my WP40 last a couple years. I was happy with it.
Stolireef
Active member
I can't speak from any experience with Jebao but I can tell you that I run two MP40's and two Tunze 6095s. The MP40s move a ton of water but are a bit noisy. I just picked up a new MP40 QD and it's almost dead silent. I may actually switch out the other one for a QD. The wet sides of these pumps do require some regular maintenance.
The Tunze 6095s are absolute dead silent and are completely bulletproof. I ran one for three years without cleaning it and it still ran perfectly. Took it out, cleaned it and it's back in service. I don't think it's possible to kill a Tunze.
The Tunze 6095s are absolute dead silent and are completely bulletproof. I ran one for three years without cleaning it and it still ran perfectly. Took it out, cleaned it and it's back in service. I don't think it's possible to kill a Tunze.
I think any debate is mostly pointless. I get why people are attracted to cheap gear - particularly since many won't even last in the hobby for two years. I've been keeping reef tanks since 1988 and I simply won't buy cheap stuff anymore because it ends up costing more in the long run. But that's MY choice.
Mr. Comer
Member
haha..people take themselves too seriously in some of these forums. I have to have fun and drop a little knowledge.
FirstContact
Active member
I definitely like to spend more for quality, and I'm in this hobby for a lifetime since 2006. But quality and preference really are subjective. I could give a laundry list of why I don't prefer Tunze or Vortech, and I have had several Tunzes but no Vortechs. I just really like the form factor of the RWs. I think it's a great design. I run them off my controller and they never give me any problems. They may be the only "cheap" pieces of gear on my system but for me they've performed like a high end product. I know lots of other people report failures with these, but mine have worked out extremely well and I'm happy with them.
James77
Team RC
The problem I always have with knockoffs is that many people think that because two items look similar/identical, that one is a ripoff because there is something that looks like it for far less money.
Generally, you do get what you pay for. However there are some serious rip offs in this hobby, a lot of that being things like sand and additives. But as far as Ecotech or Tunze vs something like Jebao, the Jebao is much lower in quality, materials, and support. If that is all you can afford, or all you are willing to sink into this money pit of a hobby....by all means. But there is a massive difference in what you pay for.
Someone above mentioned Chinese LEDs. I have owned them. I also now own Mitras LEDs. Will the Chinese LEDs work....yeah. Are they going to have the same quality and support as something like Mitras or Radions, etc? No. Its plain silly to think that.
Having owned all sorts of equipment from the cheapest crap(think SeaClone) to high end stuff, I lean towards higher end stuff within reason. I would rather buy one powerhead at $300 that lasts 10 years, than buy and replace a $60 powerhead that dies every 2 years. Not everyone can swing the high end stuff, so the cheaper equipment has its place. But its apples and oranges as far as quality.
Generally, you do get what you pay for. However there are some serious rip offs in this hobby, a lot of that being things like sand and additives. But as far as Ecotech or Tunze vs something like Jebao, the Jebao is much lower in quality, materials, and support. If that is all you can afford, or all you are willing to sink into this money pit of a hobby....by all means. But there is a massive difference in what you pay for.
Someone above mentioned Chinese LEDs. I have owned them. I also now own Mitras LEDs. Will the Chinese LEDs work....yeah. Are they going to have the same quality and support as something like Mitras or Radions, etc? No. Its plain silly to think that.
Having owned all sorts of equipment from the cheapest crap(think SeaClone) to high end stuff, I lean towards higher end stuff within reason. I would rather buy one powerhead at $300 that lasts 10 years, than buy and replace a $60 powerhead that dies every 2 years. Not everyone can swing the high end stuff, so the cheaper equipment has its place. But its apples and oranges as far as quality.
FirstContact
Active member
OMG
You bought a SeaClone!!!!! You have no room to bash the effectiveness of Jebao products which actually work.Mrs. Music
New member
yeah, when I saw your avatar I could not help but snicker, and pick on you a bit. I hate Jim Carrey, but I am the only female in this house. Three sons and husband make me watch it sometimes. LOL. and I figured anybody with that avatar would get that I was joking. CHEERS!
Mrs. Music
New member
The email I got had a link to amazon customer service not Jebao customer service like I thought she was saying. Duh. Just keeps getting better. Moving on!
Mrs. Music
New member
Well I am looking at middle end, like I do most things in life. Not the cheapest but not the most expensive thing on the market either. So I am wondering are the Tunze non controllable ac pumps able to be set up a manual timer like an hour or two on and and hour or two off? If you all do not recommend that then I am going to go with the koralia 3 generation pump, one on each end of a 5 ft tank and and add a controller if needed. How does that sound?
Mrs. Music
New member
good lawd the controller is expensive. Blech. Sometimes I hate this hobby!
Stolireef
Active member
You can get really good deals on used Apex controllers here in the used equipment section. They always pop up. I bought mine used more than 5 years ago and have never had an issue. You can also find used Tunze pumps online and considering how bulletproof they are, I wouldn't hesitate to buy one from a reputable person here. For your setup, you could probably just get an Apex Jr. and two or three pumps and be set for well under $400 (probably closer to $200).
I've found that the single most expensive part of this hobby is the time and effort we put into the tank. A good pump lasts a long time and you don't have to worry about it. A decent controller really makes life easy and again, they really last for a long time.
I've found that the single most expensive part of this hobby is the time and effort we put into the tank. A good pump lasts a long time and you don't have to worry about it. A decent controller really makes life easy and again, they really last for a long time.
FirstContact
Active member
Hi Mrs. Music,
You can put Tunze non-controllable powerheads on a timer. Tunze is a solid choice. My personal experience, and why I prefer Jebaos. Tunzes last between 4-6 years. The magnets could be stronger (it's insanely easy to knock them off and drop them into the sand bed), and sometimes the powerheads will fall out of the two prong holder when you redirect the flow.
Happy Reefing!
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allicassydanny
New member
I have had 3 Hydors fail after 18 months running on their wave controller. The housing cracks due frequent starting and stopping. All 3 cases it tripped my GFI, the last time I wasn't home, nearly lost everything in my tank. They didn't seem to care when I called them about it. I will never buy a Hydor product again. I have 3 Jebaos that have been running now for over 6 months now with no issues.
I have 3mp40 1mp40qd, 1mp10, 4jebao wp/rw/sw, 3 DCT/DCP pump.
Why every one claim that vortech never fails? Vortech need to replace the wet side every two years(not sure about the QD), replacement cost is same for buying a new jebao, All vortochs are loud except the newer QD. QD are loud in 70% or higher. It is not dead silent. my tank loudest noise came from bk sm250 air flow. my return pump is abyzz.
IMHO, comparing noise, QD 70% = jebao SW 100%.
If you have limited budget, I will suggest you to buy 2 or more jebaos running 50% over 1 vortech running 100%.
Why every one claim that vortech never fails? Vortech need to replace the wet side every two years(not sure about the QD), replacement cost is same for buying a new jebao, All vortochs are loud except the newer QD. QD are loud in 70% or higher. It is not dead silent. my tank loudest noise came from bk sm250 air flow. my return pump is abyzz.
IMHO, comparing noise, QD 70% = jebao SW 100%.
If you have limited budget, I will suggest you to buy 2 or more jebaos running 50% over 1 vortech running 100%.
Are people saying they never fail? All I have ever said is that IME, they are more reliable. If you are replacing the wetside every two years, I'd place that at the feet of user error. My MP60 is 3 years old and the wetside shows no signs of needing to be replaced. I have two MP40s (old white controller) that are 5 years old with the original wetsides. Yes, the older pumps can be noisy (mainly the MP60), though driver upgrades were reasonable $ IMO. I guess we can quibble over what constitutes 'loud'. Certainly the QD driver models are not completely silent, but even at 100% I'd not judge them to be 'loud'. The loudest items on my tank now are the Radion fans.
This is, in part, why these debates go round and round because folks introduce hyperbole into the discussion. If people want to buy Jebao - go ahead. Clearly lots are. I'm just saying that I will not because I don't trust them.
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Mrs. Music
New member
I am just ignoring the hyperbole. I am leaning towards two smaller tunze just on constant, one at each end, and if that is blasting everything too much putting them on manual little timers alternating flow every hour or so?
FirstContact
Active member
A 180g will most likely require something more than the nano streams/"smaller Tunzes".
Non controllable, a couple of 6085s or 6125s?
Controllable 6095s?
That's assuming you wanted the lower end of flow.
Non controllable, a couple of 6085s or 6125s?
Controllable 6095s?
That's assuming you wanted the lower end of flow.
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