Mj Mods

[jaredloo]

I thought I would start this thread so people could discuss their experiences with mj mods. I just put an mj mod on my 1200. It pushes a lot of water thats for sure, but it is so noisy. I am frustrated that I spent my money on that rather than just buying Seio Super Flows or Tunze Streams. I don't think I'll ever try jimmy rigging powerheads or anything else anymore.

I'm sure others have had bad experiences with the mj mods as well, so let us all know what you think.

I also know a lot of people have had success with them. So maybe you could share your success, and advice to making the mj mods quiet.

Post your good and bad experiences with MJ Mods so that we can all get a better picture of them. And in order to help people who may be considering purchasing one.

 

[NaClH20NMYVEIN]

I was looking at a website last night thinking about doing a mod on my 900, may be I wont now.

 

[Jaynap]

I just did the new style-medium flow mod on my 1200. (from mjmods.com) It was also really loud, it sounded like a large air pump. So I pulled the thing out and luckily I was able to pull apart the impeller assembly and start over. The second time I put it together it operated perfectly with no noise.

I found that by using the rigid air line, instead of the carbon fiber tube for the impeller shaft, the noise was eliminated. Also, I made sure the the impeller/prop was spinning well below the 3/16 inch acrylic stop on the housing.

 

[azmorpheus]

Did you use the carbon fiber rod or the stainless steel?

 

[Jaynap]

I used the stainless steel rod

 

[jaredloo]

Yeah I used Carbon fiber with the stainless steel rod. It's really loud. Unfortunately, I already tried to take it apart after testing it but the glue had already set and I can't change it now. It's stuck being loud.

Jaynap used Rigid airline with Stainless steel and says that is the quietest. Anyone else had good or bad experiences? Please share it as we are trying to help others in the future not make out mistakes.

 

[jaredloo]

If you want more turbulant, and indirect flow, look into Seio Super Flow and Tunze Stream powerheads. I think I am going to go with the Seio as they can be pointed in anydirection you need. And FYI, 1100's and up can be used on the Seio controller. The Seio's are nice because they are adjustable. I would say, spend a little extra and get Seio's rather than the mod. If you really need a lot of flow, look into Tunze, they have some powerheads that push a lot of water.

 

[Philwd]

If you REALLY want lots of nice gentle wide low velocity flow look into the Vortechs. More $$$ but so much better than my old Tunze 6000s. Think of it as mass flow across the corals. Plus you can get a battery backup accessory that runs a pump for 36 hrs.

 

[azmorpheus]

I used the carbon fiber rod and tube and didnt have a problem. Its very quiet. The tube should be glued to the new impeller and the rod should go through the entire assembly. Use a small piece of rigid tubing to connect the tube to the old magnet assembly.Here is a pic of it assembled.

Here are some pics of when I was putting it together, ignore the crappy shroud that I made.

 

[Satori]

The one I got from MJ Mods is super noisy as well. I can't even use it. I found out later that even though they send you all the parts you need, you should not use the rigid airline they send with the kit. They said it would take too much time for them to hand fit each set before sending it out, so it's up to the buyer to go to his LFS and find the rigid tubing that fits best. I think that if that's the case, they should just not include that part. By the time I found all this out, I had everything superglued together per the instructions. If I want to fix it, I'll need a new impellor magnet and new propeller.

 

[Reefdaddy1]

I junked mine, Way noisy for the flow, Ended up buying a TuNZE

 

[azmorpheus]

You dont need to superglue the whole thing together. The only thing you need to super glue is the rod to the propellor. When you get the rigid plastic tubing make sure it is tight and small, then when you fit it onto the other peices heat it up with hot water for a minute and put the magnet and prop with shaft in the freezer. Then take them and put them together and when they both reach room temp they will fit very tight. And you will be able to take them apart and use a different props in the future if you want.

 

[Satori]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8617269#post8617269 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by azmorpheus
You dont need to superglue the whole thing together.

I know that now. :lol: Just don't follow the instructions on mjmods.com.

 

[jaredloo]

I agree. Instructions on mjmods.com are messed up.

I really like the way azmorpheus put his together. I wish I would have done that. Everythings already glued so I can't use this magnet anymore. I think I'm just going to go with Seio 1100's.

If you are looking into mjmods, look at asmorpheus' setup above. That looks good, and he says they run quiet.

 

[psimitry]

While I agree that the instructions on Mjmods bears updating, I was impressed with my mod.

I will say that I REALLY wish I would have ordered 1200's with the intent to mod them instead of the 900's that I did (the 900 has troubles turning the prop sometimes - the 1200 doesn't).

Noise was never a problem with it. HOWEVER, these put out WWAAAAAAAAAAAAY too much flow for my 50g. Even using one of them in the corner is too much flow.

What am I going to do with it?

LOL - I'm going to use it as a mixing pump for a while.

But when I build my 120G tank, oh man will these come in handy.

 

[jaredloo]

psimitry - did you follow the mjmod.com instructions or did you do it a different way? Because it sounds like there are successes with the mods and terrible failures. All of the bad mods seem to have followed mjmod.com and the good ones seem to have followed a similar build to azmorphues (above).

 

[jaredloo]

SOME POWERHEADS TO LOOK AT

SOME POWERHEADS TO LOOK AT

Thank you Phil for the tip on the Vortech's Wow. Not only great flow and low heat, but they even save space. Cool product.

For anyone interested in powerheads that give lot's of gentle flow, with low heat, and controllable, take a look at these sights.

EcoTech Vortech Propeller Pump:
http://www.ecotechmarine.com/products/vortech.htm

Tunze Turbelle Stream:
http://www.tunze.com/149.html?&L=1&C=US&user_tunzeprod_pi1[predid]=-infoxunter025

Seio Super Flow:
http://www.marinedepot.com/aquarium_powerheads_pumps_taam_seio.asp?CartId=

I really like the Vortech and the Tunze. But I am a budget reefer so I am getting 2 Seio 1100's for my 90 gallon. I will use Maxi Jets to shoot at dead spots if there are any. Good luck everyone.

 

[psimitry]

I followed the MJmods instructions. But I didn't just follow them blindly. I was analyzing them from the start because I wanted to understand the concept of how the mods work. Once I figured that out, I was able to recognize where the errors in the instructions are.

Also from what I've heard, there've been a lot more successes with the new kits.

 

[jaredloo]

Psimitry - What errors did you find and what did you do to correct them?

 

[azmorpheus]

If you can use a MJ 1200, The pictures I posted are a little old and I soon switched it over to a 1200. The 900 does have a problem with turning some props in the right direction, not enough torque.