Review: Vortech vs. Maxi-Mod

freddie40

freddie40

New member
Over the past year I have been using up to 3 Maxi-Mods on my 75. At the end I had 2-2100gph Maximods on the left side of mt 75 and 1-1600gph Maxi-mod on the right side. They were on a AquaController with each side on for 15 minutes. Besides the Aesthetics I was never happy with the water flow. I just didn't think that I was getting enough.

So, last week I replaced all three with one Vortech 40w. Not only did the tank look cleaner, the water flow was dramatically better. 1 Vortech put out more water flow than the 2-2100GPH Maxi-Mods. Also, after 1 week the corals look happier and my crushed -coral bed looked cleaner.

Dave
 
what setting are you using? i have mine on reefcrest and i wouldnt trade my mp40 for anything else on the market. i was thinking an mp20 might be fun to add to the other side of the tank.
 
I agree, get the 40w. You can always dial it back a bit. It will save you when you want to upgrade later on.

I have also ordered a battery backup for peace of mind :)

Dave
 
I took the plunge and got the MP20... I am not upgrading my tank anytime soon. I put it on last night, was a bit skeptical at first, but after watching it for 20 mins or so I was happy with the results...

Will have to see what happens after it has been on for a week or so!
 
Cool. After 2 weeks I am totally happy. Yesterday I hooked up the battery backup. I now feel really secure.

Dave
 
I've been looking at these but have read that some users have had problems with them after some use. Steve Hurloch has had to replace quite a few from what I have heard. I would hate to spend that much money and have problems with it. Looks like a great product though. I may wait a while and see how yours do Dave
 
make sure the vortech agitates the surface of the water or the battery backup wont be as effective. as for problems, the only time ive heard vortechs be noisy is when they are out of alignment. and i had to ship it back to vortech for repairs once. i paid shipping to them, repairs and return shipping were free. overall ive had a great experience.
 
What ^^^^^ said! The battery backup is great, but unless your Vortech is causing lots of surface agitation, you won't get as much benefit during a power outage using a battery backup. One way to solve that is to place one high and one low in the tank, as the BBU supports two Vortechs. The stocking level of your tank will determine gas exchange requirements.

My original Vortech is an early 1st generation. It's had several components replaced on the wet side free of charge as the product matured. The driver has never needed servicing. My 2nd Vortech was purchased about 10 months after the product released, it had fewer wet side issues and both were upgraded to the Wireless driver when it was announced. I was also provided with foam covers at no cost to me.

Recently, I have upgraded to the new magnet set, which allows the Vortechs to run silently. I've also upgraded the firmware along the way. Other than the initial purchase and the cost for the WWD upgrade, I've spent $10 for a new magnet set and $7.50 for a new impeller (snail vs Vortech). Not bad over nearly 3 years of service.

I have a Vortech and BBU on each of my big display tanks. They are great.....

-Rob
 
Had a fellow reefer come over and show me how to use the vortech.... This thing is pretty cool! I have it set doing the short pulse and a mini wave is in my tank now!
 
Any updates?I am taking the plunge and getting one,can everyone tell me what they went with and where they got theirs at?did anyone go with a local source and purchase from Aquamart?Also what is the difference of the 20 vs 40w?
 
I have had no problems with mine, I love it. I bought mine from AquaMart, but PM MDrumm as he may have a few for sale. The 40 is 300gph, the 20 is half of that. Go with the 40. I also have the battery backup, love it too :)

Dave
 
the mp20 is actually rated at 2000 gph so a little more then half. I am happy with the mp20, but if I were to do it again, I would go with the mp40w.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14263245#post14263245 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by freddie40
I have had no problems with mine, I love it. I bought mine from AquaMart, but PM MDrumm as he may have a few for sale. The 40 is 300gph, the 20 is half of that. Go with the 40. I also have the battery backup, love it too :)

Dave
Click to expand...
 
Can you manually adjust the flow on the mp20? I am thinking about one of those on my 60hex but it running at full 2000gph would be to much. I like the different modes you can use. Can use use the different modes at 50% of max? I am just curious how much controll you have over these.
 
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