Vortech MP20 on a 90 gallon saltwater tank?

sebrofjr

New member
Hi, I'm in the process of setting up a new 90 galon saltwater tank. I was wondering what you guys though of using one of the new Vortech MP20's on it. I know it says up to 70 gallons on the specs, but the mp40 goes from 50 - 500+ gallons. That seems a little bit extreme and maybe over the top for what i would need in a 90 gallon. Any thoughts?
 
I think you would be very happy with the 40. It has multiple settings and it will not be too much (even if your plan is for LPS and the like) I have one on my LPS dominated 90g and I love it. IMO, with a 20 you will need additional flow. depending on what you plan on keeping, it is very possible you would need only the 40.
 
Unless you're keeping a tank full of softies or a FOWLR... I think if you have the money, go for the mp40... that's what I would do If I were in that situation. They are adjustable so if you feel like it's too much flow, you can dial it down.
 
I use 2 x MP40's in my 90. One will kinda work but you will have to blast it to get good flow on the opposite side. 2 gives you so much better flow. You won't need to run at full blast so that also makes it quieter.
 
I think it looks like I would be going with the MP40w then, just have to bite the bullet. How programmable are these pump anyhow? I read that they have a night mode now, but can all this be programmed into it so it happens automatically.

Does the feed mode have to be triggered manually as well? or can i have it set for a certain time?

And one more thing, (thanks for all the info btw), the pump taht im looking at the "Mag-Drive 1200 " would that suffice? or should I go up to the 1800?

The refuge should be about 40 gallons.
 
The night mode is set to come on at the same time every day for a specific duration. I don't recall what that duration is. I think in night mode, it runs the pumps on constant at I think 50% power? Not really sure because I don't really use it. Feed mode is triggered manually by holding down the button. Runs the pumps really low for 10 min then automatically goes back to the previous setting.

Not sure about the mag12. Not really familar with it but you should calculate the flow into the tank after headloss (vertical distance traveled, bends, elbows, etc..) there is a calculator on this site somewhere I think. Whatever you are flowing into the tank, make sure your drain can handle, otherwise you can over flow. As for flow through the fuge, I think the target is 3-5x tank volume.
 
On my 90 with a single overflow I have found the Mag 5 run wide open to be perfect (approx 4' head) A Mag 7 has worked ok for me as well. I tried a Mag 9.5 a couple years back but I had to throttle it back quite a bit.
 
will16.. that's a nice video by the way. Great looking tank. Do you have trouble with the overflows ? (Due to the wave action constantly adjusting the water height?)
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14829802#post14829802 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by E.intheC
will16.. that's a nice video by the way. Great looking tank. Do you have trouble with the overflows ? (Due to the wave action constantly adjusting the water height?)

Thanks. The changing water height doesn't cause any problems. Everything drains properly. My tank is also eurobraced so I have that lip around the top to stop anything from splashing out.
 
Very nice setup will16. I think the best option for me to do then is start with the 1 MP40w and then once the is established and more items are introduced, add another one.

So you think the Mag 12 would be too much for my setup then?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14830017#post14830017 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sebrofjr
Very nice setup will16. I think the best option for me to do then is start with the 1 MP40w and then once the is established and more items are introduced, add another one.

So you think the Mag 12 would be too much for my setup then?

Thanks. That is what I did. I started with one and added the second later on.

I found the headloss calculator...

http://reefcentral.com/calc/hlc2.php

I did a quick calculation assuming 4 ft vertical and one 90 deg elbow and came up with 827 gph in the tank. That would be too much if you have a single 1" drain which can only handle 600gph. If you had 2 x 1" drains it would be ok. If you assume 100 gal total volume (90 gal tank + 30 gal sump minus rock and sand and extra room in sump for backflow) and you wanted 5x through the fuge, you would only want 500 gph. So I do believe the mag12 is too much.
 
hey will what pump are u using for your return?i have the same tank you got a 90 tech-s... i guess i'll be buying a mp40 ph. just one for now... too much money....
 
don't forget that your sump return should not be used for tank circulation, but rather water flow through the sump, which should be about 3-5x total system volume per hour. For your setup I'd suggest the mag 7.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14834717#post14834717 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by H.Veras
hey will what pump are u using for your return?i have the same tank you got a 90 tech-s... i guess i'll be buying a mp40 ph. just one for now... too much money....


Cool. In that case, I use an Eheim 1262. I did add a valve on the return line in case I needed to regulate the flow but turns out I just run it wide open anyway. That pump works great for me.

Click on my red house above for my build thread. Maybe some info in there you could find useful since we have the same tank.
 
Just ordered my Vortech friday :) and finished with the flooring in the basement. I will be sure to start a image thread once things get moving. Thanks for all the help.
 
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