Vortech?

A

aznnutty

Active member
after picking up a few more power heads, i just realized i probaby have the equivalent of one vortech. i've seen a bunch of video's and still can't pull the trigger yet.

can someone educate me on all the version of the vortech?

mp40, mp40w, mp40 es, mp40 gen 2 ??

what's the difference?
 
They are a progression of the evolution of the pump....whew! If you buy used, definitely go with a gen2 w. Mp40 is just the standard pump, the "W" is for wireless, you can link/sync multiple pumps to run master and slave style. The ES is the newest version with all the bells and whistles. I have a mp40w gen2 with the wetside going bad. I can buy new parts and rebuild it, but since the newer design changes it would cost me almost as much as a new wetside with all the parts needed, so I'm opting for the new wetside. They are well worth it Frost, you could get away with one in each tank;)
 
They work great and provide nice random flow. The downside to them from what I heard is the wetside probably needs replacing every year because it wears down, which cost $70. That's what's holding me back from getting one as well. I also can't grasp the initial cost of $500 per pump either. I'm currently running a few modded maxijets. One maxijet will put out just as much flow as one vortech, but it's not a random flow. However, I use my sea swirl to provide random chaotic flow and cost WAY less and very reliable.
 
so the gen2 came before the ES version?

yeah, $500 is steep for a powerhead, i just think of all the nice sps i can pick up for that much lol but still, i hate cleaning off all my K4's, they get algae build up decreases the proformance. getting rid of the aglae is priority one, but in the mean time... i wouldn't mind just swapping out wet sides every once in a while and less wires!
 
Go with the es they redesigned the shaft and controller! or go with Tunze 6105 both great pieces of equipment.
 
frost i have 2 mp40 on me new 190 gal and both were gen 1s upgraded one to a gen 2 and one to a es those two pumps with the one tunze 6101 is a ton of flow in the tank
 
I like the fact that there is nothing besides the wetside in the tank. Looks a lot more natural without all the wires and bulky equipment. For me it's the only pump I need, so it works great. I got rid of 4 pumps and replaced them with 1 and have waaaay more flow. You can find them used for a good price.
 
Aznutty I'd try the modded maxijets first and if they don't suffice you could go with the tunze 6105 or vortech like chef suggested. The mod costs about $15 and if you have a maxijet 1200 lying around that's even better. These ones do NOT clog like the koralias. I was contemplating the tunze but they look to similar to the koralias and would inevitably clog. Maxijet slits are just as wide as the vortech. hth
 
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imo once you get past the algae issues tunze will be the way to go. I just picked up a newer 6105, great pump. I also am running a vortech mp40w, I like the low profile but way too noisey for me. For a shorter than 6ft tank, imo 1 vortech will do ya but for a longer tank more than one is needed. Any pump will need cleaned more often when your battling algae.
 
none of them will get clogged if you clean them more often and hook up a gfo reactor to help support the algae bloom! Rember husbandry will give you better success and longevity to your equipment!
 
frost i have 2 gen2 mp40 in my 90 i think there the way to go if you wont you can come check them out lmk
 
Yes, husbandry is important and should be implemented every so often, but I like equipment to perform flawlessly all the time and thats what's most important to me. If you don't regularly scrub tunze/koralias with a toothbrush or pick off the algae or what have you, then the performance will decrease significantly. However, on the other hand maxijets do NOT have to be clean off regualrly because the slits are so wide. The slits on the previous pump I mentioned can easy get clogged with algae sheets, even if cut up, and frozen foods as well. I don't shut down my pumps when I feed because I feel it freaks the fish out because the flow goes from very strong to hardly moving and I like my corals/anemones/inverts to grab food as well. I never had maxijets acutally get anything caught in the guard whereas koralias and tunze would get clogged up fairly quick. That's why I love how the modded maxijet was designed. I will eventually get a vortech mp 40, if they fixed the noise issue. I think the ES is much quieter from what I've heard..
 
Aznutty I think an mp 20 would probably be sufficient in a small tank like the 40 long you have. That's the tank you're talking about for flow, right? You could also supplement the flow with an additional modded maxijet. An mp 40 may be too much flow.
 
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joe22883 said:
imo once you get past the algae issues tunze will be the way to go. I just picked up a newer 6105, great pump. I also am running a vortech mp40w, I like the low profile but way too noisey for me. For a shorter than 6ft tank, imo 1 vortech will do ya but for a longer tank more than one is needed. Any pump will need cleaned more often when your battling algae.
Click to expand...

Joe, do you think one tunze 6105 is enough for a standard 90 gallon? Also, if you had to choose between the vortech or tunze which would you choose?
 
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