VorTech Pump experiences

[Skorpinok]

It has been some time now since the vortech pump came out - how do you folks like it so far? Is it worth the money, is it as good or better than the tunze?

Would you but it again?

Do you guys have any pictures / videos to show to the rest of us?

[wfgworks]

I just did my review of the Vortech in the IceCap forum. Below is what I wrote.


My Vortech Review
Well, I was lucky enough to purchase a Vortech off a fellow reefer. I have been running the Vortech for around 6 weeks if not longer. I have been running (2) 6100 Tunze streams for 2 years so I wanted to see how the VORTECH compared to Tunze.

When it first arrived I couldnt wait to put it in my tank and fire it up but to my disappointment, it had the old drive shaft which had some issues. I sent Ecotech and email on Thursday afternoon and Saturday morning I had the new and improved drive shaft. Now thats customer service!!!

After I fired up the pump, I was pretty impressed with the flow. The flow is much different IMO than that of the Tunze. The Vortech has a much wider flow pattern compared to the Tunze. At first, being a Tunze user, I felt the flow of the Vortech was lower than that of the Tunze because of the wider flow pattern. The Tunze has a more direct(harder) flow because of the smaller outlet the stream has. The more I watched the tank I realized the Vortech within the first 2 feet was hitting more areas than that of the Tunze. The Tunze's narrow stream will start to spread IMO 1.5-2 feet out. I also believe the Tunze will reach further across a tank versus the Vortech because of the different flow patterns but I could be wrong and havent tested that idea but it makes sense.


PRO(s) of the Vortech
1. The Vortech's profile allows half the pump inside the tank and the other half(motor) to sit outside the aquarium. LESS SPACE TAKEN UP IN THE TANK
2. The flow that this pump puts out is very impressive
3. The wide flow pattern allows to cover a larger area in that first 2 feet compared to the Tunze
4. The outside motor design not adding heat to the tank is very nice
5. Customer service by Ecotech is great
6. Battery Backup when it becomes available (I heard in the next few weeks)

Con(s) of the Vortech
1. No controller yet (Does have a flow controller that can be changed manually)
2. The pump is very quiet but compared to the Tunze, the Tunze wins this one. The noise coming from the motor is a low noise which really can't be heard when my fans are running. This is in comparison to when the Vortech is on 100%.

CONCLUSION:
The Vortech is a great pump that puts out great flow. I believe both the Tunze and Vortech are great additions to a reef. Both provide you with the additional flow that many get out of a Closed Loop.

You have two different designs and two different directions to go. I like the fact that the Vortech gives you more room in the tank and you dont have the powerhead look inside the tank. The battery backup is going to be a great addition and gives me the piece of mind when I'm away on business or vacation.