mp10 "2013" do the newer models still have noise issues?

lil_man72 · 05/29/2013, 07:24 PM

hello, i'm thinking about getting an mp10 for my 29g biocube and couldn't help reading about all the noise threads while researching wavemakers. i've heard the mp10 and mp40 at lfs and they don't seem very loud but there's a lot of other noise going on at the lfs. i had the jbj wavemaker and hated the clicking sound the pumps made when starting up. i also had the hydor box and loved it. the problem is the hydor w/nano pumps is around $300 new and the 2 pumps will take up a lot of space in the 29g. the mp10 would take up way less space and should work better other than the noise issue.
i've also been reading up on the jeboa wp25 but that's a whole other can of worms.
any pros and cons would be great. lmk what pump/wavemaker you would get.

fairladyZ · 05/29/2013, 09:22 PM

don't have an mp10 but i did just get an mp40. Like you i was really worried about the noise but after installing it i was VERY suprised at how quiet it actually is. If it's turned all the way up you can hear it hum. But if you keep it 3/4 or lower it's almost silent, I can hear my t5 fixture, my skimmer, my overflow, and even my QT tank HOB filter over it, i have to get my head almost next to it to hear it. I'm only on day 2 of owning mine but i'm glad i bit the bullet and got it, was worth it.

James77 · 05/29/2013, 09:24 PM

Noise will always be there with Vortechs, it is unavoidable since the motor is on the outside of the tank. The vast majority of people call them silent, so the noise issue is limited to a very few. Is your tank dead silent? Pumps, skimmers, fans? Any of those can drown out a Vortech easily.

matty0206 · 05/29/2013, 09:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by James77

Noise will always be there with Vortechs, it is unavoidable since the motor is on the outside of the tank. The vast majority of people call them silent, so the noise issue is limited to a very few. Is your tank dead silent? Pumps, skimmers, fans? Any of those can drown out a Vortech easily.

+1
I have never understood what people thought would happen when the motor is on the outside with no water to dampen the noise. I don't think my Mp-40 is loud at all but then again I have an 8 month old and a 3 year old, they tend to drown out most noise.

lil_man72 · 05/29/2013, 10:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by James77

Noise will always be there with Vortechs, it is unavoidable since the motor is on the outside of the tank. The vast majority of people call them silent, so the noise issue is limited to a very few. Is your tank dead silent? Pumps, skimmers, fans? Any of those can drown out a Vortech easily.

the loudest thing on my system are the fans on the led light. when it's off i can hear the water flowing in the back of the biocube and a slight hum from the stock return pump.
when i had the jbj wave box one of the pumps would make a clicking noise when it started that drove me nuts. i stopped using it.
the only other wave maker i had was the hydor wavemaker 2. it worked great but it's over $300 new and would put 2 pumps in the tank.

Saltwatercoral2 · 05/29/2013, 11:25 PM

2 pumps are better then 1 IMO..

tramboneplayer5 · 05/30/2013, 12:45 PM

I have an MP10w that was purchased in December 2012. It was sort of loud at full speed for the first week or so, but then it quieted down as the pump broke in. If you can afford it, the quietest way to do it is with two pumps turned down low. The MP10's are silent at low to mid speed, like fairladyZ said. Plus, like Saltwatercoral2 said, two pumps will virtually eliminate dead spots and provide redundancy in case of some extreme event. One MP10 on my 55 gallon tank does a great job, so the second pump would just be for silence and peace of mind. One MP10 would be more than enough circulation for a 29 gallon tank.

James77 · 05/30/2013, 01:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lil_man72

the loudest thing on my system are the fans on the led light. when it's off i can hear the water flowing in the back of the biocube and a slight hum from the stock return pump.
when i had the jbj wave box one of the pumps would make a clicking noise when it started that drove me nuts. i stopped using it.
the only other wave maker i had was the hydor wavemaker 2. it worked great but it's over $300 new and would put 2 pumps in the tank.

If noise is an issue or you are really sensitive to noise, I would see if you could check them out at someone's house that is also quiet. They are by no means like a jackhammer going off, more like a VCR rewinding. I could hear my MP40 (Im sure the MP10 is quieter) across the room.....but I almost have the hearing of a dog.

ReachTheSky · 05/30/2013, 01:57 PM

I had two MP40s (louder than MP10s) on my 90g in the living room. I could hear it if I stopped what I was doing any paid attention to them but otherwise I did not mind it.

Brains excel at filtering out redundant noises. A refridgerator hum, television whine or A/C fan doesn't drive you nuts, does it? Neither will a Vortech pump.

Allmost · 05/30/2013, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ReachTheSky

Brains excel at filtering out redundant noises. A refridgerator hum, television whine or A/C fan doesn't drive you nuts, does it? Neither will a Vortech pump.

Bingo!

I have in my living room 2 MP40 and 1 MP60 ... My room is less than 12 feet away ... I do not notice it. but funny thing is, if they turn off at the middle of the night, Id get up automatically ! [unless drunk of course lol ]

when friends come over, they hear it at first, they think there is a little elephant crying in my place, but after say 30 mins, it just becomes part of the background.

I got my mom a pair of MP10s, its in basement, and she sleeps on the second floor, so 3 floors and say 3 doors away, she sais she still hears it and ... ! so it does depend on the person too, some just are tooo sensitive to noise.

James77 · 05/30/2013, 02:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ReachTheSky

I had two MP40s (louder than MP10s) on my 90g in the living room. I could hear it if I stopped what I was doing any paid attention to them but otherwise I did not mind it.

Brains excel at filtering out redundant noises. A refridgerator hum, television whine or A/C fan doesn't drive you nuts, does it? Neither will a Vortech pump.

But most noises that filter into the background are at a steady level. What got me with the Vortech was it was always varying up and down. It drove me nuts....yet I need a fan or AC on to sleep....

Allmost · 05/30/2013, 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by James77

But most noises that filter into the background are at a steady level. What got me with the Vortech was it was always varying up and down. It drove me nuts....yet I need a fan or AC on to sleep....

you should hear my AC lol

but we know your view, you dont like the vortechs, so that's no Issue ... everyone has their own preference .....

the noise didnt blend into background for you .... it did for me and other poster and I am sure alot of other ppl, so we have to basically agree to disagree on it. or say it blends into back ground for those NOT too sensitive to noise.

does the AC noise, or noise froma fan that you need to sleep blend int he background for you ? or does it bother you all night long ?

James77 · 05/30/2013, 02:23 PM

I do like the Vortechs

...except for the noise. It is the constant varying that gets me, otherwise it would fade into the background. There is no real background at my house...I live quietly. The hum of certain pumps gets me too. I was even thinking of the MP60 on low, but the cost starts outweighing the benefits of losing the Tunze size. Its just something of that whirring that drove me nuts, I don't know why...certain noises do others don't at all.

Then again, its been 4 or 5 years I think since I last tried one. Maybe all the massively loud music I crank in my car could have taken a smidgfe off my ears. I'll try them again at somepoint just for the heck of it.

Nope....the AC a little noisy, though I just got a new one that is quiet. But I need the fan on to sleep, even in the winter. Or the TV.....anything except my thoughts

ReachTheSky · 05/30/2013, 02:28 PM

Admittedly, I could not stand these things in Wave mode. That drove me bonkers and probably drove my fish a bit crazy too.

I really didn't mind it at all in Reef Crest/Lagoon. It just became background noise to me. I guess it's different for some folks.

Allmost · 05/30/2013, 02:29 PM

no I know what you mean, alot of ppl are just too sensitive to noise.

but in general, or the norm of noise acceptance [lol], a fan should not bother you when sleeping, so if we take that as the middle ground, then you would fall above it, in the group that is sensitive to noise.

I fall under that line, my AC is REALLY loud, but I dont get bothered by it ...

so i guess we can make a noise level acceptance chart .... using regular table top fans. if you can sleep fine in front of a fan, you can handle Vortech. if a fan bothers you, then Vortech will too.

TimeConsumer · 05/30/2013, 04:09 PM

The noise you will experience with the MP10 is largely based upon what you have it set at. At 100% it has a slight whine to it that is noticeable on an otherwise quiet tank. If you run it on short pulse, nutrient transport mode, and (to an extent) reef crest mode, the constant change in speed will be more noticeable. Lagoon mode and tidal swell mode change speed slowly, making it much less noticeable. They are definitely louder than a Tunze or similar pump, no matter how you slice it. But the in-tank footprint is the smallest you will find on a powerhead. FWIW I have 2 on my tank in my bedroom that regularly hit 100%, they don't bother me at all.

You can always buy one used, if you don't like it sell it for the same price.

James77 · 05/30/2013, 04:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Allmost

so i guess we can make a noise level acceptance chart .... using regular table top fans. if you can sleep fine in front of a fan, you can handle Vortech. if a fan bothers you, then Vortech will too.

But even fans don't bother me.... have a production copier idling behind me with a fan I can hear easily 40 feet away, but it goes right into the background.

I am always fair when I criticize the Vortech noise, as I know 95%+ of people will have no issue with it. If someone runs a silent tank, chances are they are anti-noise nuts like me.

I usually say that if you hear nothing on the tank you will hear the Vortech, but it is a noise level that the average lighting fan would drown out. I ran an Aquactinics Solar Flare while I owned the 1st Vortech that came out...and the Solar Flare was way more obnoxious, and that was using IceCap fans. I just hate people being disappointed by the noise of a Vortech. If someone is concerned about noise, they will more than likely have an issue with the Vortech. But the average reefer with the typical system will hear nothing.....But they will wonder why I am clenching my ears and kicking on the ground from the system noise

rishma · 05/30/2013, 08:32 PM

I think Jim is too generous saying that only noise nuts cant stand the vortech noise. This may be because vortech fans tend to get offended by this point.

If you strive for a quiet tank, if quiet equipment is a high priority for you, then vortech noise may be an issue.

Those who are not bothered by the vortech's noise are fortunate to have a great water mover.

kendrid · 05/30/2013, 10:22 PM

I have a two month old mp10. Right now it is at 60% wave maker mode and I can't hear it from 12 feet away.

I can hear it from about four feet away but it is a very faint noise.

Before owning it I was worried about the noise until I went to a local reefers house to buy a few frags. He had an MP10 on one tank and an MP40 on another and I couldn't really hear either unless I really tried. If you live in a a house with no ambient noise you could probably hear them but otherwise I can't see how they are distracting.

jtomasi · 05/31/2013, 12:11 AM

get a jebao wp25

erikokelf · 05/31/2013, 12:33 AM

I can hardly hear my mp10 if I'm not paying attention to it. Maybe due to operating at half the max speed.

bjm1287 · 05/31/2013, 08:00 AM

get a tunze and be done with it

Bilk · 05/31/2013, 08:40 AM

I have two MP10s on a 50. I think part of the issue with noise is getting the dry/wet sides to "seat" well - find the sweet spot - and this minimizes the noise. I bought a set of bearings thinking they were bad and the reason for the noise, but playing with the positioning fixed it. They're running almost three years without issue.

They're a pretty good product and not having wires in the tank is a great feature for safety as well as appearance.

MrIcky · 05/31/2013, 08:48 AM

The noise on my MP10 doesn't bother me except in wave/nutrient export mode. On those 2 modes it's annoying as hell. All of the other modes ramp up and down smoothly enough that it fades out.

Midnightt · 05/31/2013, 11:04 AM

I have 1 MP40 right now because I wanted to make sure that I was gonna love it before I spent the money on 2. Mine is very quiet. However, it is also on low right now until I get it to the bigger tank.

The key with the Vortechs is alignment. Sometimes mine falls out of alignment but, it is easy to notice and easy to adjust. Other times, like this morning, I had a snail crawl onto the face of the Vortech and I heard the noise. Quick fix was to pull it off.

I will say that I absolutely love the Vortech. And, it moves a TON of water.

05/29/2013, 07:24 PM	#1
lil_man72 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: kcmo Posts: 69	mp10 "2013" do the newer models still have noise issues? hello, i'm thinking about getting an mp10 for my 29g biocube and couldn't help reading about all the noise threads while researching wavemakers. i've heard the mp10 and mp40 at lfs and they don't seem very loud but there's a lot of other noise going on at the lfs. i had the jbj wavemaker and hated the clicking sound the pumps made when starting up. i also had the hydor box and loved it. the problem is the hydor w/nano pumps is around $300 new and the 2 pumps will take up a lot of space in the 29g. the mp10 would take up way less space and should work better other than the noise issue. i've also been reading up on the jeboa wp25 but that's a whole other can of worms. any pros and cons would be great. lmk what pump/wavemaker you would get.

05/29/2013, 09:24 PM	#3
James77 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Rhode Island Posts: 8,158	Noise will always be there with Vortechs, it is unavoidable since the motor is on the outside of the tank. The vast majority of people call them silent, so the noise issue is limited to a very few. Is your tank dead silent? Pumps, skimmers, fans? Any of those can drown out a Vortech easily. __________________ Jim Current Tank Info: 120g Mixed Reef and 75g Freshwater

05/30/2013, 01:57 PM	#9
ReachTheSky Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Burbank, CA Posts: 1,114	I had two MP40s (louder than MP10s) on my 90g in the living room. I could hear it if I stopped what I was doing any paid attention to them but otherwise I did not mind it. Brains excel at filtering out redundant noises. A refridgerator hum, television whine or A/C fan doesn't drive you nuts, does it? Neither will a Vortech pump. __________________ Van Current tank: 7.5g Nano-Reef \| Modified AquaClear50 \| RapidLED Par38 bulb \| 2x Koralia 240gph

05/30/2013, 02:23 PM	#13
James77 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Rhode Island Posts: 8,158	I do like the Vortechs ...except for the noise. It is the constant varying that gets me, otherwise it would fade into the background. There is no real background at my house...I live quietly. The hum of certain pumps gets me too. I was even thinking of the MP60 on low, but the cost starts outweighing the benefits of losing the Tunze size. Its just something of that whirring that drove me nuts, I don't know why...certain noises do others don't at all. Then again, its been 4 or 5 years I think since I last tried one. Maybe all the massively loud music I crank in my car could have taken a smidgfe off my ears. I'll try them again at somepoint just for the heck of it. Nope....the AC a little noisy, though I just got a new one that is quiet. But I need the fan on to sleep, even in the winter. Or the TV.....anything except my thoughts __________________ Jim Current Tank Info: 120g Mixed Reef and 75g Freshwater

05/30/2013, 02:28 PM	#14
ReachTheSky Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Burbank, CA Posts: 1,114	Admittedly, I could not stand these things in Wave mode. That drove me bonkers and probably drove my fish a bit crazy too. I really didn't mind it at all in Reef Crest/Lagoon. It just became background noise to me. I guess it's different for some folks. __________________ Van Current tank: 7.5g Nano-Reef \| Modified AquaClear50 \| RapidLED Par38 bulb \| 2x Koralia 240gph

05/29/2013, 09:22 PM	#2
fairladyZ Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Posts: 288	don't have an mp10 but i did just get an mp40. Like you i was really worried about the noise but after installing it i was VERY suprised at how quiet it actually is. If it's turned all the way up you can hear it hum. But if you keep it 3/4 or lower it's almost silent, I can hear my t5 fixture, my skimmer, my overflow, and even my QT tank HOB filter over it, i have to get my head almost next to it to hear it. I'm only on day 2 of owning mine but i'm glad i bit the bullet and got it, was worth it.

05/29/2013, 11:25 PM	#6
Saltwatercoral2 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 1,617	2 pumps are better then 1 IMO..

05/30/2013, 12:45 PM	#7
tramboneplayer5 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 40	I have an MP10w that was purchased in December 2012. It was sort of loud at full speed for the first week or so, but then it quieted down as the pump broke in. If you can afford it, the quietest way to do it is with two pumps turned down low. The MP10's are silent at low to mid speed, like fairladyZ said. Plus, like Saltwatercoral2 said, two pumps will virtually eliminate dead spots and provide redundancy in case of some extreme event. One MP10 on my 55 gallon tank does a great job, so the second pump would just be for silence and peace of mind. One MP10 would be more than enough circulation for a 29 gallon tank.

05/30/2013, 02:29 PM	#15
Allmost Moved On Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: canada, toronto Posts: 8,161	no I know what you mean, alot of ppl are just too sensitive to noise. but in general, or the norm of noise acceptance [lol], a fan should not bother you when sleeping, so if we take that as the middle ground, then you would fall above it, in the group that is sensitive to noise. I fall under that line, my AC is REALLY loud, but I dont get bothered by it ... so i guess we can make a noise level acceptance chart .... using regular table top fans. if you can sleep fine in front of a fan, you can handle Vortech. if a fan bothers you, then Vortech will too.

05/30/2013, 04:09 PM	#16
TimeConsumer Registered Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: New Orleans, La Posts: 1,919	The noise you will experience with the MP10 is largely based upon what you have it set at. At 100% it has a slight whine to it that is noticeable on an otherwise quiet tank. If you run it on short pulse, nutrient transport mode, and (to an extent) reef crest mode, the constant change in speed will be more noticeable. Lagoon mode and tidal swell mode change speed slowly, making it much less noticeable. They are definitely louder than a Tunze or similar pump, no matter how you slice it. But the in-tank footprint is the smallest you will find on a powerhead. FWIW I have 2 on my tank in my bedroom that regularly hit 100%, they don't bother me at all. You can always buy one used, if you don't like it sell it for the same price. __________________ Steve - Retired from reefing, for now.

05/30/2013, 08:32 PM	#18
rishma Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Mississippi Posts: 1,206	I think Jim is too generous saying that only noise nuts cant stand the vortech noise. This may be because vortech fans tend to get offended by this point. If you strive for a quiet tank, if quiet equipment is a high priority for you, then vortech noise may be an issue. Those who are not bothered by the vortech's noise are fortunate to have a great water mover.

05/30/2013, 10:22 PM	#19
kendrid Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Lake in the hills, IL Posts: 806	I have a two month old mp10. Right now it is at 60% wave maker mode and I can't hear it from 12 feet away. I can hear it from about four feet away but it is a very faint noise. Before owning it I was worried about the noise until I went to a local reefers house to buy a few frags. He had an MP10 on one tank and an MP40 on another and I couldn't really hear either unless I really tried. If you live in a a house with no ambient noise you could probably hear them but otherwise I can't see how they are distracting.

05/31/2013, 12:11 AM	#20
jtomasi Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 110	get a jebao wp25

05/31/2013, 12:33 AM	#21
erikokelf Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Singapore Posts: 1	I can hardly hear my mp10 if I'm not paying attention to it. Maybe due to operating at half the max speed.

05/31/2013, 08:00 AM	#22
bjm1287 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Waco, TX Posts: 87	get a tunze and be done with it __________________ 3 gallon pico with 2 hippo tangs Current Tank Info: 75 gal mixed reef

05/31/2013, 08:40 AM	#23
Bilk Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: NYC Posts: 1,374	I have two MP10s on a 50. I think part of the issue with noise is getting the dry/wet sides to "seat" well - find the sweet spot - and this minimizes the noise. I bought a set of bearings thinking they were bad and the reason for the noise, but playing with the positioning fixed it. They're running almost three years without issue. They're a pretty good product and not having wires in the tank is a great feature for safety as well as appearance.

05/31/2013, 08:48 AM	#24
MrIcky Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 296	The noise on my MP10 doesn't bother me except in wave/nutrient export mode. On those 2 modes it's annoying as hell. All of the other modes ramp up and down smoothly enough that it fades out.

05/31/2013, 11:04 AM	#25
Midnightt Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Illinois Posts: 223	I have 1 MP40 right now because I wanted to make sure that I was gonna love it before I spent the money on 2. Mine is very quiet. However, it is also on low right now until I get it to the bigger tank. The key with the Vortechs is alignment. Sometimes mine falls out of alignment but, it is easy to notice and easy to adjust. Other times, like this morning, I had a snail crawl onto the face of the Vortech and I heard the noise. Quick fix was to pull it off. I will say that I absolutely love the Vortech. And, it moves a TON of water.