Are Vortechs worth the money? - Page 2

Garage1217 · 11/26/2009, 02:10 PM

I would never pay that much when my modified k4's can rock my tank flow wise & have been rock solid reliable. And they are directional. I guess if you wanted a cleaner look with minimal instrusion into the tank, then they would be the ticket... but at a very high price.

tkeracer619 · 11/26/2009, 02:38 PM

yes

E.intheC · 11/26/2009, 02:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ganjero

Yes

IMO the flow is so wide that you dont need to aim them.

+1. The wide flow is one of their best attributes. I have owned both an MP10 and MP20, and will probably buy another MP20 within a week or two. If I had unlimited funds, I'd buy two mp40s and have one at each end. My 2cents.

Tunzes are good too, by the way

stealle · 11/26/2009, 05:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by emoore

Here is a summary of what all these threads about vortechs say.

Are they worth it: Yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, yes, no

That about sums it up

Seems people are not thrilled about the cost, but I'd say this thread is all yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. (Maybe with the exception of one or two that don't actually own one, those don't count, IMO.)

Maivortex · 11/26/2009, 05:56 PM

I have a 70gal. I used to have 3 tunzes 6025 on the right and left side with one in a bottom corner. I replaced all this clutter with one MP40. All the other features on top of this makes it worth it. However, $400 is still a lot for this pump. $300 would be a fair price.

timmyb770 · 11/26/2009, 06:16 PM

They are totally worth the money i have 4 of them, there customer service is no questions asked, and they are a great source of water circulation!!

jlenhardt · 11/26/2009, 06:57 PM

I have two MP40's in my 120 and they are the best. Great water movement and the heat from the motors are outside of my tank.

mikeatjac · 11/26/2009, 08:53 PM

It is the wide pattern that makes the difference. Both are great but I love my Vortechs.

luther1200 · 11/26/2009, 09:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sbreefer

with a bare bottom tank, you need to be able to aim and tune to remove any collecting detritus. -TS

Right, with a Tunze you have to aim it because the flow is very narrow compared to a Vortech. A Vortech has such a wide flow pattern and strong undertow there is no need to aim it.

aoc230 · 12/01/2009, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by luther1200

Right, with a Tunze you have to aim it because the flow is very narrow compared to a Vortech. A Vortech has such a wide flow pattern and strong undertow there is no need to aim it.

its rediculously wide!! on my 6 foot long tank, i can look towards the middle at floating particles and watch them being sucked towards one of the pumps... just as much water can be viewed going into the pumps as is leaving... you really dont need to point these things, if it's a bare bottom, even better as you can put them closer to the bottom(which is harder with sand as it blows around)

Purelife · 12/01/2009, 01:34 PM

I say yes i love my mp40w while the original cost is a bit much to take in but overall i am really impressed with mine.
Can't beat that wide flow pattern

t5Nitro · 12/01/2009, 02:16 PM

I have an MP20 and want to buy an MP40W for the other side.

Amazing piece of equipment.

DT's_Reef · 12/01/2009, 02:48 PM

Have any of you owned them for more than 1-2 years without needing to replace parts?

Would anyone describe these pumps as virtually silent when operating in a quiet room with a tank that is very quiet?

I owned one of the original pumps and found it to be extremely loud (whirring noise) when the flow would increase. It was the loudest piece of equipment on my otherwise quiet tank (livingroom, so it needs to be relatively quiet). I had to get rid of it because it was driving everyone nuts.

I think the best feature is the extremely wide flow pattern. Very gentle, but totally effective.

chipnamanda · 12/01/2009, 03:14 PM

Well I know what I want for christmas!

reefsahoy · 12/01/2009, 03:47 PM

OK, my question is how reliable are they? I almost bought one but reconsidered when i went to a reefers house and he said he had to get them repaired every so often. he had a extra dry/wet side for backup (not sure which side) for when it fails again. It was also humming when in use. He also said that the customer service is exellent but i really don't want to use customer service but rather have a good reliable pump that won't fail. I still want to buy one but waiting for them to become more relaible. let me know what you owners think.

nanojg · 12/01/2009, 03:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DT's_Reef

Have any of you owned them for more than 1-2 years without needing to replace parts?

Would anyone describe these pumps as virtually silent when operating in a quiet room with a tank that is very quiet?

I owned one of the original pumps and found it to be extremely loud (whirring noise) when the flow would increase. It was the loudest piece of equipment on my otherwise quiet tank (livingroom, so it needs to be relatively quiet). I had to get rid of it because it was driving everyone nuts.

I think the best feature is the extremely wide flow pattern. Very gentle, but totally effective.

I love my mp20 but it is not silent. When my 4" fans are running I can't hear the mp20, but when the lights go out I can hear a humm from the motor. Its almost as loud as my itech 100, not very loud but those are the only two sounds I can hear when the lights go out.

d2mini · 12/01/2009, 04:44 PM

Anyone know when the new battery backups are going to be available?

rick88 · 12/01/2009, 05:16 PM

i would say yes, i love my mp20 and will never go back to a regular type powerhead

vitimanc · 12/02/2009, 03:23 AM

I have no idea how I afforded them, but I am happy with support from the company. I somehow got the magnets stuck together....while trying to pull the 2 sides apart, I destroyed the wet side assembly. I sent the pump back telling them what i had done and they completely rebuilt the pump for no charge...free. It does not get any better than that.

rick88 · 12/02/2009, 07:33 PM

wow i had no idea thier customer service was that good, there are so few genuinely good companies out there

kvosstra · 12/02/2009, 08:13 PM

I have had mine for 1+ year - its an older gen1 - its not silent, and the wetside is not great. I hear that they have made significant improvements on Gen2, but I cannot comment as to that.

Do they put out as much flow as my Tunze 6101? NO.
Are they louder than the tunze? Yes - by a lot
Are they significantly smaller in my tank? Yes, by a lot!
Would I buy them again? Maybe, But for $400 I would just design my tank differently, as someone above suggested, modify a K4, or other propeller pump that I can hide at a false wall, or other mechanism. However, absent a full tank re-design, they are very good for what they do - wide flow (as stated above), controllable, small in-tank footprint.

Best,
-Kyle

SecGenGSX · 12/02/2009, 08:19 PM

I will be getting one pretty soon. I was up in the air about them until I seen someone who had 2 mp40w and was really impressed. Still hard to stomach spending that much on a powerhead, but they are nice.

Reefobsession · 12/02/2009, 09:56 PM

yes AND yes AND YES. I am just broke from buying one. haha. Can't wait to buy another. Hoping they come down in price though.

dh350twin · 12/02/2009, 10:42 PM

Yes they are. I held out for a long time because of the initial cost. I will not hesitate on purchasing another. The flow is amazing and creates little to no Dead spots. Do it.....

11/26/2009, 02:10 PM	#26
Garage1217 GET OFF MY LAWN Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Globally Posts: 5,863	I would never pay that much when my modified k4's can rock my tank flow wise & have been rock solid reliable. And they are directional. I guess if you wanted a cleaner look with minimal instrusion into the tank, then they would be the ticket... but at a very high price. __________________ No great genius has ever existed without some touch of madness ~ Aristotle If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it? ~ Albert Einstein I'm just as bent as ever. Hellishly so ~ Captain Jack Sparrow Current Tank Info: Systems and goodies by Lee-Mar / Coralvue / Neptune Systems / Jager / Spectrapure / Cree / Meanwell + more!

11/26/2009, 02:38 PM	#27
tkeracer619 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Westminster, CO Posts: 17,289	yes __________________ Hobby Experience: 9200ish gallons, 26 skimmers, and a handful of Kent Scrapers. Current Tank: Vortech Powered 600G SPS Tank w/ 100gal frag tank & 100g Sump. RK2-RK10 Skimmer. ReefAngel. Radium 20k.

11/26/2009, 08:53 PM	#33
mikeatjac Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Jacksonville, Florida Posts: 2,433	It is the wide pattern that makes the difference. Both are great but I love my Vortechs. __________________ Red Sea Reefer 525 - BK 160- G5 Blue - GHL

12/01/2009, 02:16 PM	#37
t5Nitro Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 4,384	I have an MP20 and want to buy an MP40W for the other side. Amazing piece of equipment. __________________ ATI T5 club Current Tank Info: Left the hobby, looking to re-enter in the future

12/01/2009, 02:48 PM	#38
DT's_Reef Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Huntington Beach, CA Posts: 3,083	Have any of you owned them for more than 1-2 years without needing to replace parts? Would anyone describe these pumps as virtually silent when operating in a quiet room with a tank that is very quiet? I owned one of the original pumps and found it to be extremely loud (whirring noise) when the flow would increase. It was the loudest piece of equipment on my otherwise quiet tank (livingroom, so it needs to be relatively quiet). I had to get rid of it because it was driving everyone nuts. I think the best feature is the extremely wide flow pattern. Very gentle, but totally effective. __________________ 85g starphire system, 38"x26"x20", 250w Radium SE + Galaxy Ballast + Lumenmax Elite reflector, Tunze Nano Wave Box, 2 Tunze Nano Streams, Profilux dosing system (2-part + vodka), ATB 840 Skimmer, Eheim 1262 return pump.

11/26/2009, 05:56 PM	#30
Maivortex Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: PARADISE, us Posts: 666 Blog Entries: 1	I have a 70gal. I used to have 3 tunzes 6025 on the right and left side with one in a bottom corner. I replaced all this clutter with one MP40. All the other features on top of this makes it worth it. However, $400 is still a lot for this pump. $300 would be a fair price.

11/26/2009, 06:16 PM	#31
timmyb770 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Birmingham, MI Posts: 52	They are totally worth the money i have 4 of them, there customer service is no questions asked, and they are a great source of water circulation!!

11/26/2009, 06:57 PM	#32
jlenhardt Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Streamwood, Illinois Posts: 132	I have two MP40's in my 120 and they are the best. Great water movement and the heat from the motors are outside of my tank.

12/01/2009, 01:34 PM	#36
Purelife Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Toronto , Canada Posts: 80	I say yes i love my mp40w while the original cost is a bit much to take in but overall i am really impressed with mine. Can't beat that wide flow pattern

12/01/2009, 03:14 PM	#39
chipnamanda Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: columbus, oh Posts: 61	Well I know what I want for christmas!

12/01/2009, 03:47 PM	#40
reefsahoy I can see thru you! Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Milky Way Galaxy 3rd planet from the sun, in a country called USA! Posts: 2,685	OK, my question is how reliable are they? I almost bought one but reconsidered when i went to a reefers house and he said he had to get them repaired every so often. he had a extra dry/wet side for backup (not sure which side) for when it fails again. It was also humming when in use. He also said that the customer service is exellent but i really don't want to use customer service but rather have a good reliable pump that won't fail. I still want to buy one but waiting for them to become more relaible. let me know what you owners think.

12/01/2009, 04:44 PM	#42
d2mini Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 10,344	Anyone know when the new battery backups are going to be available?

12/01/2009, 05:16 PM	#43
rick88 Moved On Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: jax bch ,FL currently in Gainesville for a while Posts: 180	i would say yes, i love my mp20 and will never go back to a regular type powerhead

12/02/2009, 03:23 AM	#44
vitimanc Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Ferndale, Washington Posts: 18	I have no idea how I afforded them, but I am happy with support from the company. I somehow got the magnets stuck together....while trying to pull the 2 sides apart, I destroyed the wet side assembly. I sent the pump back telling them what i had done and they completely rebuilt the pump for no charge...free. It does not get any better than that.

12/02/2009, 07:33 PM	#45
rick88 Moved On Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: jax bch ,FL currently in Gainesville for a while Posts: 180	wow i had no idea thier customer service was that good, there are so few genuinely good companies out there

12/02/2009, 08:13 PM	#46
kvosstra Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Philadelphia, PA Posts: 995	I have had mine for 1+ year - its an older gen1 - its not silent, and the wetside is not great. I hear that they have made significant improvements on Gen2, but I cannot comment as to that. Do they put out as much flow as my Tunze 6101? NO. Are they louder than the tunze? Yes - by a lot Are they significantly smaller in my tank? Yes, by a lot! Would I buy them again? Maybe, But for $400 I would just design my tank differently, as someone above suggested, modify a K4, or other propeller pump that I can hide at a false wall, or other mechanism. However, absent a full tank re-design, they are very good for what they do - wide flow (as stated above), controllable, small in-tank footprint. Best, -Kyle __________________ "To him, all good things, trout as well as eternal salvation, come by grace and grace comes by art and art does not come easy." -Norman Maclean, A River Runs Through It, 1976 Current Tank Info: recently set up my 40G sps tank again!

12/02/2009, 08:19 PM	#47
SecGenGSX Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Murrysville, PA Posts: 156	I will be getting one pretty soon. I was up in the air about them until I seen someone who had 2 mp40w and was really impressed. Still hard to stomach spending that much on a powerhead, but they are nice.

12/02/2009, 09:56 PM	#48
Reefobsession Moved On Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: IN Posts: 1,037	yes AND yes AND YES. I am just broke from buying one. haha. Can't wait to buy another. Hoping they come down in price though.

12/02/2009, 10:42 PM	#49
dh350twin Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: kent island md Posts: 599	Yes they are. I held out for a long time because of the initial cost. I will not hesitate on purchasing another. The flow is amazing and creates little to no Dead spots. Do it.....