MP40 Question

[PMazz]

I hear all this fuss about the Vortechs. Are they worth dumping the money in to?

New tank set up this week.
75g
Just rock in there at this point waiting for my cycle.

[Allmost]

this is the question that has came up ALOT .... and honest answer is, is it worth it to you ?

to me, its small, small foot print in the tank, no ugly wires in tank, comes with controller, and has an unmatched undertow across the sand. so TO ME, it is worth it.

it does make some noise, so if you are snesitive to noise, then probably not.

[PMazz]

Noise isn't my concern. I do however like the sleekness of them. If I plan on going primarily fish and soft corals is there a big benefit?

[Allmost]

Yes, there is, but you are talking to a guy with at least a couple vortechs in each tank so my answer might be biased.

the undertow, will pull water from the rocks and over the sand, washing them as it does, and moving corals back and forth, which increases mass transfer by 33%.

ANY wave maker will have the back and forth action, but only vortech has the "undertow". look it up on you tube if you can find a video showing that.

Specially in smaller tanks they are great, as they take up very little room. which means more room for corals and fish

[PMazz]

LOL fair enough, bias is ok. That means you have passion for the product you are using.

I did do some reading regarding how many to use and am getting mixed messages. Some say 1-MP40 and other say 1-MP40 paired with 1-MP10.

Any thoughts on that?

[Allmost]

if you are going with softies and fish, then 1 MP40 would be enough.

you can hide a koralia or something else in between the rocks as well on other side of the tank, since its 4 feet long. but I would start with 1 MP40, and see if more is needed you might want to try SPS later on and 2 MP40s would be great for that.

[PMazz]

thanks for your help! Greatly appreciated...

[LitiGATOR]

I'm a relative novice and purchased a new MP40 a few months back; it made a huge difference in my tank. The ability to use the various modes and adjust the strength of the current is amazing. I love it and found it to be well-worth it.

[PMazz]

What size tank do you have?

[LitiGATOR]

60-gallon with 20-gallon sump.

[PMazz]

1 seems to be enough flow for you?

[LitiGATOR]

I have two returns coming from my sump also, but yes, easily. I only have it at half-strength and it's more than enough.

[drew2007]

I asked the same questions. I was doubtful until i bought one mp40 and all i have to say is im impressed with them. So impressed i bought another one. Well worth it. They move a ridiculous amount of water. The undertow is sweet. I have 2 on my 75g mixed reef. All my corals love the flow. Especially the sps. The low profile and the controllability are excellent. The noise is not bad when aligned properly. The air intake from my skimmer is louder. I was worried about the noise also cuz my tank is in a main living area but its nowhere near as loud as i expected. If u dont plan on stocking sps then do 1 mp40 and throw a koralia 1050 or 1400 on the other side and your good to go.

[PMazz]

Thanks...I think I made up my mind. I will try and pick up a used unit and see how it goes. I appreciate the help!

[PMazz]

Ok maybe i didnt make up my mind. 2-MP10s or 1-MP40 on my 75g tank?

[ssgtgonzo]

Mp40...wider flow pattern. Another major benefit to vortechs is no heat transfer to the tank. It's a bigger deal when you have lots of mh's over your tank...which is unnecessary if you just have softies and fish

[PMazz]

Right now im running a 4 bulb t5 so heat is not an issue. It seems to be the consensus that MP40s are the way to go.

[drew2007]

Originally Posted by ssgtgonzo

Mp40...wider flow pattern. Another major benefit to vortechs is no heat transfer to the tank. It's a bigger deal when you have lots of mh's over your tank...which is unnecessary if you just have softies and fish

+1 Definitely mp40

[icereefer]

I run 1-MP40 and 2-6055 tunzes on my 75 gal.

[Dubya_R_X]

Def worth the money. I love my MP 10's

[REEFCANDY]

i think is worth every penny . vortechs for life.

[willietang021]

I am currently using mp40s and mp10s. I had tried many different wave maker or power heads before. If I would just made up my mind from the very beinging, I would have save so much $$$!!! To me nothing is better than the Vortech pumps. Unless you have a huge 8feet in length tank, you will need some very high power wave maker along with the vortech!

[eferna]

I was in the same boat as you a while back. But honestly speaking once I bought 1 I never looked back and looking to get another one for my 90.

Trust me you wont regret the purchase unlike a couple of other cheap stuff I bought. Just make sure you set it up correctly.

[sandwi54]

Def go with MP40. MP10 is way underpowered for a 4' tank. In fact, even MP40 can only push about 3ft of water, so you will need something else on the other side of the tank, like a koralia 1400.

[spoonman1979]

I have a 5' tank and just ordered my second one. The single pump was moving water around beautifully on that side and the crappy power heads were no comparison on the other. I can't wait to see how nicely the two work together in the different modes.