Alright, so as of about a week ago, I was a big fan of Ecotech Vortech pumps, I have an MP40 plus the WXM module for my Apex to control it. I was about to participate in a group buy and I added an MP60 to my order. Then I found out that Ecotech doesn't allow retailers to discount their products. I am NOT a fan of this business practice, setting a price point to make your product SEEM high-end and allow you to spend oodles marketing it, rather than competing on the actual merits.
It brought the pros and cons of the Vortech line into sharp focus for me:
Pro: Limited heat added to water, controllable
Con: Expensive, can't be angled, noisy, wet side must be replaced every year or two
There is some debate on whether they can be considered noisy, but I'll skip a few paragraphs ahead and compare the MP40 to a Sicce Voyager HP 4000... I can be in another room, and be able to tell whether the MP40 is running, and what speed it's running. I can be 6" away from the tank with my ear facing it and not be able to tell if the Sicce is running. I have to look at the propeller to see if it's on. So if you want to mince words, the MP40 is not silent... It should be, for the cost.
Soooo, I've decided I'm going to find a better, cheaper way forward. When I was first designing my tank, I wanted to ensure that I'd not need a chiller, so the Vortech seemed to be a requirement. But I now realize that my previous tanks got most of their heat gain from the lighting and the internal MAG pumps, so this isn't a requirement anymore. I also realize that variable flow is not on my requirement list. I only run the MP40 below its max flow because it is too LOUD when it's running full blast. In my ideal world, I'd run it cycling on and off against another pump, full blast to off, silently...
Enter the Sicce Voyager HP 4000. It's a propeller pump, it pushes 4000gph, it is silent, can be angled, and costs $170 from Amazon, shipped Prime. I ordered two, one for either end of my 6' tank (my original plan was an MP40 on one side, and MP60 on the other). So I turned off the MP40, and put the Sicce in the same position on the side wall, and turned it on. It couldn't hear it. I turned it off. Turned it on and looked at it, ok, propeller is spinning. Woah, vortexes on the water surface (impressive, since it's about 18" down). The thing stirred up a BUNCH of detritus, and the entire tank was whipping around (not just the first 3', like what the MP40 was doing). I was really shocked, that it was apparently pushing SO MUCH more than the MP40 (to be fair, the Vortech was not on full-blast, but also keep in mind it would have been if it was quiet). Then I put in the second Sicce on the other end of the tank, put them both on a 5 minute on/off cycle, offset by 2:30... The tank became a snow globe for a while.
These pumps are great, cheap, silent starting, silent running. 50w each, might end up lowering my power bill a tiny bit since my tank currently demands heating all day and night, might as well put some of the MP40's power usage back into the tank. Time will tell how they last, but they are Sicce, these aren't Koralias (I have own of those for salt-mixing, not impressed)... They start the correct direction, don't have that silly rubber bumper.
Very likely I'll be putting my MP40 + WXM up on the for sale forum shortly. Who wants one?
It brought the pros and cons of the Vortech line into sharp focus for me:
Pro: Limited heat added to water, controllable
Con: Expensive, can't be angled, noisy, wet side must be replaced every year or two
There is some debate on whether they can be considered noisy, but I'll skip a few paragraphs ahead and compare the MP40 to a Sicce Voyager HP 4000... I can be in another room, and be able to tell whether the MP40 is running, and what speed it's running. I can be 6" away from the tank with my ear facing it and not be able to tell if the Sicce is running. I have to look at the propeller to see if it's on. So if you want to mince words, the MP40 is not silent... It should be, for the cost.
Soooo, I've decided I'm going to find a better, cheaper way forward. When I was first designing my tank, I wanted to ensure that I'd not need a chiller, so the Vortech seemed to be a requirement. But I now realize that my previous tanks got most of their heat gain from the lighting and the internal MAG pumps, so this isn't a requirement anymore. I also realize that variable flow is not on my requirement list. I only run the MP40 below its max flow because it is too LOUD when it's running full blast. In my ideal world, I'd run it cycling on and off against another pump, full blast to off, silently...
Enter the Sicce Voyager HP 4000. It's a propeller pump, it pushes 4000gph, it is silent, can be angled, and costs $170 from Amazon, shipped Prime. I ordered two, one for either end of my 6' tank (my original plan was an MP40 on one side, and MP60 on the other). So I turned off the MP40, and put the Sicce in the same position on the side wall, and turned it on. It couldn't hear it. I turned it off. Turned it on and looked at it, ok, propeller is spinning. Woah, vortexes on the water surface (impressive, since it's about 18" down). The thing stirred up a BUNCH of detritus, and the entire tank was whipping around (not just the first 3', like what the MP40 was doing). I was really shocked, that it was apparently pushing SO MUCH more than the MP40 (to be fair, the Vortech was not on full-blast, but also keep in mind it would have been if it was quiet). Then I put in the second Sicce on the other end of the tank, put them both on a 5 minute on/off cycle, offset by 2:30... The tank became a snow globe for a while.
These pumps are great, cheap, silent starting, silent running. 50w each, might end up lowering my power bill a tiny bit since my tank currently demands heating all day and night, might as well put some of the MP40's power usage back into the tank. Time will tell how they last, but they are Sicce, these aren't Koralias (I have own of those for salt-mixing, not impressed)... They start the correct direction, don't have that silly rubber bumper.
Very likely I'll be putting my MP40 + WXM up on the for sale forum shortly. Who wants one?
