A pair of Vortech MP40s vs. a pair of Tunze 6105s

[trido]

I did a search today and every comparison or poll I could find was from early "09". I'd like to get a more recent opinion from my peers regarding the two.

For comparison, Im going to use two of each for a six foot tank.

First, cost
Vortech MP40s $840
Tunze 6105s with the new 7096 multi controller $813

Flow
Vortech's 3200 each = 6400GPH
Tunze's 3434 each = 6868GPH

Electricity consumption / full speed

Vortech's 28W each = 56KWH
Tunze's 45 each = 90KWH

Appearance

The vortech has equal parts outside and inside the tank
The tunzes are inside the tank except a small magnet outside of the glass

At this point I can only compare with my experiences
Noise

Vortechs vs Tunze
Currently I have four tunze nano's, a MJ mod and a vortech MP20 running on my tank. The MP20 is the only powerhead I can hear from across the room when it ramps up. Really, its the only one I hear at all. I do have a friend that runs tunze 6305's and they can also be heard when running full speed. Frankly, at 7925GPH, I'm not surprised that I can hear the water moving.

Customer service
I've only heard good things about Tunze's customer service and pretty much the same about vortechs. I've had two experiences with Vortech. One was fine and the rep even gave me a pointer to extend the bearing life which was extremely helpful. My first experience was not so perfect IMO. Everything was fine, but I didnt get the response I would expect after just spending $300. I''m sure it was and isolated case.



Im sure I missed something.
Give me your opinions please.

 

[trido]

This is a great little comparison write up I found

The Tunzes put out a "stream", while the Vortechs truly create multi-directional flow. When you place a Tunze 6200 cover on a 6100 pump, you start to get the type of flow pattern that a Vortech produces, but the Vortech still has a more broad flow pattern. For my size aquarium, and the broader spread of "flow", I prefer the Vortech. However, the vortech is not as powerful as a Tunze and is significantly louder even in modes other than "pulse". The Tunzes are also obviously much larger and severly detract from the "clean" look of Elos which I've spent thousands of dollars on! Finally, a vortech is more energy efficient and does not directly heat up the aquarium water as much as a Tunze. The design of Elos aquariums makes for a very quiet environment and two vortech's in "pulse" mode can become distrubing. In other constant modes, the vortechs produce a humming noise but resonates at a frequency that get's irritating. The tunzes resonate at a lower frequency which is less noticable.

 

[trido]

Really, all votes and no opinions..............
Does anyone voting even have one of these? or is it just dreaming?

 

[Reef Setup]

I'm really no help being i never tried the tunze controllers!
My vote was MP's being i own one and like that i have different modes i can choose! The noise is a less factor but my interenal pump is louder lol

I also wanted to add when i got my mp with a buddy at the same time he's statements were ''he is so happy with the money spent he sets his on blue pulse full blast and has turned off his close loop'' this is in his 100g 1 mp40!

 

[Myteemouse]

I like the tunze's they are not protruding from your tank on the outside and they are near silent..
I would like a bit of a wider flow with them but still a sweet set up with 2-4 of them.

 

[harrscars]

Gotta say my first in tank circulation pump as about 3wks ago. I bought 2 mp40's and 1 mp40w. Beyond the first time setting it up they took me about 3-5 mintues each. I have nothing bad to say. My tank is 300 gallons and I knew I was going to have to step up the flow after a while but having powerheads with cords and extra heat I was dragging my feet to step into tunzes. I got a great deal on the 2 mp40's $360.00 for both and $265.00 for the mp40w. I would say the ramp up on the mp40w is louder than I thought but I don't think I would ever step into anything else now. One more mp40w and I've got tsunami style flow. I really love these vortech's




Mike

 

[dragoneggs]

I have used a couple of tunze nanos and liked them very much, especially the lack of noise but I plan to go with the MP40s with my new ELOS tank. I thought the vortechs would be super quiet but after reading a few posts I am starting to wonder now. I will surely plug my tunze in and compare them side by side but I sure hope the vortechs are all they are advertised to be... wide flow which I need and quiet. Especially for the price!

 

[trido]

Thanks for all of the replies.

They both are definately good pumps and the cost is so close it doesnt matter.
It really seems that the biggest comparison everyone has is looks, flow and noise.
I like the looks and flow of the Vortech but not the noise. I probably just better let my wife decide. Our tank is almost dead silent and it will most likely be the determining factor.

 

[lvsuckerfish]

as stated before the real only bad thing I see with tunzes are the bulkiness of the power heads I love my 6100's always dead silent and still can nice wave in the tank with out a box the avail. settings on the controller. I heard some vortecs @ RAP in nov or oct forgot which month it was and they were on the loud side for my liking i like my tank to be silent as possible. I also read alot of folks have to send there wet and dry sides in for repairs. for that amount of money spent they should work like a champ and never break down IMO well atleast not after a couple months. tunzes service is top notch I ordered stuff through the state side reps and always helpful and shipping was always on time. (asap)..... this is just my opinion

 

[roscoe]

Duane you know my opinion on this LOL. The 2 Vortechs alone can be sufficient enough for my SPS system that is how wide of a flow they have but I like massive hectic chaotic flow. I can tell you this though if you want the least amount of noise go with the Tunze. As you know I utilize both in my system and they both serve thier intended purpose. I wouldn't be able to create the kind of flow I want with out incorpoarting the 2 into the system.

Like many reviews and polls you've already read you will get a more wide gentle flow with the VTs and the tunze has some what wide flow but still more of a focused stream. I have a 6100 on one of my Wavy Sea I can't have any corals less than 8'' away or else it will blow the skin off of the SPS and eventually kill it which already happened to a couple SPS but with the VT I can have an SPS 4'' away at full spead and it will do just fine because the flow is so wide and gentle the water just glides over the skin of the SPS rather than beating at them. These are just my observations and opinions on what I have experienced with as I spend too much time studying and evaluating the flow in my tank LOL. Why? I don't know LOL!

 

[roscoe]

I like the tunze's they are not protruding from your tank on the outside and they are near silent..
I would like a bit of a wider flow with them but still a sweet set up with 2-4 of them.

The magnets to hold them are big too but not like the VT's Dry side.

 

[Ilovereef]

I had my cheap 6060 and 6080 in my old 150g tank and just love the strong deep flow. Actually my corals know more about that than I do I "upgrade" to 6100s with multi controller when moved to my 270g tank (and 3 of 6045 to take care of the off stream corners) and things even grow better . supper quiet just second to... power off If I could affort I would upgrade to a pair of 6205 with way smaller footprint but lots more flow then I could set them at 60-70% power capacity or so... then they might last for ever

 

[reedman]

I voted 2 VT, but I got to thinking about your system a little more and I wonder if it is practical. You don't want the VT on the outside of the glass on your viewing end (I don't think) so having them on opposing ends all of a sudden doesn't work anymore. Based on this I would lean more toward the tunzes. I really like the VTs and would get another for my tank in a heartbeat. The noise is only an issue when it really ramps up for most tanks...yours is so quiet that even the VT is a bit noisy.

Bottom line is that in your system I would think the noise and placement would work better with the tunzes.

 

[jhampton_wsu]

I voted 2 VT, but I got to thinking about your system a little more and I wonder if it is practical. You don't want the VT on the outside of the glass on your viewing end (I don't think) so having them on opposing ends all of a sudden doesn't work anymore. Based on this I would lean more toward the tunzes. I really like the VTs and would get another for my tank in a heartbeat. The noise is only an issue when it really ramps up for most tanks...yours is so quiet that even the VT is a bit noisy.

Bottom line is that in your system I would think the noise and placement would work better with the tunzes.

I agree with Reed, and I'll add that if you go the tunze route, adding a 3rd or 4th powerhead will be cheaper since you would already have the controller. With that said, on my tank I'd opt for a second MP-40. If my tank was silent like yours I'd be super annoyed by the noise of the Vortech's

 

[Chichas01]

I voted for the VT's. I have 2 MP20's (will get the MP40 upgrade in the future) in my 80 and I'm running them in pulse mode currently. They are placed on the back side of my tank on either side of the overflow box and blend in nicley to the black background and I don't have to look at the motors sitting on my viewing panels. The noise is not so bad to me and I've found that you can 'tweak' the noise to acceptable levels by slightly moving the wet side assembly to align with the motor on the outside of the tank. The closer they are inalignment, the less the noise and I think alot of folks miss this on the VT's. I also wonder if some of the mechanical problems people experience are due to mis-alignment.
They really put out a nice broad flow and I can see the wave bounce off the front of my tank and move to the back. It creates about a 1/4" to 1/2" wave motion and seems to be getting a decent amount of flow to the center of the tank in front of the overflow box which is centerd on the back of the tank.

 

[roscoe]

I voted for the VT's. I have 2 MP20's (will get the MP40 upgrade in the future) in my 80 and I'm running them in pulse mode currently. They are placed on the back side of my tank on either side of the overflow box and blend in nicley to the black background and I don't have to look at the motors sitting on my viewing panels. The noise is not so bad to me and I've found that you can 'tweak' the noise to acceptable levels by slightly moving the wet side assembly to align with the motor on the outside of the tank. The closer they are inalignment, the less the noise and I think alot of folks miss this on the VT's. I also wonder if some of the mechanical problems people experience are due to mis-alignment.
They really put out a nice broad flow and I can see the wave bounce off the front of my tank and move to the back. It creates about a 1/4" to 1/2" wave motion and seems to be getting a decent amount of flow to the center of the tank in front of the overflow box which is centerd on the back of the tank.

I have used the 20 as well and the noise level on the 20 is far less than the 40. Also too I'm sure most all VT users know about having the wet and dry side aligned properly. I'm sure some of the failures are user error but for the most part it is not. Echotech has already admitted they had a huge batch of faulty WS. I have gone through 3 WS already. They have replaced every single one free of charge and sent a spare WS also free of charge. I probally wouldn't deal with them If it wasn't for their great CS as like I mentioned above I have gone through 3 WS. Besides the problems with the WS failure. I still think they are the best at moving water controlability.

 

[dragoneggs]

Now I am really wondering about the noise of the MP40s. Super quiet is a primary goal in my new set up. Anyone have some audio/video of MP40s in action? If you dial them down a bit is the noise almost gone?

 

[reedman]

Now I am really wondering about the noise of the MP40s. Super quiet is a primary goal in my new set up. Anyone have some audio/video of MP40s in action? If you dial them down a bit is the noise almost gone?

Here's how I would characterize it: There is some noise. When dialed back the noise diminishes. If you have a skimmer, return pump or any other pump in the same room the noise is not really dramatic. Duane's setup is unique in that all his pumps are outside the house so his tank is near silent. In this case the VT seems louder than say on my tank. I think it is plenty quiet for me, but I have a mag 7 return pump that is easily louder than the VT.

 

[dragoneggs]

Here's how I would characterize it: There is some noise. When dialed back the noise diminishes. If you have a skimmer, return pump or any other pump in the same room the noise is not really dramatic. Duane's setup is unique in that all his pumps are outside the house so his tank is near silent. In this case the VT seems louder than say on my tank. I think it is plenty quiet for me, but I have a mag 7 return pump that is easily louder than the VT.

My new set up will be a ELOS 160XL display with sump, skimmer, refug, etc in dedicated fishroom downstairs. The only accessories planned in the living room are lights and water motion devices. I am shooting for a 'silent' tank this time. I understand what you are saying as my old set up had 4 CL with pumps remote (in the crawl space) but I did have the sump, skimmer, etc under the tank in the stand. I was assuming with moving everything else to the fishroom would leave me with a 'Silent Running' tank. Oh well, I still think the Vortechs are the way to go.

 

[apollothesun]

noise and flow. i think Roscoe hit it dead on. the vortechs give a wide flow, almost like an undertow current but you do get the noise. the tunze's can push water foward head on but are really quiet.
what everyones saying is that your tank is pretty quiet so the tunzes might persuade you.
but really, its your rock landscape is whats holding your flow. i suggest looking at your tanks deadspots and see where each product can help you in that way, maybe you can decide from there