"BEST POWER HEAD” 2021? WHAT YOUR OPTION?

X-37B

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I have 3 Tunze 6105's that are 12+ years old and running strong.
Look for older non controlable ones. I paid $150 for 3 and they are all strong.
Tunze makes some very powerful pumps that would work on the back wall short side of a peninsula.
 

t5Nitro

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I have experience with the MP20 vortech and now tunze. Both great pumps. Tunze is better built for longevity. Vortech gives you the glam, supposedly they last a long time too. The extra $ to get the extra wet side mounts and battery backups are really appealing to the vortech. Maintenance is a breeze on them.
 

USCfan

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Vortech if you can afford it. They hold there value. I been using my mp40 for at least 12 years. Also, they makes upgrades and user-replaceable parts. My 12-year-old pump uses the new controller that I upgraded and new wet side for better performance.

Also they look the best.
 

Big E

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I maintain the only reason people like vortech pumps is because the cord is outside the tank, so you get a cleaner look with popular rimless tanks. From a performance reliability perspective they are down the list and they are generally the most expensive. I've read of more problems with these pumps than other competitors in the same realm.

Rusted shafts, dry & wet side failures, fish sushi, you can't aim them (big issue as corals grow) and on and on.

I doubt I'll ever own one. i don't know when their patent wears out but they are going to be in a world of hurt when it does.

I like Tunze because they don't have any of the issues that I have listed about Vortechs and they offer the same type of controllability and better pricing.

I don't have experience with other pump brands(same price range)but just from reading there are a good 6 or so that I'd be interested in trying. We're lucky to have so many quality options.
 
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FragFarm

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Can I just say how disappointed I was with Maxspect GYRE When building the shop I let the salesman talk me into these POC. They are shut off now and I’m now using a combination of MP40/60 and Nero’s

i have to say if MP’s are out of your budget. You will not be let down by nero’s they are great price. and the app is great too. They look like they can not do much until you turn em on
 

homer1475

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While I would normally say the MP line is right up there in longevity and trusted to just work, I recently bought a nero 3 just to put a little more flow down low in my tank,I'm fairly impressed with the amount of water it can push, and the ease of use in the app.
 

jhuntstl

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I looked into gyres quite a bit a while back, but I don't remember reading many positive things about the ReefWaves. Now all I've been seeing lately is how great they are. The maintenance, reliability, and cost kept me away from gyres the first time. Happy to hear Red Sea has a good product. I really like the gyre concept and would like to try it in the future.
 

homer1475

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I'm surprised I'm reading all these issues with the maxspect gyres.....

My gyre is going on 3 years old(maxspect xf250 original design) and is still running like a champ! I take it out about twice a year for cleaning, and thats all.
 

blaxsun

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I'm surprised I'm reading all these issues with the maxspect gyres.....

My gyre is going on 3 years old(maxspect xf250 original design) and is still running like a champ! I take it out about twice a year for cleaning, and thats all.
As I said, my Maxspect gyres had one head that would always continuously stop and start - I was never able to figure out why. I did go away when I hooked it up to an Icecap battery backup, so maybe there was a problem with that power supply. I’m still using them as a supplementary/backup gyre, but the Red Sea ReefWaves are far quieter, no vibration, wireless and have a quick disconnect for maintenance.
 

t5Nitro

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I'm surprised by the maxspect gyre posts as well. Mine is 2 years old and rarely have I took it out to actually disassemble and clean it.

They do get full of algae quick and bogged down sooner than a traditional powerhead, so I take it out and scrub algae off the grates maybe once every 1-2 months then put it back in.

Weren't the Nero line pumps the ones chewing up all people's fish?
 
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Devaji

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I have 3 Tunze 6105's that are 12+ years old and running strong.
Look for older non controlable ones. I paid $150 for 3 and they are all strong.
Tunze makes some very powerful pumps that would work on the back wall short side of a peninsula.
there are so many models of tunze pumps its a little over whelming.
the idea of non controllable pumps in 2021 is an interesting idea. I do like the pulsing modes of the controllable pumps.

I have experience with the MP20 vortech and now tunze. Both great pumps. Tunze is better built for longevity. Vortech gives you the glam, supposedly they last a long time too. The extra $ to get the extra wet side mounts and battery backups are really appealing to the vortech. Maintenance is a breeze on them.
yeah the battery back up and extra wet side is pretty nice. the fact thet you can clean with out messing with the wires is huge.


Vortech if you can afford it. They hold there value. I been using my mp40 for at least 12 years. Also, they makes upgrades and user-replaceable parts. My 12-year-old pump uses the new controller that I upgraded and new wet side for better performance.

Also they look the best.

wow 12 years! that great. :D

I maintain the only reason people like vortech pumps is because the cord is outside the tank, so you get a cleaner look with popular rimless tanks. From a performance reliability perspective they are down the list and they are generally the most expensive. I've read of more problems with these pumps than other competitors in the same realm.

Rusted shafts, dry & wet side failures, fish sushi, you can't aim them (big issue as corals grow) and on and on.

I doubt I'll ever own one. i don't know when their patent wears out but they are going to be in a world of hurt when it does.

I like Tunze because they don't have any of the issues that I have listed about Vortechs and they offer the same type of controllability and better pricing.

I don't have experience with other pump brands(same price range)but just from reading there are a good 6 or so that I'd be interested in trying. We're lucky to have so many quality options.

I tell you it will expire with in a year of me buying them...LOL


I love the Reefwave 45's. I had a single one on my 75g. When I upgraded to the Reefer S-1000 I added 3 more. Easy to clean, strong variable flow, and has been super reliable.

glad you'r liking the reef waves

Can I just say how disappointed I was with Maxspect GYRE When building the shop I let the salesman talk me into these POC. They are shut off now and I’m now using a combination of MP40/60 and Nero’s

i have to say if MP’s are out of your budget. You will not be let down by nero’s they are great price. and the app is great too. They look like they can not do much until you turn em on
wow I bet that was a hefty expense. why did you dislike em?


While I would normally say the MP line is right up there in longevity and trusted to just work, I recently bought a nero 3 just to put a little more flow down low in my tank,I'm fairly impressed with the amount of water it can push, and the ease of use in the app.

I was looking at them along with the reef breeders saidly they will not hold on 3/4" glass.
 
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Devaji

Devaji

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man trying to talk to coral vue CS is so slow.
BRS sent out a email to them on my behalf they did get back to me with a suggestion I got right back then 24hrs later they sent another I once again tried there suggestion.
I asked to text or a phone call so we could get to the bottom of this but here we are still waited doing things like
power on/off the controller

I know like everyone else there prob. busy but this is painfully slow.
sucks as I have corals coming in today and I only have one pump working.
 

rknapp

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IMO you can’t go wrong with the Tunze or Vortech pumps. I used 4 Tunze 6095s for about 15 years and they were very solid. Only had one pump with an issue over that time, caused by poor maintenance habits by me, and Tunze was able to replace what I needed right quick, as well as remind me of the proper cleaning/maintenance cycle. Switched to Vortech MP40s about 2-3 years ago when I did a tank reboot, picked them for the pre-programmed flow control patterns (Tunze I did myself with my Apex) and so far they too seem very solid. Just stick to proper maintenance cycles to avoid any build up in the pumps, regardless of what you choose.
 

RGoltz

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A LFS here has a really fantastic RS650 mixed reef display with torches on the end of the display and acropora starting in the middle of the display.

They are only using two MP pumps, about mid-height and on either side of the overflow. I cannot recall if they are using MP40 or MP60. With MP pumps the aquascape and use of programming is part of success.
 

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