Ecotech MP40 - Help with power settings

Jbrew · Jan 17, 2026

Tank info first
IM 170 EXT 60x30x22 size

I have 2 MP40's that i just got today. I took out 2 AI Orbit 4 Gyre's. I have the MP40's right now mounted dead center on each side of the tank about 6 inches down from the top. I have the power currently set to 9% on each one. These things are blowing so hard i swear its about to rip my torches off the rock. I have them in Anti-Sync mode and they are bouncing from 1500GPH to 2000GPH. Its blowing stuff everywhere from the top of the tank all the way down to the stuff on the bottom of the tank. I knocked them down to feedmode 1% for the night and its still moving stuff fairly decent.
Is this normal? It cant be.... Everything ive read says for a 60 inch tank i should be running them close to 100%.... There's no chance i could do that if i ran them at 75% they would be blowing sand off my tank bottom.
Any ideas here would be awesome.

Waters · Jan 17, 2026

Jbrew said:
Tank info first
IM 170 EXT 60x30x22 size

I have 2 MP40's that i just got today. I took out 2 AI Orbit 4 Gyre's. I have the MP40's right now mounted dead center on each side of the tank about 6 inches down from the top. I have the power currently set to 9% on each one. These things are blowing so hard i swear its about to rip my torches off the rock. I have them in Anti-Sync mode and they are bouncing from 1500GPH to 2000GPH. Its blowing stuff everywhere from the top of the tank all the way down to the stuff on the bottom of the tank. I knocked them down to feedmode 1% for the night and its still moving stuff fairly decent.
Is this normal? It cant be.... Everything ive read says for a 60 inch tank i should be running them close to 100%.... There's no chance i could do that if i ran them at 75% they would be blowing sand off my tank bottom.
Any ideas here would be awesome.

When I had substrate I was running 4 of those at about 65% in a similiar tank size with very little sand blowing (I run them all at 100% now that it is BB). 9% shouldn't be doing much of anything....are you sure they are actually at 9%? Maybe switch to lagoon mode and take them off anti-sync and let the flow collide in the middle?

Australian_Reef · Jan 17, 2026

I’m surprised your are seeing it that strong a flow in a 60”. You can always move one to the back wall but for a 5 foot tank each opposed at 9% that’s seems very low flow. Got to see a video (YouTube embedded) or pictures for this.

Jbrew · Jan 17, 2026

Ill take some video later today. Im going to move around some corals and some rock and see if i can ease it up a bit I still see no possible way i could run these even at 50%

painter1982 · Jan 17, 2026

I have 4 in my 60” tank. Two are constant speed 50%, two at reef crest 75%. I had to put a rock to block a little spot that was moving some substrate. Maybe move yours higher up. My lowest is right above center. Highest is about 5” from water surface. I don’t have them pointing right at each other. I staggered them and got way better flow.

Marco_99 · Jan 17, 2026

What substrate do you have in your aquarium? I have 3 in my 48x24” and I run 40-50% reef crest /nutrient export with nothing blowing around. 9% at 6 inches down should barely even coax a hammer to twitch lol

Jbrew · Jan 17, 2026

Marco_99 said:
What substrate do you have in your aquarium? I have 3 in my 48x24” and I run 40-50% reef crest /nutrient export with nothing blowing around. 9% at 6 inches down should barely even coax a hammer to twitch lol

Thats what i was expecting as well. Do you happen to use mobius? Any chance you could see what GPH your are moving at?
I have a mix of substrate i have Fiji pink in one half of the tank and Special Grade in the other. After a year though they have pretty well mixed all together. Its was a pointless idea i had lol.

Reef. · Jan 17, 2026

I wouldn’t have them opposite each other, that will not be helpful at all and you need to get them up past 30/40% for all the modes to work, 9% you are probably just getting a constant mode.

exnisstech · Jan 17, 2026

Maybe try resetting the pump in mobius. More than once I've heard one of my MP40s sound like it was on full blast and resetting it takes care of it. Mobius wasn't reporting it as being higher than the set speed but I could tell from the sound it was.
Personally, I've never found calculating gph flow rate useful. I like to watch coral movement and how thigs blow around the tank and never even check to see what my gph is on powerheads or return pumps.

Jbrew · Jan 17, 2026

Reef. said:
I wouldn’t have them opposite each other, that will not be helpful at all and you need to get them up past 30/40% for all the modes to work, 9% you are probably just getting a constant mode.

They are definitely working in anti sync mode you can stick your hand in front of it and feel them going on and off

Marco_99 · Jan 17, 2026

Jbrew said:
Thats what i was expecting as well. Do you happen to use mobius? Any chance you could see what GPH your are moving at?
I have a mix of substrate i have Fiji pink in one half of the tank and Special Grade in the other. After a year though they have pretty well mixed all together. Its was a pointless idea i had lol.

The Fiji Pink isn’t going to help your cause but should have settled by now lol. My apologies for the blues it’s just that time of night as the T5’s shut off an hour and a half ago and the Radions are on their blue time (iPhone really blues it). I vary it every few months up to 50% and down to 30% but I have excellent export as nothing settles. The side pump I run nutrient export and two on the back reef crest, gyre (I also switch this up). At about 60% reef crest it will start to slowly dish out on the front glass but it doesn’t stir up into the water column at all. Tank is right at 8 months old, I have Carib Sea special grade substrate