New study on propeller pumps has some interesting findings! EcoTech vs Tunze?
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vortech reliable ? seems to me most of the of them dont make it a year before they need rebuilt or another sort of repair. i would rather have an overated pump that works rather than a pump that breaks all the time
I wouldn't trade my tunze pumps for a vortech even with these findings. Vortechs have too many problems and way too noisy for my liking. Even after finding out the flow is a bit over rated based on their use of bag tests as opposed to more sophisticated tests.
That was my next point... who paid for the study? Misleading studies happen all the time...
Did you really compare a Koralia 8 to a Tunze 6105? Hmm.
WesF
Well-Known Member
My Koralias worked good as long as you didn't turn them off and try to turn them back on. Then they started tripping my GFCI so the went to the dump with the rest of the garbage.
The first Tunze I ever bought is still in use. Has been running like a champ for almost 7 years. Currently have 5 different Tunze powerheads both old and new. Reliability is great and very low maintenance. They get cleaned about once a year.
I also have a vortech mp10 in another tank. Pretty cool pump and no problems yet but i have only been using it for less than 1 year.
The first Tunze I ever bought is still in use. Has been running like a champ for almost 7 years. Currently have 5 different Tunze powerheads both old and new. Reliability is great and very low maintenance. They get cleaned about once a year.
I also have a vortech mp10 in another tank. Pretty cool pump and no problems yet but i have only been using it for less than 1 year.
redtop03
Well-Known Member
it was funded by eco-tech,however,I trust the findings of the guys who performed the tests and Tunze also stated the flow rates from the test were accurate..... Propeller pump study reveals big differences between flow ratings and actual output .......although I've never used any of the Tunze products,I'm certain that,from the reviews I've read,they make an excellent product...they are known to be very reliable and well built,this is just a miscalculation,on their part,from less than perfect testing methods,they also stated that,until recently,flow rates from propeller pumps were very difficult to measure accurately......
Tunze is already in the process of fixing the issue and will have a retro fix within the next 6 months for customers...now that is a stand up company IMO and I wouldn't let this little problem sway my choice of a Tunze product,I just never liked the looks of 'em,I do like the fact that you can aim 'em where you need the flow........
although the Vortech pumps can't be aimed,every inch of my aquarium has movement from just 1 MP60 in the wave mode.....I had doubts about my MP60 too,I thought it moved more water than eco-tech claimed,I'd never guessed it to be near 9000gph though....I knew it was a beast of a pump
Demonic
Love Change
This was the same thing I was thinking while reading through this thread. We are talking major league vs minor league, or maybe Canadian league. LOL
K8 HUGE pump, not controllable without the controller, infamous for stray voltage, magnets are too weak for 3/4", etc.
While I agree they are a good budget pump, they are not even in the same category to be in comparison with each other.
And with all testing, results can be measured in so many different ways. Especially when the funding is done by one of the parent companies of the testing.
Silence (Tunze) is the way to go.
I'm a fan of both Tunze and Eco-Tech. The technology of Eco-Tech is unmatched. Although, Eco-Tech has cooler technology, doesn't make it better in my book. I would recommend both to anyone. When you dial in the Tunzes just right on an apex or any controller, I believe you have more control than a Vortech. I love the water movement the Tunzes are producing in my 300 gallon. Also, I believe the tunzes will out last the Vortechs.
redtop03
Well-Known Member
why is everyone still thinking the results are swayed by ecotech........Tunze retested their pumps with this more accurate test method and have agreed with the results,they're in the process of fixing the issues now,they have an excellent product with a minor glitch or 2 and they will soon have the problem solved,just by removing the grill,the flow increased by about 25 %,it is a restriction and propeller design issue,not a major flaw...they're still great pumps,this is just a minor setback for 'em
here's the link Propeller pump study reveals big differences between flow ratings and actual output
the test was funded by ecotech,not performed be them.....ecotech knew their pumps were what they claim,they had already tested 'em this way....now their reason to fund the test might have been to show the flaw in Tunze design and maybe take some of their business
here's the link Propeller pump study reveals big differences between flow ratings and actual output
the test was funded by ecotech,not performed be them.....ecotech knew their pumps were what they claim,they had already tested 'em this way....now their reason to fund the test might have been to show the flaw in Tunze design and maybe take some of their business
-Logzor
2500 Club Member
I love the vortech pumps. The MP60 is just amazing, it powers my entire 150g reef. I also happen to have experience with Tunze pumps. As we all know, Tunze pumps are pretty rock solid.
Here is what we can take away from this, regarding Tunze.
1. No one has ever complained or pointed out that Tunze pumps did not have enough flow or that they did not match with the advertised flow.
2. Tunze pumps, in their current form, have the power to produce the advertised flow, but the shroud is restricting it too much.
3. Tunze will come out with a new shroud, I assume a MUCH wider/broad one. This will begin to mimic the wide flow of vortech pumps.
4. Ultimately, this will make Tunze streams much better, they will continue to offer complete silent operation as well as the ability to aim, and as a major improvement, increased flow and stream width.
At this point, I plan on sticking with vortech because of the small in tank footprint and the broad flow that it produces, wish it wasn't so loud though!
Here is what we can take away from this, regarding Tunze.
1. No one has ever complained or pointed out that Tunze pumps did not have enough flow or that they did not match with the advertised flow.
2. Tunze pumps, in their current form, have the power to produce the advertised flow, but the shroud is restricting it too much.
3. Tunze will come out with a new shroud, I assume a MUCH wider/broad one. This will begin to mimic the wide flow of vortech pumps.
4. Ultimately, this will make Tunze streams much better, they will continue to offer complete silent operation as well as the ability to aim, and as a major improvement, increased flow and stream width.
At this point, I plan on sticking with vortech because of the small in tank footprint and the broad flow that it produces, wish it wasn't so loud though!
HighlandReef
Chalice Monger
makes no difference to me if the results were swayed or not, i personally feel it was pretty shady but i guess business is business?
from what i am hearing ecotech sponsored this testing and also heard it was conducted in ecotech offices but not sure if the office part of that is legit or not?
personally i am a little turned off by this whole ecotech vs tunze thing, i think ecotech jumped at chance to stick it to tunze when they found out that tunze was using calculated flow rates.
if you have a good quality product it will sell itself and the koralia pump comparison is a joke, i have never had more problems with stream pumps than my koralia's when i owned them, i have never seen pumps leach more current into a tank in my life, a couple were not even a year old, all 6 that i had all leached current into the tank. i will give them credit in that they replaced all 6 koralia's when i turned them in no questions asked but when someone sends corporate a nasty email about how they have puchased 6 of their koralia pumps and all are shocking the **** out of them when you put your hand in the tank that sometimes helps speed up the process
my tunze 6100's, i cant run them wide open anyway cause it would be like a freakin monsoon so the flow rate doesnt matter anyway, they run flawless, no reason to upgrade to anything else so i willl just buy more coral instead of more pumps. not knocking ecotech pumps, some of the boys from our local club have them and they are nice, i just have no reason to upgrade, my pumps run fine.
from what i am hearing ecotech sponsored this testing and also heard it was conducted in ecotech offices but not sure if the office part of that is legit or not?
personally i am a little turned off by this whole ecotech vs tunze thing, i think ecotech jumped at chance to stick it to tunze when they found out that tunze was using calculated flow rates.
if you have a good quality product it will sell itself and the koralia pump comparison is a joke, i have never had more problems with stream pumps than my koralia's when i owned them, i have never seen pumps leach more current into a tank in my life, a couple were not even a year old, all 6 that i had all leached current into the tank. i will give them credit in that they replaced all 6 koralia's when i turned them in no questions asked but when someone sends corporate a nasty email about how they have puchased 6 of their koralia pumps and all are shocking the **** out of them when you put your hand in the tank that sometimes helps speed up the process
my tunze 6100's, i cant run them wide open anyway cause it would be like a freakin monsoon so the flow rate doesnt matter anyway, they run flawless, no reason to upgrade to anything else so i willl just buy more coral instead of more pumps. not knocking ecotech pumps, some of the boys from our local club have them and they are nice, i just have no reason to upgrade, my pumps run fine.
Just Clownin Around
Valuable Member
i run 5400gph ,by tunze, in a 70 gallon cube and have no problems with the flow. so what if its 4000 gph i could care less. what i do care about is being able to sleep at night without hearing my vortech or even worse it stop working out of the blue and killing my tank. i have owned both vortech and tunze and only wish the vortechs were more silent and had a better repair record, if mine were i would of never sold them.
Viva'sReef
Valuable Member
Sounds like it was a shot in the foot to me.....to me, it makes Ecotech look bad after finding out they are behind the test. Tunze also gets to take center stage, rectify the problem by making them even better, and showing everyone they stand behind their product and will make it better. The same time, threads like this and the Poll thread opens up ecotech, blasts for having pumps that need repair constantly, and are much much louder.
Bad press for both, but in the end, Tunze will shine. That's my opinion at least
redtop03
Well-Known Member
my MP60 isn't loud at all but it isn't running full force either,I can't keep my sand in place with the full force of it......chances are that the less restrictive shroud for the Tunze will fix the majority of the flow problem but they also stated that the propeller will need some mods as well,no matter,I believe they are a fine pump,and this isn't gonna destroy Tunze....
highlandreef,I don't think the results were swayed by vortechs involvement but I do think that they took advantage of this to hurt Tunze,that I do agree with,and it does get old hearing the same ol' stuff over and over with the Tunze vs Vortech...I think both are great pumps,I like the small footprint and looks of the Vortech better than the Tunze but neither look better than not seeing any pumps in the tank
redtop03
Well-Known Member
it does make ecotech look bad as well for funding the study.....Tunze never denied or tried to hide any of this and are already in the process of making it better....to me,that already makes them shine as a company who believes in and stands by their product and customers.....ecotech may have used this to their advantage,if so,I don't like it but that's how businesses seem to do these days....
I like my MP60 and so far,it's worked flawlessly,it's only about 10 months old though,I hope it'll last longer than the Polario junk I had
CJO
Valuable Member
I don't get this mindset. Most of the studies you see are funded by one company or another. That shouldn't affect the data and may or may not affect the conclusion. To me, it looks like it is legit. If they wanted to influence the conclusions, why would a company include competitors that provide more flow at a lower price (i.e., Koralia)? Why would they ask one of the most respected researchers, Dr. Sanjay Joshi, to run the study rather than someone who didn't have a reputation to uphold?
CJ
CJO
Valuable Member
Velocity and volume are two different things. The narrower the stream, the higher the velocity (assuming the volume of water is the same). It's easy to make something seem more powerful by narrowing the stream of water it puts out.
CJ
I agree, I don't have any issues with Ecotech funding the study. Most poeple buy pumps based on flow rates, so I don't see any issues with bringing to light how the manufacturers arrived at their advertised flow rates. I have used koralia, ecotech and tunze and mj modded. I still have koralia that are over 4 years old and function great. I have had about 6 and never had one crap out on me or get stray voltage from. You just can't match the broad flow of Vortech. When I was getting ready to set up a 220 I sold the (2) MP40W to fund an MP60 and just put my koralia back on my temp setup. I never had to have my MP40 repaired but I do regular maint. on my equipment. I think Tunze are a solid pump but for what they do and their size I just think they are overpriced. I realize the vortech hum but I never had an issue with it or really notice it. My tank was never next to the tv or in my bedroom so I don't need it to be dead silent and honestly I can hear my skimmer pump hum before I hear vortechs.
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tunze deff has a great product and service to back it up , but vortechs with the ease and power makes them my choice. hopefully tunze will revise their models for future thought. i am sure they will come up with a solution and surpass expectations. just gad i went with vortech when i did as of today. this was a great write up though and sheds much needed light on the hobby.
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