Vortech programing

[Mywifeisgunnakillme]

Hey I have three MP 40's in my 50 gallon... It's more than necessary, but i am just running them at lower settings. The broad flow is nice for sure.

Question, how do i program them to turn on one at at time at random intervals?

I think this would produce a nice flow.

 

[WVNed]

You can make 2 run one at a time but not three.

 

[Mywifeisgunnakillme]

You can make 2 run one at a time but not three.

I only want one pump running at a time. But i want the pump running to change randomly. How do i do that?

I could use GHL and just cut power, but i figure mobius can do this?

If can't do this, how do get two to switch on and off? I might try that and just put the other pump on some other setting.

 

[WVNed]

Let me try again
You can slave 2 pumps or more together. But all you have are 2 states, sync and anti sync.
All the pumps in sync mode run at the same time and them all the ones in anti sync mode run.
There no way to chain 3 so one runs alone, then the next.
There are several styles of random modes to use. You pick one and then set the maximum pump speed desired in that mode. You can use several different ones over 24 hours.

 

[Mywifeisgunnakillme]

Let me try again
You can slave 2 pumps or more together. But all you have are 2 states, sync and anti sync.
All the pumps in sync mode run at the same time and them all the ones in anti sync mode run.
There no way to chain 3 so one runs alone, then the next.
There are several styles of random modes to use. You pick one and then set the maximum pump speed desired in that mode. You can use several different ones over 24 hours.

It's surprising to me that this is not simple thing to do; i have multiple pumps and only want one pump running at a time. Is that weird? Seems the like easiest way to make random flow in a tank....

I guess i'll see if GHL can just be programmed to do this. Anyone have ideas on GHL settings to do this?

 

[takitaj]

Actually there is a way to chain 3 together but I've never tried it so I don't know how they integrate together. The 3rd one is called the back wall pump. I don't believe there is a random pulse mode. Closest would probably be Reef Crest.

 

[WVNed]

Actually there is a way to chain 3 together but I've never tried it so I don't know how they integrate together. The 3rd one is called the back wall pump. I don't believe there is a random pulse mode. Closest would probably be Reef Crest.

There are 2 modes, nutrient transport and tidal swell where pumps on the back wall are designated as ecosmart back.
So pumps on the opposite side of the tank run anti sync in slave mode and pumps on the back run in a different slave mode. You can not control them though. The master runs a program that coordinates the pumps based on where they are placed.

 

[Mywifeisgunnakillme]

I'll try to those modes... thanks guys! I've had a hard time getting the master-slave stuff set up but i'll figure it out hopefully. If that works, it's fine. If not, i'll try the GHL route... Kind of expensive pumps where you can't turn them on and off individually when you want??? I get the modes and all but I just want to tell the pumps what to do...

 

[mike550]

@Mywifeisgunnakillme you can control each MP40 separately on Mobius. Dont sync or slave them. Just set the time you want each to run and in what mode (reef, lagoon, etc),

 

[BoxKing]

@Mywifeisgunnakillme you can control each MP40 separately on Mobius. Dont sync or slave them. Just set the time you want each to run and in what mode (reef, lagoon, etc),

This... I have tried all sorts of programming methods with just 2 MP10s, and the only reliable method is to program each individually to your desired schedule and intensity - you will spend far less time going this route, than working with Sync, Anti Sync programs that children wrote the code for.

 

[Mywifeisgunnakillme]

So on the app, i can easily change the speed percentages. See pics. But i cant change the time.... what am i doing wrong? Is there a setting that i have it on where it wont let me change the time the pumps come? I cant change the 12am to 12am...

 

[mike550]

So on the app, i can easily change the speed percentages. See pics. But i cant change the time.... what am i doing wrong? Is there a setting that i have it on where it wont let me change the time the pumps come? I cant change the 12am to 12am...

You might need to delete the current setting (trash can) and drag the mode back onto the time line then adjust the time settings. Or maybe try dragging feed mode into the bar and then you can adjust how much time to each. Nice thing about feed mode is you could turn it to 1% or maybe 10% just so things don’t crawl into the impeller if it was fully off.

 

[Mywifeisgunnakillme]

Thanks. Boy, Ecotech support is basically useless on this question asked... On my fifth email and they just keep dodging my original question asked-- referring me to use a mode of theirs instead of answering any actual question i ask... "how can i run one pump at a time and have that rotate".

They still have not answered the question.... You guys are way more helpful...

They also tell me to move my pumps off the back wall.. lol... i was like "no" that has nothing to do with my question. lol... I said also i paid over a thousand dollars for pumps so i could have no cords in the tank and nothing on my display glass.......... I doubt i am the only one who has bought these pumps for this same reason??

 

[LiamPM]

You can’t change the time because you only have one mode in the schedule. It’s a 24 hour schedule. hence you can’t change the time if only one mode exists - it must span 24 hours.

If you want it to be off at a point in time then drag FEED MODE into the schedule, this is the only mode that allows you to turn the pump fully off, set the time and hold down below 0% on the FEED MODE to set it to off. You’ll get a 3 second warning telling you they’ll be switched off.
Do this vice versa for each pump staggered and you’ll get what you need.

 

[LiamPM]

Turning a Vortech off in the schedule using feed mode.

 

[Mywifeisgunnakillme]

Turning a Vortech off in the schedule using feed mode.

Thanks! Very clever.

The fish will think i am about to feed them though! hahaaha

 

[Mywifeisgunnakillme]

The drag and drop on the mobius app i see how to use the time feature now! That's pretty good--i just didn't know how to work it. Figured i was doing something wrong and missing something somewhat simple. I kept trying to input the time by pressing the time button (as you change the speed by pressing the speed percentage) instead of dragging and dropping modes into the timeline... I must be getting old not have figured that out!

I guess i am just a simpleton wanting to manually control the pumps--but i figured Vortechs could do what 3 maxi-jets and wavemaker or timer could do 20 years ago....

Having one pump on a time is just better flow since the pumps are oversized and running at reduced speed.

I accidently had one pump on at 75%--hahahaha--it lifted rocks the size of golf balls off the bottom of the aquarium!

At 5% speed and all three pumps running--it's a nice extremely broad (and i mean literally the flow is from one side of the aquarium to the other...) flow that covers the entire aquarium with zero dead spots... I mean tangs poop a lot and its big... none of that crap, literally, has any remote chance of settling on the bottom of the aquarium but at the same time the torches and euphilia have a gentle enough current to open very full... (torches in the back of the tank, high flow SPS in the front or at the top 1/3 of the tank). I like the flow a lot. By having one pump on at a time--i just want to add some more randomness to it....

 

[LiamPM]

Thanks! Very clever.

The fish will think i am about to feed them though! hahaaha

Ha most likely.

Just play around with the schedules a little.

What you want to do with only one pump on at a time is fairly simple to do. I would probably experiment with other modes a little more personally though, you may end up with very linear flow with only one on at a time.

I believe its WWC that done an article about their vortechs (on each end of a tank) - They alternate from constant and reef crest for a few hours at a time, so when one pump is in constant, the other is in reef crest. It provides a good level of randomness to the flow this way and its preferred over linear flow for the most part.

Lots of ways to set them all up though. Just thinking out loud.