Are Vortech's worth it?

A

aentrop

Are Vortech's worth the price?

Are they as beneficial to an SPS system and I would think?

Can just 1 do the job? Or is 2 or more necessary?

(150 gallon tank BTW)
 
On a 150g, I'd probably have two pumps. We have another discussion on this exact topic happening currently:

http://www.dfwmas.org/Forums/viewtopic.php?t=55361

I think they are totally worth it. However, I'm just one opinion among many. The energy savings is incredible, with the one pump on my angled tank costing me 62 cents per month in electricity usage for a constant rocking wave motion.
 
I actually read that thread before I posted this one, but the focus of that thread is more to determine if they can handle thick glass, or if they have any mechanical problems (such as rattling, or breaking).

I'm more interested in hearing if they specifically help SPS systems, or if they just add more flow...

I can add flow with some maxi-jets, but does the controller and whole setup in general, referring to the wave making capabilities, really help the sps in the tank? More so than an incredibly large about of flow from a bunch of MJ's?

I hate the look of power heads in my tank, and at the moment create all of my flow with large return pumps and accurately placed and pointed return jets... but I think I could handle having one of these because of the small footprint inside he tank... So, do they really help? Much more than MJ's or other power heads? Or more than those $50 controllers than turn on and off power heads?
 
Hi,

You can have a successful sps tank with maxi-jet's, koralia or any number of pumps. Chaoic, random, turbulent flow is closer to oceanic condition than linear flow but you can achieve many way's and a lot cheaper than a vortech setup. That said the versatility of the vortech's can get closer to nature in that aspect and creating the rocking wave patterns along with chaotic flow is quite nice and effective and usually results in greater polyp extension and so coral s seem to grow a bit faster(at least we tell ourselves they do :lol: ). You have to pretty much decide what's important to you and then make the choice, I also hate wires in the tank, unsightly large pumps spoiling the view etc., so I went with vortech's as soon as they hit the market. :p

Cheers,
 
It's all about what you can afford and what you're looking to get out of it. 2 vortechs cost a lot, but they provide the wavemaker, energy savings, and you can connect them to a battery backup.

The battery backup was the main reason I converted my koralias over to a vortech.
 
If you want random flow one will be fine if you add maxijets. if you want a wave you will need more than one depending on the length two of three might create a wave in pulse mode or go with a tunze wavebox
 
I have two vortechs in a sps-dominated 90, and I really like them. I think they've really helped my SPS growth since I got them. Not only can you make waves, but the vortechs come with preset reef-crest and lagoon modes that you can run to "randomize" the flow. Add on the battery backup feature and the fact that they take up so little room in a tank with no wires, heat, etc. I think they're worth it.

Also, Ecotech customer support is terrific - any problems with the pump and they will take care of it if under warranty.
 
I have a 60 inch long 150 gallon tank. I put a Vortech on one end and still have a Koralia on the other end and on short pulse I have it tuned to where it is a nice rocking motion. It wouldn't take just a whole lot more to crest the top of my tank. I am still shopping for another one but one will definitely get things moving!

It's probably psychosemantic but I swear that in the 2 weeks I have had the Vortech my corals have responded. I am seeing more polyp extension from my birds nest and my monti cap has a much wider white band around the edge. The Vortech certainly hasn't HURT my growth. :)

To answer the original question "is it worth it?"... It was for me. I love it.
 
@toaster77 wrote:
I have two vortechs in a sps-dominated 90 said:
2 man i put one in my 110 and i cant turn it up more then half way or its like my fish are swiming on a tread mill. how high are u running them at?
Click to expand...
 
@the floor guy wrote:
[I]@toaster77 wrote:[/I][quote="I have two vortechs in a sps-dominated 90 said:
2 man i put one in my 110 and i cant turn it up more then half way or its like my fish are swiming on a tread mill. how high are u running them at?"]

haha, i know the feeling.
I run them on reefcrest mode, about a quarter-turn down from the max setting - so it's not too crazy :D
Click to expand...
 
I'm not personally impressed with them. Flow is extremely important and Vortecs create good flow for the middle of the tank but all the tanks that I've seen with them they have to move everything away from the Vortec because it blasts them and if they place anything too far away it does not get the flow it needs.
Another problem is that, eventhough you can create different flow patterns, all of them but short pulse create linear flow which is bad and even short pulse creates linear flow to a degree.
I also have an Ocean Motion and didn't think it was as good as the Vortec for random flow but then it went out and I'm only on 2 Vortecs at each end of a 125 and I can't wait to get the OM back up.
It's seems they are too good at their job and send just a wall of water but it doesn't go far and destroys everything in front of it.
For on/off pulse the wave box is much better. IMO the problem with the Vortec is, no matter what setting it's on, the impeller never stops turning so my Tort about 1' away from it has all the polyps growing off the side of the arms. For this reason I say spend your money elsewhere.
It also tends to dig holes in the sand where it's sucking the water from.
If you have a large square tank it might be a different story. Marc's tank seems to do fine with them because of the size and dimensions.
On the plus side, they look good, have flow settings, and keep as much out of the tank as possible including heat.
 
By the time I get a new tank and return loop they may be quite old by then...we'll see.
It is peculiar that I bought both of these used for less than about a month or two and you see them for sell on RC quite a bit.
 
Really? I may start shopping for more pumps on RC then. :D I've been buying them brand new, but it never hurts to save some money, right?

aentrop, here's the article I wrote about them some time ago:
http://www.melevsreef.com/review_vortech.html

For all my corals, SPS, Leathers, Zoanthids, Anemones, etc, I think they are quite happy. Tim pointed out that corals directly in their path can't handle the flow, but I'd have to imagine that must be if the pumps were set to max speed in those tanks. All of mine are running around two-thirds of the full. My Leather gets a beating under it and loves it. The pink hammer coral looks great, but the impact side is visible. Still that coral seems fine with it. All of my millis are fully polyped out, which kind of bugs me actually. Others with lesser flow have less polyp extension and thus you can see the beautiful color of the tissue, something I don't see too often in my corals unless I blast them with a turkey baster first. Wierd, but true.

Unlike a Maxijet pump, the flow is wider. It isn't a spa jet like flow. The undertow is notable, especially if you use a product like Purple Up (which is a great way to really see where the water is going for about 90 seconds). I did have problems with my sand in the dead center of my tank, but part of the blame also lands on the two returns. I switched to a larger grain of sand by Tropic Eden, and the sand is staying where I want it for the most part, but is still a little wavy and natural looking.
 
@timthetoolman wrote:
It is peculiar that I bought both of these used for less than about a month or two and you see them for sell on RC quite a bit. said:
You see a lot of Maxijet, Tunze, and Koralia too. :)

The undertow is actually more of an 'issue' than the direct flow for me. I have some fuzzy mushroom and GSP on the bottom of the tank that are in constant motion, but it's a pulsing motion which isn't a bad thing.

I am sure that if I put it on full speed and stuck a frogspawn a foot away it would beat it to death but in full speed short pulse mode it doesn't do the "wall of water" thing in my tank. I have a nice 1/2 - 3/4 inch wave which rocks everything gently. I have some frags on small rocks no more than 12 inches from the pump and they stay put, but they would probably shift if I just cranked it up and let it blow on them.

Vortech obviously isn't for everyone but having had several different pumps... I see very few down sides to the Vortech. :)
Click to expand...
 
For the size and options available, I think they are good purchases. Like everything, there are good things and bad about them. They have a moderately poor performance history, people have to send them back for repair, rehab, referb etc ever since they came out. You don't expect that on a high end piece of equipment, but it does happen. Their magnets had issues, falling off or losing their strength. I just had that happen myself.

Their upgrade kits are not inclusive... they offer discounts for the upgrades but in my opinion the wetside/dryside upgrades were a design flaw and should have been included in warranty... I hear some people got them to do it for free. THats been a bone of mine to pick with them since they released them. Seems every new 'gadget' or fix of a problem is a 'for price' upgrade. I feel they have a good concept and bad engineering/testing. If you started with the original... and went through all the upgrades etc, you'd be in the 800-900 per pump range now. I find that a bit appalling.

The new Tunze models are really nice too though. I own several 6055's and love their small size and power, plus the adjustable flow. The newer larger ones offer a tremendous amount of flow in virtually the same footprint, so take a look at those as well.

In the end it depends on your price and budget point. You can get just as much flow from Modded MJ's etc, closed loops or any number of pumps out there. Its all about the form factor, price and 'oooh' on things. The new tunzes and the vortec have the best form factor, but both will do about the same kind of thing. The wireless feature of the vortec is for its own benefit, not ours so I consider that a useless selling point, though a needed feature since they can't be wired together to begin with.

Batter backup.. every pump can have a battery backup.... you just need to buy the right kind of backup device.
 
My pumps are no where near high flow but I think the problem is the size, lack of, the width of our tank. I will say I have not tried anything other than the Vortec and the OM.
Could be that I'm looking for a wave motion that may not be obtainable unless you use a surge device. I might try a wave box and see what happens. The Vortecs can be set up similarly but I still have a big issue with the impellers not stopping during the 'off' cycle.
Yah, I think it's the tank, I might have to upgrade soon! :twisted: :lol:
 
hey austin, not hijack the thread, but i am curious as to what is the big diference between the mp40w and mp20, the motors seem to be the same?????
 
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