Added an MP20 to my 65

[gparr]

I got an MP20 and added it to my 65 last night. I'v always had a Korallia 4 driving water along the bottom/back of the tank behind the rocks to keep water and debris from stagnating back there. The new MP20 is positioned about 2/3 up from the bottom and toward the front of the tank, driving water across the front of the reef. That water encounters streams from my two returns, driven by a MagDrive 12. This should give me more than enough circulation for my LPS (with a couple of SPS) tank.

The fun thing for me when a Vortech pump is added is that, initially, you wonder just how much water its moving. It takes a few hours for the pump to get the body of water moving and completely changes the flow dynamics in the entire tank. The MP40 I have on my 40 breeder did wonders for that tank when I installed it almost three years ago. I'm counting on the MP20 to do the same for the 65 in the next couple of months.

Gary

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

Great addition Gary. Did you notice a change in the pattern of how your corals moved in the water?

 

[Azurel]

Vortechs are awesome.....One of the best pieces of equipment......What setting do you have it on? I would say it will be more then enough for your 65, I have one on my 60 cube and it is the only Power head I use.

 

[ReeferBen]

I used to run a BB SPS dominate oceanic 58 and ran two mp40w's. One ran as a slave on opposite cycle and no detritus ever settled in that tank. Was a perfect combo. I got 3 on my 160 now and I need atleast one or two more to keep the detritus suspended. I love vortechs, they are awesome powerheads. The only advantage IMO tunze has are tunze pumps are quieter and more aimable. Vortechs are cheaper and don't add any heat to the water. The vortechs also seem to have a bit wider more dispersed flow then the tunze's IMO. Cant go wrong with either tho great pumps.

 

[gparr]

Great addition Gary. Did you notice a change in the pattern of how your corals moved in the water?

Yes, that's the point that I was trying to make, but didn't do very well. When I fired it up last night, there was no appreciable change in coral movement. When I checked this morning, the water flow dynamics had clearly changed and, it appears, I'm now getting a more random and complete flow. Based on my experience with the other tank, it'll take a couple of months before I can fully appreciate the changes that will occur. I'm confident the changes will be for the better.
Gary

 

[dakotasreef]

They are an incredible piece of equipment. I do wish they were aimable. Without a doubt they improve the health of the corals. No heat, no electricity, random currents and you can adjust their flow to suit your needs.

The polyp extension on my sps has improved greatly, especially my Millepora

 

[MarvinsReef]

awesome man... Vortechs are the bomdigitty...

 

[dakotasreef]

Vortechs are the bomdigitty...

That made me laugh.

 

[SaraB]

Glad you got it installed! I'm hopefully getting to my 3 for installs tonight!

 

[Antonias1391]

i was wondering i need more flow in my 75 as have a k1,k4, a 1350gph CL system and my return but still not enough lol. im planing on replacing the k1, would a mp 20 do the job??

 

[whip1]

I love them as well but I never thought I would need more than 2 MP 40's.
I had people recommending 2 10's or 2 20's for the back wall but I wasn't sure so I emailed Vortec here's what they recommended.
For a 180 Gallon tank with SPS, our recommendation would be to have 3 MP40’s. The preferred placement would be one on each side and one in the middle. Running NTM would be the best for a configuration.
so the moral of the story bigger is better you can always turn it down
all in all I agree my corals have never looked happier

 

[gparr]

i was wondering i need more flow in my 75 as have a k1,k4, a 1350gph CL system and my return but still not enough lol. im planing on replacing the k1, would a mp 20 do the job??

I doubt that the K1 is doing much of anything in a 75. In addition to your return, you're certainly moving some water with that closed loop and the K4. I would go with an MP40 for a 75. As Whip says, you can always turn it down. Though you have plenty of flow, you'll find that the MP40 provides a completely different/better/more complete flow. It also generates powerful undertow (sp?) that moves organics off of the sand and gets them in the water column. To me, that's the true benefit.
Gary

 

[Antonias1391]

thanks for the advice guys i just need to save up lol for a while. the more random flow the better :]. where can i get a good price on them? are the deals on ebay good or no? thx

 

[whip1]

thanks for the advice guys i just need to save up lol for a while. the more random flow the better :]. where can i get a good price on them? are the deals on ebay good or no? thx

I picked mine up from Marine Depot they have always been great if I needed to make a return and I figure with the cost of these I didn't want to go the fleabay route or used for that matter.

 

[petemichelle]

I used to run a BB SPS dominate oceanic 58 and ran two mp40w's. One ran as a slave on opposite cycle and no detritus ever settled in that tank. Was a perfect combo. I got 3 on my 160 now and I need atleast one or two more to keep the detritus suspended. I love vortechs, they are awesome powerheads. The only advantage IMO tunze has are tunze pumps are quieter and more aimable. Vortechs are cheaper and don't add any heat to the water. The vortechs also seem to have a bit wider more dispersed flow then the tunze's IMO. Cant go wrong with either tho great pumps.

on your 160, what is the placement of your pumps? how far down off of the water line? one on each side and one on the back wall? off set from each other or directly opposing? deep sand bed? gravel? or glass bottom? what are the dimension of your tank? thanks for your experienced advice, in advance. I am setting up a `150 gal. 72x18x30 high. I am putting one on each side with one on the back but am uncertain about how low off of the waterline to go.