Best powerhead for Reefer 350

[aaron186]

I just purchased a Red Sea Reefer 350 (approx 73 gal display 4ft long). I am looking for suggestions for a silent power head that will be visually appealing and provide enough flow for mixed reef with some SPS. I would prefer to have minimal obstruction on the sides of the tank, or at least on 1 side as I will be viewing it from off center a good chunk of the time from living room. I looked into the gyres but saw reviews saying the 230 gyre was loud. Silence is a top priority. Is there something I could mount on the back of the tank and still get good flow? MP40s are possible but they stick out of the side of the tank and is a bit of an eye sore in my opinion. Any suggestions would be appreciated

 

[Lonely reefer's]

I mounted 2 mp40 on the back of my 75g between the center overflow closer to the wall only run 45% mixed reef
Looking okay
IMO ecotech power head is easier to clean

 

[aaron186]

I’d prefer to have the tank as close to wall as possible which I think makes the EcoTechs a no go unfortunately. I don’t want things sticking out the side of the tank either. I feel like the tank itself is a work of art and don’t want to ruin its look by the motors on the side. Everything in that room is also white and sleek and modern.

 

[Dawsokj1988]

I’d prefer to have the tank as close to wall as possible which I think makes the EcoTechs a no go unfortunately. I don’t want things sticking out the side of the tank either. I feel like the tank itself is a work of art and don’t want to ruin its look by the motors on the side. Everything in that room is also white and sleek and modern.

I've always appreciated having my tank at least 6" from the wall. It makes performing random maintenance and cord access much easier. Additionally, the MP40's only stick out 2-3 inches. If you go that route, you'll have the 'cleanest' looking powerhead option available (no cords in tank, powerheads blend in to back wall).

 

[malacoda]

Loudness of the gyre will depend on the speed it is run at.

I had a 230 in my 24g. At times I ran it with both propellers, other times with just one propeller. Since it's a small tank I usually ran it at speeds of between 10% and 30% and could not hear it (my tank is 5' away from my work desk in my home office so little-to-no noise was imperative). Occasionally I added a 5 minute burst of pulses at 40% power to help lift detritus up and could faintly hear it. Anything over 50% and it became noticeable.

So, if you're really interested in trying a gyre (great pumps IMHO btw) and want to ensure they run really quite, you could either:

• go bigger with a 280 and run at lower power, or
  
• get two 230s and run at lower power (one of the new advanced controllers can run two gyres)