COR 20 or Vectra M1

[vertigo01]

Makes perfect sense why the Varios struggles. Do we know this persons head height? The Varios is 2700GPH at only 18ft, and they usually don't push that with all the restrictions with 90 degree angles and if one adds long Vertical and/or Horizonal runs. All measurements are based on straight up shot from the pump. More than likely he has 90 degree connectors and who knows how long his vertical and horizontal runs are.

The Vectra m1 has a head height at 2000GPH is at 21Feet, which is almost double the head height. So this pump is more likely to push the envelope and hit that max where the Octopus struggles. It may be a cheaper alternative for a DC Pump but there is a reason for it.

No offense meant but 21 feet is not twice the height/head of 18 feet. You may want to go back and check Ecotech Marines own head height/GPH chart.

I haven't seen very many people complaining that the Vario S struggles. As a matter of fact, I have seen more people complain of issues with their M1 than I have of the VarioS pumps.

 

[bhuyett]

No offense meant but 21 feet is not twice the height/head of 18 feet. You may want to go back and check Ecotech Marines own head height/GPH chart.

I haven't seen very many people complaining that the Vario S struggles. As a matter of fact, I have seen more people complain of issues with their M1 than I have of the VarioS pumps.

No offense taken. Myself I wouldn't use either one. I purchased an L1 and immediately sold it due to the horror stories. Bought a RE 80Watt when it was on sale a yr ago and haven't looked back. Was the best thing I could have done. I do love the Ecosystem that Ecotech has, but that is about all they have going for them. I can do the same thing with my RE DC return pump connected to an APEX.

 

[ca1ore]

Just to clarify, the M1 does 2,000 gph at zero head. 21' is the point at which flow stops to zero.

 

[gonzo256]

I have the L1 it’s 3000GPH but has horrible head pressure ratings. The COR is only 2k but can handle head pressure better. The last time I looked at a varios it had a similar pressure curve to the Vectra.

Edit:
My tank is about 240 gallons, and because the place I bought it from under sized some of the plumbing, I’m running between 12 and 14 ft of head pressure. About 6 feet vertically and about 6 feet horizontally. Two 90 elbows. But the real kicker is the last 2 feet vertically go through 3/4 pvc. That’s going to be removed soon, but I still need mid 2k GPH for proper turn over.

Both the Neptune COR 20 and Ecotech M1 have a max GPH of 2000 whereas the Vario S8 has a max GPH of 2700.
What am I missing?

 

[David Cher]

How ‘s the abyzz a100 compared to m1???

 

[Mortie31]

well when you put it that way its a bargain!

In what way is it better?

reliability and performance, you hardly ever here of these failing and there pressure rating is good

 

[ontop27]

Cor 20 needs a plug the 15 is 1 link. I just preordered the 15 to go with my apex

 

[ca1ore]

reliability and performance, you hardly ever here of these failing and there pressure rating is good

OK, yours has been good for you?

 

[Jeff_H]

I think all the pumps mentioned would be a great choice and the decision between them could depend on your specific budget and use case. For example, what lights do you plan to use? If you decided on Radions then purchasing a Reeflink to control all three products (Vortech, Vectra, and Radions) might be the best choice and help justify the cost of the Reeflink. I have a Reeflink controlling my Vortechs and Vectras and while I sometimes wish I had them under Apex control, It's not a big deal since I mainly only use it for feed mode and setting flow patterns (think flow controller). I use the Apex to power cycle any of the devices and I can still set power usage alarms if they go out of range since everything is plugged into the energy bar (think overarching controller). Not perfect, but it's worked well for me given Neptune and Ecotech are now looking more like competitors these days.

That said - One thing I haven't seen discussed is the customer support and availability of parts or replacement gear. I'll be the first to admit, I've had some type of issue with every piece of my Ecotech tech gear I own, including the swelling issue on my L1. What I can say is EcoTech's customer support has been top notch every time and corrected my issues very promptly, including sending replacement parts proactively to resolve issues. I was also able to talk to a technician live, without making an appointment. In a time where customer support is lacking, I can't say enough good things about my experience with Ecotech in this regard. While Neptune's Support has been good, I personally don't think it's at the same level as Ecotech's given my experience working with both companies numerous times.

Final thoughts... Regardless of your choice, I would recommend considering the importance of this pump to your system and plan for the worst. I'm assuming this is going to be used for a return pump, so I would recommend having an identical backup or a cheaper backup (AC pump) that can easily/quickly be plumbed in just in case the primary dies.

Good luck with your decision!

 

[Oceanbear1]

I think all the pumps mentioned would be a great choice and the decision between them could depend on your specific budget and use case. For example, what lights do you plan to use? If you decided on Radions then purchasing a Reeflink to control all three products (Vortech, Vectra, and Radions) might be the best choice and help justify the cost of the Reeflink. I have a Reeflink controlling my Vortechs and Vectras and while I sometimes wish I had them under Apex control, It's not a big deal since I mainly only use it for feed mode and setting flow patterns (think flow controller). I use the Apex to power cycle any of the devices and I can still set power usage alarms if they go out of range since everything is plugged into the energy bar (think overarching controller). Not perfect, but it's worked well for me given Neptune and Ecotech are now looking more like competitors these days.

That said - One thing I haven't seen discussed is the customer support and availability of parts or replacement gear. I'll be the first to admit, I've had some type of issue with every piece of my Ecotech tech gear I own, including the swelling issue on my L1. What I can say is EcoTech's customer support has been top notch every time and corrected my issues very promptly, including sending replacement parts proactively to resolve issues. I was also able to talk to a technician live, without making an appointment. In a time where customer support is lacking, I can't say enough good things about my experience with Ecotech in this regard. While Neptune's Support has been good, I personally don't think it's at the same level as Ecotech's given my experience working with both companies numerous times.

Final thoughts... Regardless of your choice, I would recommend considering the importance of this pump to your system and plan for the worst. I'm assuming this is going to be used for a return pump, so I would recommend having an identical backup or a cheaper backup (AC pump) that can easily/quickly be plumbed in just in case the primary dies.

Good luck with your decision!

Thank you for your thoughts, Last time I was purchasing gear for a new large tank AC pumps were still the standard. The possibilities with DC pumps excites me though.

I ordered the deluxe version of the tank with 4 Hydra 26 HD's. I like Radions, I'm just not sure I like them enough to justify the extra cost vs going with the hydras, plus I like the cleanness of the hanging kit the deluxe comes with.

I'm still deciding on things such as a protein skimmer and heater, as well as dry rock, live rock, or a blend. I'm excited for the alkalinity monitoring systems coming out.

 

[Sleepydoc]

I have a Varios 6 and have been very happy with it. You need to look at your specific application but I would pick between the Varios and the COR. I have not compared them directly, but from the Flow/head curves, they all have similar flow capabilities. From what I have read, the pertinent differences are:
COR 20:

• Tight integration with Apex (of course,) giving the ability to report and respond to power consumption, internal temperature, etc.
• will alarm on obstruction
• Can easily set minimum and maximum speeds (i.e. you can set a minimum speed that is essentially equal to your head height so no water flows either forwards or backwards and prevents back-flow into the sump.)
• Can be run independently, but I don’t know believe it has a 0-10V input taht would allow it to be integrated with other controllers beyond simple on/off control
• New - unknown reliability (although it has been extensively beta tested)
• If you have an apex you can plug it into the wall instead of the EB832, saving an outlet
• Unavailable at this time - should be shipping soon, but it looks like most places are

Varios-8

• Has a 0-10V input that allow integration with virtually any controller
• Slightly higher flow that a COR20 (the 20 has been likened to a ‘Varios-7’)
• Solid reputation
• Won’t directly report power usage to a controller, but if you have a 2016 Apex or a GHL, you can still monitor power usage at the outlet

Vectra

• Will not integrate with any controllers at this time. The only option you would have is On/Off at the outlet.
• They can be connected with EcoTech live, but I’ve also seen many reports of problems with this as well
• Many people have reported that these pumps run hot and raise tank temps more than others
• There were issues with them overheating when run at 100% externally. I don’t know if this was resolved or not; last I heard, Ecotech’s solution was to drop the top speed.

As you can tell, I’m kind of negative on the Vectra, but I’ve read a lot of negative comments about it and also heard negative things from the owner of my LFS, so it seems like the Varios is a safer choice.

As far as AC pumps go, I will say that I have a Fluval SP4 that was my return and now is in my mixing tank. It’s a solid pump, very quiet, and about as efficient as the DC pumps. It doesn’t have the controllability of the DC pumps, but it is a solid pump.

 

[SteadyC]

I had two Vectras, and I hate them. In less than a year, I lost one pump and two power supplies, I would recommend you remove them from your consideration. I have replaced one with the DC pump from Sicce. When I can, I will replace the other.

 

[BPiers]

Can the COR be plugged into a 1link? It would be nice to not have to deal with the power block and control box

COR15 Yes
COR20 No

 

[McGee]

anybody have any new thoughts on the COR pumps?

 

[Sleepydoc]

After using my COR 20 for just over 2 months I'm still happy and my impressions haven't changed from those in this post. The only issue I've had was a programming issue with my Apex, nothing related to the pump itself. I do wish that Neptune would make fittings easier to find and include a strainer for it, but those would be my only requests/suggestions.

This is very subjective, but I haven't seen/heard of people having reliability issues. The pumps are still pretty young, but they appear to be off to a good start.