Ecotech vectra owners & others

[TbyZ]

A vectra M1 costs $500 in Australia.

Are they worth the cost?

Do they last forever?

Do they pump a volume of water at least near what they claim?

Is leaching toxins from some cheap Chinese models a real thing, or propaganda?

Should I buy one, or is there an apples to apples comparable pump that is half the price?

Welcome all feedback

cheers

 

[Alfrareef]

My strategy since last years and because my systems it's only 100g has gone for D.C. Chinese return pumps.
With a Vectra cost I can live 10 years replacing Chinese pumps every 2 years and I still can use them for other chores, like pumping water between containers or doing water changes...
Of course this is just my consumer opinion and not considering my Electrotechnical and systems engendering Ph. Degree...

 

[Gweeds1980]

I'm just gonna put this out there to be shot down... all products have a bad batch and the odd one which seems to be indestructible. I think what you get with the likes of the vectras vs the jebaos is that there is a lot more quality control so you're less likely to get a bad one.

To eliminate this and to save a few £, I only buy second hand... I'm running a jebao dct6000 return, which cost me only half the price of a new one. It's 3 years old, so I know it's out of the 'my jebao broke after 6 weeks / months' bracket too.

Same with my jebao cp55, which runs like a dream.

 

[Gweeds1980]

I'm just gonna put this out there to be shot down... all products have a bad batch and the odd one which seems to be indestructible. I think what you get with the likes of the vectras vs the jebaos is that there is a lot more quality control so you're less likely to get a bad one.

To eliminate this and to save a few £, I only buy second hand... I'm running a jebao dct6000 return, which cost me only half the price of a new one. It's 3 years old, so I know it's out of the 'my jebao broke after 6 weeks / months' bracket too.

Same with my jebao cp55, which runs like a dream.

Just make sure you have a spare lol.

 

[Alfrareef]

With a 2 years warranty if you keep the receipt you'll get a new pump whenever it's broken

 

[LV3]

I have both the Vectra and a Jebao return pump. I've had the Vectra for 2 years and the Jebao for 6 months. Both run great. They're both dead quiet. I think the Vectra just beats out the Jebao in terms of available features but in the end, you get what you pay for.

Are they worth the cost?

I think they're worth the cost. If you have vortech pumps, it is nice to be able to put the whole system in feed/view mode. Sure it's one more step to hit another feed button on your pump but I do like the feature of pairing the pumps together. Another thing to consider is battery backup in the event of a power outage. I have the battery backup and leave the house knowing that it's going to work if the power drops.

Do they last forever?

I'm not quite sure anything really lasts forever, but with proper maintenance I think you could get good mileage out of these pumps.

Do they pump a volume of water at least near what they claim?

Both pumps put out a ton of flow and depending on your system, there are options to suit most tanks. Again, they're quiet and for me that's a big deal with my sump being in my cabinet and not down in the basement.

 

[saltyhog]

Mine is about 3 years old. I have had zero problems with it. It is much more quiet than my previous pump (Sicce 5.0).

They are a little more difficult to plumb initially but it's not a big deal at all. That does make them easier to remove for cleaning though.

 

[melev]

I've been running an Vectra M1 as an internal return pump on my frag system for 18 months, and have had zero issues from it. It moves the water very well, and one nifty feature is calibrating it so it never can pump more water than the tank can drain. Plus it's plugged into a battery backup so it will continue to run if the power goes out. I'm very interested in maintain circulation throughout the system, although in-tank circulation is the primary goal of course. Having all the water circulate is better, since the water won't stagnate in the overflow and the water in the sump is moving too. All of that adds to helping oxygen levels stay up.

When I need help, I call Ecotech Marine for customer service and they quickly help sort things out. I did that last week to make sure I had the firmware updated properly.

I just installed a Vectra L1 to my big sump a month ago. I'm running that pump externally, and it feeds a manifold to all the reactors as well as sending return water to the 60g Anemone Cube. I've been running the L1 at 50% of the speed it offers, and it's plenty for what I'm needing. It too has a battery backup hooked up to it. I have one more L1 on hand that I'm planning to use as my return pump for the 400g.

Setting these up via Reeflink & EcoSmart Live was pretty easy, too.

 

[TbyZ]

thanks for the replies so far, but, so far I haven't been sold on the vectra.

why are they so expensive, & can the price be justified?

So far it seems not.

 

[Karie]

Well, I haven't bit the bullet to get one yet but my reefer friend said it has been the best purchase he has ever made for his reef tank and he has been in the hobby for a LONG time.

I have had some bad experiences with Ecotech, although I continue to use them. (I need to point out that the tech support team at Ecosmart has always been more that helpful with me) I have a Reeflink that had to be replaced (free of charge). I have 3 radions of different generations and 1 of them has never worked like the others. I just bought my 6th MP40. They go wacky after awhile - I only have 3 working well right now. And I always have a frustrating experience when I am trying to do anything on ECOSMART LIVE.

I'm not ready to try out the vectra yet. But I have been eyeing the Aquamaxx Magnus DC water pump from Sunpole. The price is better and I like their looks.

Good luck

 

[TbyZ]

I'm not ready to try out the vectra yet. But I have been eyeing the Aquamaxx Magnus DC water pump from Sunpole. The price is better and I like their looks.

Good luck

Hi Karie;

The looks you say? Yes I agree, Aquamaxx Magnus DC very sexy.

But, look at how sexy my last pump I bought is.

http://www.aquariumonlinesupplies.c...b33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/b/l/bldc-pump-2.jpg

see any resemblance between my BLCD DC Series pump & your Aquamaxx Magnus DC water pump from Sunpole?

They all look the same these days. But its the inners that may be where the proof is in the pudding?