Is one mp40 better than none?
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mcarroll
10K Club member
Money is better spent elsewhere if you're that tight.
A pair ofAC powered Tunze 6045's (at $78/ea) will to A LOT more work than a single mp40.
If you want to be a controllability snob, you can swing a pair of 6040's for only $280.
What are the actual dimensions of your tank?
A pair ofAC powered Tunze 6045's (at $78/ea) will to A LOT more work than a single mp40.
If you want to be a controllability snob, you can swing a pair of 6040's for only $280.
What are the actual dimensions of your tank?
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mcarroll
10K Club member
Definitely....I ran a 50 gallon (36x18x18) on two 6045's and grew it WAY FULL of stony corals before I needed to add a third. (I tried upgrading to two mp40's first, but they couldn't flow a tank that full.)
mcarroll
10K Club member
The mp40 will probably work OK in a tank that's mostly empty.
Honestly, a set of mp10's would be a smarter move for this size of tank, but it's probably just as bad budget-wise as you still need a minimum of two. You will eventually want three, IMO.
Under a tight budget, I just can't see spending limited funds this way. If the mp40 is returnable, I'd return it.
Switching my two little 6045's for two humongous (and expensive) mp40's I was expecting an upgrade in the tank's flow experience.
But with the tank being as full of corals as it was, the mp40's seemed almost powerless.
They seem to depend heavily on being able to generate some momentum in the water.
No room in my tank, meant no "free water" to put momentum into...there was a coral in every direction. LOL.
The corals that had a face toward the mp40's would get OK flow, but every other part of the coral – and other corals behind it – would essentially be in a dead zone. I experimented like crazy with placement, but there were limited options available in a tank that full. With mp40's being "unidirectional" it was just a non-starter.
The 6045's can be placed and angled precisely to your will, so I was still able to capitalize on some channels of free water that the mp40's just couldn't use. So I ended up adding a third 6045 and put the mp40's in a box.
The tank continued to flourish with the set of three 6045's.
Humongous bang for your buck with those pumps. Just not very glamorous since they aren't controllable.
Fish Werx
Active Member
Right on, I actually run 2 Jebao RW-8s... Super cheap, will blow all your stuff over if your not careful. They connect to each other wirelessly, but I have no idea about to any other type controllers? I run them in a 120 and have to keep them turned way down. Plenty of flow. Probably not anywhere near as reliable or nicely made as an MPanything though!
Schwabie33
Community Member
I've ran them on 1/2 acrylic as well as 1/2 glass with no issues - but the slightest bit of knick would/could knock them off, the issue comes into play when they are on star fire due to the low iron content but some do just fine.
The trick is to always use the stickies that come with the pump.
Also had zero issues with 3/8 glass.
My personal experience, maybe try to find a buddy that you could borrow it for the day and see if there would be a issue.
mcarroll
10K Club member
+1!!!!!!!
I've suffered broken corals due to this. (Prolly lucky I didn't suffer broken glass.)
USE THE 3M CABLE ANCHORS. I thought they sorta looked trashy but Ecotech included them for a darn good reason.
Kyle Sicard
Active Member
I have 2 mp40 QD's on a 120g and they are plenty of flow. I cant turn them up past 45% or my lps get blown everywhere. I set the tank up in a way where rocks dont obstruct the mp40's and they put out plenty of flow for my needs.
