MP10 or Nero 3, need some help
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yanni
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Didn’t realise this at all…may be time to hit up google again for some advice hehe. Have you had any experience with the Nero 3s?Nero 3, I don’t find the new MP10 wet side to be reliable at all due to the thin ceramic shaft. You can find threads on this compliant. MP40 seems to have a better made wet side.
Tons of google hits and even YouTube videos about ways to try and DIY fix the shaft. Big red flag.
I had three MP10s that lasted a long time but replaced them when I realized the new wet sides are junky.
The Nero has a wider flow pattern and can be angled a bit.
MP10 Ceramic Shaft Broken
Just broke two of my MP10 Wetside Ceramic Shaft. I got both WES And WQD WQD Broke first. The other one i broke IT by swoping the rotary magnet into the WES And got stuck Half way And by the time i pull IT out the WES ceramic shaft broke again. I think WES And WQD are not the same? Do i have...www.reef2reef.com
Nope.. I went with Tunze since they have a reputation for lasting forever. A few jebaos for the frag tank and sump.
Rjramos
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I’m gonna give you the best advice here, because I am currently running both MP10’s and a Nero3 on a 29. Biocube. For the tank in question a 20 gal, I would say 1 Nero 3 is more than sufficient and much more compact for its roll in a nano.The MP10’s I run on much larger 60 gallon frag tank and yes they produce a lot more movement than a Nero3. One thing I like about the Nero3 is that I have it on the black back of my BC29 with the backing magnet inside the first chamber,(in the water) this is impossible on an MP10, that always has to mount dry side dry. The outside bump of an MP10 on any viewing glass of an aquarium is an eye sore in my opinion.
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yanni
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I don’t mind the outside bump too much, but the Nero seems to have much more pros than being just wireless. Adjustable direction flow is a massive bonus, and being able to mount it on the back is even better. Will keep it in mind. Do you have any photos I could see perhaps?
Rjramos
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The outside bump plus every time you go clean your glass with the magnet you have to move it. The adjustable direction flow on the Nero is minimal only a few degrees from 90. Here is a picture Nero3 right middle return with RFG nozzle return on top left.
Mikec805
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I'm running 2 Nero 3's on my 40breeder, opposite each other. At 60% plus the returns there's plenty of flow (80% when I blow off the rock or try and keep any detritus suspended). That said, I've only got a few zoa frags, hammer and some duncuns, and planning a lps/soft tank this time around. I used to run 2 mp10's a few years back when this same tank had sps, and they were great until bearings started going out and I had tear apart and rebuild the dry sides. The nanomax's height dimensions may benefit from 2 power heads, opposite each other but staggered. Or on the back wall staggered. Also depends on your rock scape. Like stated before you could probably get 2 nano 3's for the price of 1 mp10. With 2 you wouldn't have to run them at full percentage probably extending their life. As far as being loud, my tank is in the living room so any noise is drowned out. I can see if the tank was in your room, you'd probably hear a buzzing at night. I love the controllability and having the Hydra 32hd's all under one app. But now that Ecotech and AI are essentially the same company, maybe they're compatible or will be, I don't know.
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yanni
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Lots of good points here, price is a massive factor as I’m currently studying, snd moving into my own place soon. Simplicity is awesome, and the ease of my wavemaker and light being in the same app is extremely convenient and ideal. I think I’ll end up going with the Neros, everyone seems to be vouching for Neros, and MP10s seem less reliable, as well as less functional bc of no directional flow, and the only difference is wireless. Seems pretty clear cut to me
UnderseaOddities
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Why not both?(that way u can c what u like better) ngl I was on the ecotech bandwagon for awhile myself,starting off the craze with the vectra l2 when it first came out,then the xr 15 wasnt pleased with the overall performance as t5 did double for half the price, bought the mp10s but didnt like them(kinda get a knock to them after awhile due to the ceramic for the price you wouldn't think they'd do that...) so I ran mp40s instead but felt they created to much of a current and it needed to be more of a gyre/swell,so I bought 4 nero 3s and replaced the mp10s that I gave to a buddy who wanted to try them out and ran 4 nero 3s in the front bottom 2 mp40 in the back top and 2 hydor coralia g3 movers.. my buddy who I gave the mp10s to would later buy the g3 xr30 which he said in hindsight was a huge waste of money when mh and t5 exist.. idk personally because I've only ran the xr15, pumps and movers from ecotech always been a supplemental lighting guy myself, but imo I think the neros are just as good as the mp10s if not better due to their low price and high performance rate... same with return pumps there are many others out there with the same flow rate as the l2 and option that do the same thing for a fraction of the price, like apple Iphones us privileged Americans are just paying for a name(when theirs something cheaper that does the samething)... at the end of the day the hobbiest keeps the coral alive not the equipment you can have a 500$ calcium reactor a 800$ light 1200$ worth of pumps and movers and somebody else can grow the same coral with daily testing, a 100$ t5 setup and hydor coralia g3s and an undrilled setup no sump just skimmer in tank and movers,wc 2 to 3 times a week. some of the nicest tanks I've seen were the simplest in design just dosing 2 part daily and abcd some of the worst tank I've seen were 8k disasters,basically dont let your gear limit your success, gear doesn't equal success.. time equals success if you dont have time that apex? Useless. That xr30 useless. That geo calcium reactor useless, they are all just things that waterbox a 2k box u could built your own 3x3x8 for 800$... if the person using them doesn't do something right it can cause alot of problems, the more equipment the more Maitenence required just like anything, this can lead to mechanical malfunctions and if your reef is completely autonomous how are you gonna fix this and in a hurry are you gonna wait for a new one to come your tank can crash overnight if it's used to getting x now x isnt there? Humans have an advantage over machine having eyes ears and hands,a dosing pump can cake up and dose too much or not enough... we hear this and we hear that alot but what we hear and what works sometimes are two different things. Just rember just because a brand is top $$$ doesn't make it the best you fan have the same results from hydor movers or a ice cap gyrre or whatever you can afford. Dont be a brand-***** be cheap and practical unless money isnt an issue then I would say always overspec.. because if you decide u dont like it or wanna upgrade you can always horse trade someone for something or move it to another build we want 52 x watervolume to equal the fow rate total so you want an overall system flow rate of 1040gph half provided by return(5 x 7 times the water vol on avg) the other half provided by movers and pumps just my 2 cents I hope this helps!
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yanni
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Awesome write up man!
I know what you mean, input of money doesn't always equal the output of quality you get...such is life with a lot of things. Quantity doesn't equal quality. Of course a compromise is always true, and there is such a thing as being too cheap with equipment. I'm looking for reliability and longevity in my builds, and I've always been super patient, which is the biggest thing in this hobby. I think I will end up going with a single Nero 3, then maybe a 2nd down the line.
monkeyCmonkeyDo
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Slw 5 or 10
Hths u
-d
Hths u
-d
Rjramos
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Here is a better picture. You could see right front where it has removed the sand . That’s at 60% random mode. MP10 are definitely more powerful and noisy, too much for a nano in my opinion.
Barnabie Mejia
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I have tried a few different pumps, and I have to say I love my MP10s and MP40s. the look great in the tank and there are no wires. if you are wanting to change the flow pattern, BRS is selling a pump cover that gives you a wider flow pattern in the tank, they work very good, I have them in my tank and noticed the difference! its also safer for the tank if you have a Anemone or smaller fish.
Go MP10, you'll be glad you did
Go MP10, you'll be glad you did
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yanni
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Could you possibly link me the pump cover? Will have to explore my options, heard a lot of good things about the Nero, and not so many good things about the MP10 specifically
coralfishreef
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MP10 is a good powerhead. I’ve owned several MP10s over the years. I currently use 2 MP10s on one tank and 2 MP40s on another tank. The 2 MP10s are probably 5 to 6 years old or even older, and they still work perfectly. However, one or two of the MP10 wet sides were replaced over the years. Replacement wet sides are currently $65, but used to be around $50. Also, the controllers were upgraded once or twice. The controllers are currently QD, non-mobius.
Some MP10 cons:
1) They’re somewhat delicate. Dropping the dry side or wet side or damaging the wet side during cleaning is likely the culprit for many MP10 problems. I’ve seen many tanks photos in which the dry side is not properly secured. The dry side sticks out by over 2” and can easily get knocked off of a tank if it’s not secured. A replacement dry side can be purchased for $111, but for close to the price of the replacement dry side there are other choices. A new Nero 3 is $150 and a Maxspect jump gyre 2k is $159 on sale (Neros and gyres weren’t around when I bought the MP10s).
2) They can be noisy if the sides aren’t lined up properly, but this isn’t much of an issue. Lining up the sides just takes practice. They are also noisy if turned up high, but this is also true for Neros and gyres.
3) The dry side “wart” on the outside of the tank can be distracting when not viewing the tank up close. The dry side is the size of a small orange or large tangerine. The dry side cord is also going to be visible on the outside of the tank and it’s a medium-sized, thicker cord.
4) They’re expensive. Nowadays, in general, I’ll choose a Nero 5 over an MP10 because of the strong yet gentle wide flow and lower price. In a 20gal or smaller tank I’d probably try 2 Nero 3s. I used to run 2 MP10s on a 20gal AIO before Neros existed. I’m currently several Nero 5s in my tanks.
5) Flow is narrow and direct in comparison to a Nero 5.
Some MP10 pros:
1) Less heat in the tank.
2) No wire in the tank. Less risk of stray current and the tank will look great when viewing the inside of the tank. Probably the least distracting powerhead when viewing the inside of the tank.
3) Can connect to a battery backup either Ecotech or DIY. Can run for days on battery power. A major plus if your place is prone to power outages. I’d buy MPs or Tunze DC powerheads instead of Neros if my area was prone to power outages.
4) Easy to remove, take apart and clean the wet side without untangling cords or dragging cords throughout the house. You could even keep a spare wet side around and then swap the dirty wet side with a clean wet side when it’s time to clean the wet side. Of course you’ll still need to clean the dirty wet side.
5) They last for a long time, at least they have for me. My 2+ year old Nero 5s are also running just like new, but the Neros haven’t been out as long. Nero longevity is unknown.
6) Replacement parts are available.
7) The controller has colored lights. The controller visually shows the powerheads mode and speed via lighted dots and a lighted center knob. This may be important to some people and it still looks pretty cool to me even after seeing them for years. In comparison, the Nero 5 physical controller is minimalistic with no sort of wow fun factor.
8) Sometimes slightly used MPs can be found for a good price. I picked up a used MP10 over 10 years ago, bought a new wet side and still paid much less than new. That MP10 lasted 10 years until I accidentally dropped the dry side.
Hope this helps.
Some MP10 cons:
1) They’re somewhat delicate. Dropping the dry side or wet side or damaging the wet side during cleaning is likely the culprit for many MP10 problems. I’ve seen many tanks photos in which the dry side is not properly secured. The dry side sticks out by over 2” and can easily get knocked off of a tank if it’s not secured. A replacement dry side can be purchased for $111, but for close to the price of the replacement dry side there are other choices. A new Nero 3 is $150 and a Maxspect jump gyre 2k is $159 on sale (Neros and gyres weren’t around when I bought the MP10s).
2) They can be noisy if the sides aren’t lined up properly, but this isn’t much of an issue. Lining up the sides just takes practice. They are also noisy if turned up high, but this is also true for Neros and gyres.
3) The dry side “wart” on the outside of the tank can be distracting when not viewing the tank up close. The dry side is the size of a small orange or large tangerine. The dry side cord is also going to be visible on the outside of the tank and it’s a medium-sized, thicker cord.
4) They’re expensive. Nowadays, in general, I’ll choose a Nero 5 over an MP10 because of the strong yet gentle wide flow and lower price. In a 20gal or smaller tank I’d probably try 2 Nero 3s. I used to run 2 MP10s on a 20gal AIO before Neros existed. I’m currently several Nero 5s in my tanks.
5) Flow is narrow and direct in comparison to a Nero 5.
Some MP10 pros:
1) Less heat in the tank.
2) No wire in the tank. Less risk of stray current and the tank will look great when viewing the inside of the tank. Probably the least distracting powerhead when viewing the inside of the tank.
3) Can connect to a battery backup either Ecotech or DIY. Can run for days on battery power. A major plus if your place is prone to power outages. I’d buy MPs or Tunze DC powerheads instead of Neros if my area was prone to power outages.
4) Easy to remove, take apart and clean the wet side without untangling cords or dragging cords throughout the house. You could even keep a spare wet side around and then swap the dirty wet side with a clean wet side when it’s time to clean the wet side. Of course you’ll still need to clean the dirty wet side.
5) They last for a long time, at least they have for me. My 2+ year old Nero 5s are also running just like new, but the Neros haven’t been out as long. Nero longevity is unknown.
6) Replacement parts are available.
7) The controller has colored lights. The controller visually shows the powerheads mode and speed via lighted dots and a lighted center knob. This may be important to some people and it still looks pretty cool to me even after seeing them for years. In comparison, the Nero 5 physical controller is minimalistic with no sort of wow fun factor.
8) Sometimes slightly used MPs can be found for a good price. I picked up a used MP10 over 10 years ago, bought a new wet side and still paid much less than new. That MP10 lasted 10 years until I accidentally dropped the dry side.
Hope this helps.
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yanni
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This is an awesome write up, I really appreciate your complete honesty while also explaining it perfectly well. This gives me a whole new aspect to think about. The controller look doesn’t bother me as I’ll mainly controlling through the app, however, the MP10 controller does look fantastic, I must agree.
from your experience, if you were me, what would you honestly choose?
