Panta Rhei ECM42 Hydro Wizard Pump

ddaddy2420 · Sep 17, 2020

Anyone have any experience with these? Trying to figure out why they are double the cost of Vortechs, for not as much flow.

jdiefenbaugh · Sep 17, 2020

I have only used the large hydro wizard, but I'm guessing it's better performance and construction. My MP60s are louder than the large hydrowizard doing 45k gph, and I'm not joking.

ddaddy2420 · Sep 17, 2020

Lol that pump is like $2600, even the small one which only does 3000 gph is $730.

jdiefenbaugh · Sep 20, 2020

ddaddy2420 said:
Lol that pump is like $2600, even the small one which only does 3000 gph is $730.

Yeah, Idk, you just asked for experience and why the panta rhei was better. The ECM 75 is actually $5k and worth every penny for large tanks. It's no different than comparing Abyzz pumps vs every other brand, there is a reason why they are priced the way they are.

ca1ore · Sep 20, 2020

Hmmn, have considered but never ultimately owned any of the hydro wizard pumps. Cursory glance at the specs on the ECM63 says it moves 13,421 gph (appreciate the precision LOL) ..... which is almost double what the MP60 claims. Of course, you could buy 3 MP60s for the $2,000 ish cost of the 63, which is what I did. Design of the ECM63 suggest it will punch further than the vortech, which is designed more for broader flow. Multiple MP60 do well on my eight foot tank. ECM63 might be needed on longer tanks though. My other ‘objection’ to the hydro wizards is how much they intrude into the tank. ECM75 particularly looks huge .... and uuuuuugly.

Anirban · Sep 20, 2020

I have seen those in work and trust me I think Panta rhei undersell them. Right from build quality to flow they are impeccable. @Rick.45cal runs them so he can tell you better.

Rick.45cal · Sep 20, 2020

I’ve owned 4 ECM42’s for 4 years now and they’ve been nothing but flawless in that time. I’ve honestly never seen anything compare to the flow they generate. I’d personally say Panta Rhei understate their flow, while most other manufacturers tend to do the opposite. They’re not for everyone, but I’m completely happy with mine and would buy them again without even considering any other pump.

Karliefish · Nov 17, 2020

Rick.45cal said:
I’ve owned 4 ECM42’s for 4 years now and they’ve been nothing but flawless in that time. I’ve honestly never seen anything compare to the flow they generate. I’d personally say Panta Rhei understate their flow, while most other manufacturers tend to do the opposite. They’re not for everyone, but I’m completely happy with mine and would buy them again without even considering any other pump.

seriously considering buy one for my new 368G tank (8 foot) and was keen to know if you have a video that shows the pump in your tank and the flow it puts out? Thank you in advance!

Abhishek · Nov 17, 2020

ECM42s will be severely limited for 8 foot tank . I would definitely look into ECM63s - May be 1 of them and then like smaller 4 - 6 on the back wall

Rick.45cal · Nov 17, 2020

Karliefish said:
seriously considering buy one for my new 368G tank (8 foot) and was keen to know if you have a video that shows the pump in your tank and the flow it puts out? Thank you in advance!

You really probably won’t be able to find any detailed reviews of these pumps (in English) I’m with @Abhishek I would pop for an ECM63 I‘d then see what you think you might need after you have it up and running. I would suspect with the programs that come with the ECM63 you might be able to get away with just that pump. At most you might have to stick an ECM42 or two in some strategic locations.

I love my Panta Rhei pumps, they’re far better pumps than anything else available. IMHO

Abhishek · Nov 17, 2020

Karliefish said:
seriously considering buy one for my new 368G tank (8 foot) and was keen to know if you have a video that shows the pump in your tank and the flow it puts out? Thank you in advance!

Here’s an old review .

Review: The Panta Rhei ECM 42

Take one look at the Panta Rhei Hydro-Wizard and it’s clear you’re dealing with something different. Pick up the hydro-wizard and the controller and the uni

reefs.com

It’s extremely difficult to explain why I think Panta Rheis are amazing !!! They aren’t your regular run of the mill pumps like vortech or tunzes . They don’t do crazy random flows.
They do laminar flow patterns and the band of flow is very narrow . But as you will read in the link , there’s virtually no dead spot in rank in the way the water is retuned back to the pump and then pushed out .
Most people I have talked to hates the pumps because they think it’s severely limited . But the limitation is what I love - it precisely does what it’s supposed to do - move crazy amount fo water in laminar pattern .

Now they have external battery support too but
You have to buy the module separately .

Am in the process of replacing all my pumps with ECM42s as I don’t think I like anything else .

@Rick.45cal knows way more than I do and hopefully he can explain a little better

If money is no objection , in your case I would get 2 ECM63at opposite ends and then a couple or more of EVM 42s in the back lower corner for detritus removal .
But you would be looking at around 5K-6K with this approach

Karliefish · Nov 17, 2020

Rick.45cal said:
You really probably won’t be able to find any detailed reviews of these pumps (in English) I’m with @Abhishek I would pop for an ECM63 I‘d then see what you think you might need after you have it up and running. I would suspect with the programs that come with the ECM63 you might be able to get away with just that pump. At most you might have to stick an ECM42 or two in some strategic locations.

I love my Panta Rhei pumps, they’re far better pumps than anything else available. IMHO

thanks - appreciate the comments. I really like the idea of having all that flow (especially on a tank my size) but am trying to wrap my head around the idea of having cords in the tank with Panta's versus not having any cords in my tank if I go with MP60's.

Abhishek · Nov 17, 2020

Also ECM63 is huge ! So if that’s a concern along with wire .. may be it’s not the cup of tea you want to drink from

But what it’s worth , panta rheis look dang sharp even with the thin wires

Karliefish · Nov 17, 2020

Abhishek said:
Also ECM63 is huge ! So if that’s a concern along with wire .. may be it’s not the cup of tea you want to drink from
But what it’s worth , panta rheis look dang sharp even with the thin wires

I don’t think the size will scare me away given the size of my tank, but it would be awesome to see a video of your setup. Would that be possible?

Abhishek · Nov 17, 2020

Well am in the process of setting up a 6 x2 x12 inches grow out system and will soon post some pics of the 2 ECM 42s I have there . You can check @Rick.45cal setup and if am not mistaken the largest colony of home wrecker that anybody had

Karliefish · Nov 18, 2020

Abhishek said:
Well am in the process of setting up a 6 x2 x12 inches grow out system and will soon post some pics of the 2 ECM 42s I have there . You can check @Rick.45cal setup and if am not mistaken the largest colony of home wrecker that anybody had

Looking forward to the pics!

Karliefish · Nov 18, 2020

Abhishek said:
Well am in the process of setting up a 6 x2 x12 inches grow out system and will soon post some pics of the 2 ECM 42s I have there . You can check @Rick.45cal setup and if am not mistaken the largest colony of home wrecker that anybody had

As a newbie on Reef2Reef, what is the easiest way to navigate Rick’s post to find the pics? Thanks!

Abhishek · Nov 18, 2020

Karliefish said:
As a newbie on Reef2Reef, what is the easiest way to navigate Rick’s post to find the pics? Thanks!

Here you go :- https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/my-lil-reef.523023/

Learn and enjoy

Karliefish · Nov 18, 2020

Abhishek said:
Here you go :- https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/my-lil-reef.523023/

Learn and enjoy

Wow wow stunning - so kind of you to provide the link. You saved me a ton of time!

Anirban · Nov 23, 2020

@Abhishek
Hey Abhishek, how are you doing? I need a help and suggestion for my new build. I decided to get an ECM42 pro but want to know couple of details from you. How does it hold up against 3/4 glass or acrylic? Did you mount one inside your overflow if yes how the outside magnet is holding up? I am planning to mount it inside the overflow but not sure how the magnet will behave in long term.