Vortech MP40 or MP60?

[JOKER]

Which would you recommend for a shallow 7' tank? Tank is 7' x 2' x 16". I think the 40 would be enough, but im not sure. SPS dominant minimal scape peninsula tank. I have for flow now a gyre 250, and 2 tunze 6105. I usually just run one of the 6105, and run the 250 on LTC. Tank is about 140 gallon so 50x turnover would be 7,000 GPH. the 40 does 4,500 the gyre does up to 5,000 the 6105 3,000. I think the 40 paired with one of the others may work or should I go with the 60??

 

[ndrwater]

I have an 8' SPS dominant tank. I have 2 MP60's and an MP40. All run varrying programs on anti-sync maxing out at 85% +/-. I don't think there is a bad option here, but if it were me, I would go the 60. You can always turn it down, but you can't turn up a 40 beyond it's max, which, you may end up wanting.

 

[mcarroll]

Which would you recommend for a shallow 7' tank? Tank is 7' x 2' x 16". I think the 40 would be enough, but im not sure. SPS dominant minimal scape peninsula tank. I have for flow now a gyre 250, and 2 tunze 6105. I usually just run one of the 6105, and run the 250 on LTC. Tank is about 140 gallon so 50x turnover would be 7,000 GPH. the 40 does 4,500 the gyre does up to 5,000 the 6105 3,000. I think the 40 paired with one of the others may work or should I go with the 60??

What's you goal? Sounds like you have a decent setup now....are you replacing it?

Knowing that would help me make a more specific recommendation.

mp40's have about a two foot (24") reach.

So if you think having 4 of them across the back of the tank sounds good, then that would work. Otherwise, skip the mp40.

@iiluisii has an interesting mp60 setup, but it's bare-bottomed and I don't think his tank is as long/big as yours.

I would probably simple add another one of Tunze's pumps to your mix, but without knowing your goal, it's hard to say which.

 

[ca1ore]

Absent any further context, and just considering 60 versus 40, the former is a far better pump. I used dual 60s on my 7' tank, though admittedly 30" tall. On my current 450 I use a pair of 40s on the back wall and they work fine for the 3' width, but not much more than that.

 

[JOKER]

My goal is better and more controllable flow. the gyre I like the LTC. The tunze is just so straight forward flow, and it will push water out of the tank if I turn it up high. The shallow rimless tank is hard to get it right. I have more than enough flow with all 3 running now, but if a snail gets close to the water line water gets splashed over the edge in the middle of the tank. The vortech just seems more wide area flow, and that I could accomplish more with it, and when SPS grow up it could be better as I would be able to crank it up.

 

[JOKER]

I also would like the look of one power head on the viewing end better than 2. Will the 60 push water 7' ?

 

[mcarroll]

It sounds like you should lower the water level in the display a little.

The 6105's are more flexible, controllable and able to be hidden than the others....have to tried experimenting with them much?

Placing them on the ends can work, but it pretty elementary. For me it's usually just a starting point so I can see how the flow is like that....it's rarely optimal when you have other locations to consider.

Try a smaller jumper in your 6105's so peak power is lower.

Try the extra-wide shroud to see if lowering the velocity of the flow helps a little.

No on the 60's, but did you look at the user's tank I mentioned? That's the one good 60 tank I know of. Look at what he's doing.

 

[JOKER]

I can only place power heads on the end since it is a peninsula. Oh yea I didn't think about the other shrouds. That may help. Water level is about 2" from the top. Thank you

 

[mcarroll]

(some extra text was here)

I can only place power heads on the end since it is a peninsula.

You mean to say "...with most pumps." Right?

You can get one or two of these from Tunze and mount your 6105 inside it and then place your pump anywhere on, in or near to your rocks you'd want.

Stream Rock

Duno if this is your first tank, but you didn't pick the easiest design to manage so hopefully not! That "long and that low" look creates an interesting (if not completely advantageous) dynamic for your flow. For example, even with practically no coral cover the tank that rock appears to be within inches of the surface. The only apparently "unencumbered" space is wa-a-a-ay at the front of the tank – the weakest area of flow (furthest from the pumps) in the tank.

Without a top view and without being able to see any of your pumps, it's hard to say a lot more than that....but you do have your work cut out for you! Especially so as your corals start to branch out. Branching corals EAT flow. Literally.

I would be considering sand bed removal as that will give you a lot more leeway with how you set up and tune your pumps.

It may be a lot of bother, so forget this if it is, but any chance you could post a video that show what it's like in the tank when "too much flow" is happening from the 6105's? Seems like this tank is so long that the normal wide flow shroud should be fine.

P.S. from the pics (i know that's november) you can tell how new new new new new the tank is. Unless you have way way way more signs of microbial life today in the tank than what is pictured – like plenty of coraline and green algae growing, etc – then you really want to be taking everything about 1/2 as fast as you ever planned to. Ramping up livestock levels too quick (not counting corals – they actually help) could be really problematic for a tank like yours in the pic.

 

[mcarroll]

You might like some of the examples and info in this link:

Oceanic Forcing of Coral Reefs (read and click through to the source article)

 

[JOKER]

Yes to the rocks eventually. Possibly 2. I left some room on the sand. I also have thought of plumbing returns in the other end if needed. I have thought about all that im just trying to get right for now, I changed the shroud, and it works well. I can now run both tunze. I will get a video.

 

[JOKER]

Ok so I got a few videos.

 

[JOKER]

Also got some photos. Not greatest quality.

 

[JOKER]

Sorry so many. LOL I think I have pretty good amount of algae. I have 3 urchins so they keep it knocked down.

 

[Tapio]

My tank is somewhat similar, a peninsula 7 ft long, 30" wide and 24" deep. Currently I have 2 Rossmont 4100 on each side of the overflow and 2 Rossmont 3000 on the short viewable end. I had 1 mp40 on that short end before and it was not enough with one pump. I considered getting a mp60 but did not because at 100% the mp40 had a tendency to suck air (gyre) from the surface even when it was submerged several inches. Ecotech for some reason stopped making the pump shroud with a solid section facing the surface that would prevent this. I am not happy with the controllability of the Rossmonts and the cords so I am going to replace the two 3000 with 2 mp40 at the viewable short end and likely will replace the Rossmont 4100 by the overflow with 2 mp60 0r 40. Mine is SPS tank too and I have a sand bed.

 

[mcarroll]

Do you find that there's enough flow down at the far end to tumble some sand grains?

 

[JOKER]

I could probably direct the flow a little more and stir up some sand. I am slowly bringing up the flow on the tunze now. I may actually change the gyre from LTC to something else to help that some or add another powerhead. the reef flakes are pretty large though. LOL

 

[mcarroll]

That's just a rough measure I use to determine if the flow really has any energy in it.

Hopefully, that is, enough to lift detritus which is usually less dense than sand.

So (my thinking goes) if your flow can at least tumble the very occasional sand grain in a location, then it should be able to lift (or at least tumble) a good size piece of detritus from that location...and easily handle smaller detritus.

It doesn't tell you everything, but it's potentially helpful to know.

I think that Reef Flake stuff is homogenous (kinda like seaflor special grade) compared to the "natural grain sizes" I see in most tanks though (e.g. from bagged "live" sand), so YMMV.