What setting does everyone use on vortech

saltlife757 · Mar 31, 2016

So I just purchased my first 2 vortech qd and love them. I successfully linked the two together (master/mode). I'm just wondering what setting do most people use? I currently have it on the lower tide mode.

Mrx7899 · Mar 31, 2016

Reef crest

cincyreef · Apr 1, 2016

I mix it up. I usually use lagoon and reef crest. I also use the Nutrient export mode once a week, and blow off the rocks with a turkey baster.

G8trBait16 · Apr 1, 2016

Reef crest 99% of the time and Nutrient export right before my weekly water change.

revhtree · Apr 1, 2016

I usually use the short pulse!

Staggs · Apr 1, 2016

I've been using Short Pulse mainly lately, and a little ReefCrest from 7am to 11pm. At night I schedule one of my MP40qd's to turn off and just run reefcrest on the master at a lower setting.

Salty1962 · Apr 1, 2016

Nutrient Export.

den75 · Apr 1, 2016

All of them. I control them with my apex.

Bob Escher · Apr 1, 2016

I have used all of them as well but I like reef crest with a short pulse cause I like watching the water roll across the top like a wave but I only leave it for a short while and then go to constant or lagoon at night
I have MP10's

zoomonster · Apr 1, 2016

Ever since a $80 Anthias got its head stuck in a MP40 I run 50%, 5 second pulse overnight when fish, especially new ones, get stupid. I run two on Apex and over time started using this schedule. Also as needed I run nutrient export or 100% constant to stir things up. Second pump runs in sync.

24:00-0700 Pulse 50%
0700 Lagoon 80%
10:30 Reefcrest 100%
16:30 Tidal 100%
21:30 Lagoon 65%

gdemos · Apr 1, 2016

I have the varying modes, RC, tidal, nutrient exp, pulse set as apex "feed modes" then hit them whenever randomly through the day. Default is constant with varying power levels.

SATXBrian · Apr 1, 2016

Reef crest anti-sync during the day, switching to a low power constant mode during the night.

Bob Escher · Apr 1, 2016

I hear so much about fish or anemones getting caught in their wavemaker. I haven't had that problem but I wonder how many folks use the protective sponges that come with or you can buy. I used them for quite a while but they were never intended to use on a fresh water tank but will use them on my salt. So are the fish getting caught from the front or the sides

inetjnky · Apr 1, 2016

I use the sponge on my mp10 because I have an anenome.

zoomonster · Apr 1, 2016

Well yes the sponges would have helped but just something else to have to constantly clean and restrict flow. Just that one fish got its head stuck in the side grill and died. When I first started this tank I had some Jebao WP40's and the first night I had a RBTA it got sucked through but survived. They generally stay put for me except for maybe sometimes when they split. Lets put it this way up until very recently I had something like 14 RBTA's and I had to clean them out. Sold 9 and had 5 left and back up to 7 and never had one get in a pump since that first day. With anemones they would probably get sucked through that sponge anyway.

Gomery12 · Apr 1, 2016

So the Apex lets you program different modes for the vortecs?

JMLewis · Apr 1, 2016

Gomery12 said:
So the Apex lets you program different modes for the vortecs?

Yep you can change modes, speed etc throughout the day.

zoomonster · Apr 1, 2016

Yeah Apex Fusion has a wizard. You can program any number of time periods with associated Vortech modes and power levels or you can just drag the ramp on the graph. Even the manually entered time periods are ramped off the graph though. Don't particularly care for the forced ramping though because if you have a period where its supposed to run 100% and second period set at 50% it won't run 100% the whole time but be ramping down to 50% per the graph from point a to point b. That's why I have reefcrest at 100% followed by tidal at 100% which eventually ramps down to 65% by the time it starts Lagoon at 65%. That way at least Reefcrest runs full power the whole period. Most of those Vortech modes are actually variable speed programs though and i.e. with reefcrest 100% allows the full speed range during slowdown and speed up. All that really wouldn't matter if you used the same program for each period though.