mp20??

[Sir Alex]

I had heard something about the vortech mp20, which I hadn't really heard of before. Ikr, a piece of saltwater equipment I hadn't heard of???? :shock::shock::shock:

Anyway, I did some research and found it's larger than the mp10, but is discontinued. That sucks caus eventually I want to upgrade to vortechs sooner or later. The mp10s are a bit too small and the mp40 would be an overkill... But after further research I found that AquaCave sells them. Two questions - Is this the same as the other vortechs, and why would AquaCave be selling a discontinued product??

 

[Zissou]

Discontinued: the mp10 replaced it. Heard that they had issues, and that mp10's were as effective at moving the same amount of water. Beauty of any of the vortechs is that you can dial it down. An mp40 should be fine.

 

[Northstar24]

It was replaced by the MP10, so its possible that vendors have left overs still for sale. If you look at the parts section of EcoTech's website, they list many parts as the same for the MP10/MP20

Another reason you'd want an MP10 or a dialed back MP40 versus an MP20 is the EcoSmart Driver, I do not know if the older MP20's are compatible with it, and that driver is one of the reasons to go with the Vortech's - especially multiple pumps

You can dial back MP40's without issue, I have mine running at about 65% max on the random mode. Any more than that and a wall of water really pisses off the corals. If you haven't seen these things in person, they move an Impressive amount of water.

 

[Sir Alex]

An mp40 should be fine.

You mean that one mp40 would be enough for a 75 gallon??

 

[Northstar24]

You mean that one mp40 would be enough for a 75 gallon??

At 65% power, my MP40 will push water about halfway to the other side on my 6ft 180. Cranking at full bore, It would probably be okay on a 75 (assuming its a 4ft tank) That being said, you still may want to consider a second on on the opposite pane

I think the biggest benefit of these pumps is the random flow, and two of these working in tandem does some pretty amazing things, its better for the fish and the corals, not to mention it keeps crap suspended in the water so it can be filtered out. A LFS near me has two MP40's on a six foot tank and they can make a standing wave - its amazing to see in person. I know the price tag is high, but after messing around with MJ's and Koralia's I dont regret spending the money on the Vortech at all. When funds allow I'll be adding a second one to my 180, to go with the MP40 I already have, and the Mini Polario I have on the back wall. Random flow was the best thing I've done to my tank. The coral extension and change in fish behavior was incredible

 

[Sir Alex]

But two mp10s have the same flow as one mp40, and then I'd have the two sided flow, so that would work, wouldn't it?

I'm getting 2 mp10s for my granddad's 60 gallon cube, so I'll have them here for a bit. I'l try them out in my tank when I have them. :roll:

 

[Northstar24]

Yep, MP10's would work too, I think they move something like 1800 GPH, which is a conservative rating based on flow tests done by Advanced Aquarist