Tunze or Vortech

[mutley29]

I have a quandry, which should i get,
Tunze have been around for some time, have great reliability and directional flow, where as the vortechs give awesome wave action etc, and have minimal intrusion into the tank (wetside assembly)

I have a 96" X 25" X 27" tank with a Reeflo Dart on a OM 4 way and a Reeflo Barracuda as a return

Any all info appreciated

Anton

 

[Ben1]

The tunze does give the directional flow and have a lower rate of failure then vortech. You have to deal with the larger intank footprint, and the ugly cord in the tank. I voted vortech just cause I cant stand looking at a cord in the tank. I have some of each and both are good for theyre own reasons. They both have parts available, and both have decent customer service although I think I give tunze the edge in that department. The tunzes are also more quiet. The vortechs are cheaper than the controllable tunzes though especially when you add in the tunze controller, while the vortech somes with it.

 

[Anonymous]

I went with Tunze, for the lower noise, for the marginally higher reliability (I ordered mine from the US and am based in Japan, so didn't want to have to send my pumps back to the US if there was a problem) and because I'm not convinced that Vortechs look that much better in the tank (yes, they have a lower profile, but does it make that much of a difference? Particularly if you see how powerful the 6055 Tunze Nanostreams are, which are smaller than the regular Streams).

 

[Anonymous]

I tried Tunze, but I had nothing but problems with them. Changed to Vortech and am very happy I did.

 

[Ben1]

I'm not convinced that Vortechs look that much better in the tank (yes, they have a lower profile, but does it make that much of a difference? Particularly if you see how powerful the 6055 Tunze Nanostreams are, which are smaller than the regular Streams)

FWIW I have two 6055's on my nano, which I hid behind a piece of acrylic. I thought about putting one of the 6055's on my bigger tank and couldnt stand the look. The cord when coming up and over my wide eurobracing was just so ugly coming through the water. If the tank was rimeless maybe it would have been easier to hide, or if the cord didnt come out of the center of the ball and came out the back instead. IMO the size and cord still make the tunze the uglier option unless you can hide the cord somehow. Like I said I think tunze does have some advantages though. JMO FWIW this picture shows the intank parts of the 6045 and the intank part of the mp10. I know my 6055's intank width is greater then the intank space of my mp40s wetside also. The in tank space of my 6055's with the magnets is around 4" while the mp40 wetside is less than 2.5". In any case the mp40 puts out a lot more water than a tunze 6055 and the mp10 is a better comparison, as the flow rates and pricing are closer.

 

[Anonymous]

I know the size difference is quite significant, but I really don't like the look of that Vortech cage. So the smaller size, but uglier unit made the aesthetic difference not that big a deal breaker to me. Neither am I as bothered as others by the cables (I'm commenting based on memories of how my last tank looked and pictures I've seen - I've not yet set up my tank). Actually, to be frank, I dislike the look of the Vortech dry-side unit on the side of a tank and that's as bad to my mind as the cables.

In summary, I'm not yet convinced that the Tunze are that much worse. I'm not saying they're aesthetically better, but I'm not convinced the Vortechs have that huge an advantage over the Tunze in this area.

YMMV.

 

[Anonymous]

I have recently switched to Tunzes on both my tanks, and have been stunned by the performance relative to size, as well as the after sales support offered (even here) on the products. I have no experience with the Vortechs.

 

[jamesw]

Tunze transfers electrical waste heat to the tank. Vortech does not.

Cheers
James

 

[Len]

I have had both, and neither is perfect. The Vortech has a much better flow pattern IMO, and the overall system is better designed (battery, wireless). Vortechs are somewhat more noisy though, and I didn't like the "ear muff" look on my tank.

 

[jamesw]

Len: the Vortech manual says it's optimum to put them on the rear of the tank. Does anybody do that????

Cheers
James

 

[Len]

Rear of the tank is good, but I couldn't fit the big motor behind my tank. I've seen it work ok, but the tank would have to be fairly wide (front to back), which Anton's is.

 

[Ben1]

I know the size difference is quite significant, but I really don't like the look of that Vortech cage. So the smaller size, but uglier unit made the aesthetic difference not that big a deal breaker to me. Neither am I as bothered as others by the cables (I'm commenting based on memories of how my last tank looked and pictures I've seen - I've not yet set up my tank). Actually, to be frank, I dislike the look of the Vortech dry-side unit on the side of a tank and that's as bad to my mind as the cables.

In summary, I'm not yet convinced that the Tunze are that much worse. I'm not saying they're aesthetically better, but I'm not convinced the Vortechs have that huge an advantage over the Tunze in this area.

Yeah I guess to each there own. I just hate the cords, and with my eurobracing they stick way out. On a regular or rimless it would be less of an issue for me. Both pumps are high quality and you really cant go wrong either way.

Len: the Vortech manual says it's optimum to put them on the rear of the tank. Does anybody do that????

I run mine on the sides too, and if I tried on the back they would only fit in where my external overflow is so that wouldn't work either.

 

[mutley29]

Thanks for all the replies guys, and please keep them coming

My tank is 8ft wide (tank is in-wall, so looking at it from front is 8ft across ), and my flow patterns are in serious need of improvement, several of my fellow reefers in Northern Va use the Vortechs but they have narrower tanks, i do like the Tidal Swell and Reef Crest modes, although not sure they would work safely with 8ft to play with, i and my fellow reefers have noticed a big increase in polyp extension and coral growth in their tanks.

I have heard of the problems Eco-tech did have with the impellers, Does there longevity rate against Tunze? Tunze does have the ability to direct flow which the Vortechs don't (yet?)

Oh, the agony of choice :lol:

 

[Ben1]

My problem with the vortech has been power supplys burning out and more often the plate the impeller spins on wearing through causing the impeller to stop spinning. It a $10 part but a PITA they keep wearing out.

 

[Anonymous]

My vortechs have been almost completely hassle free and I have 5 at home and 2 at work. Love em.

 

[Anonymous]

I gotta weigh in on the side of the vortechs as well. FWIW, I -do- use'em on the back of my tanks, not the sides. No cords is absolutely priceless as far as I'm concerned.

 

[fcmatt]

hi all. long time no see.

i owned a vortech when they first came out. i thought it was pretty cool at that time but
it had problems. i had to rma the driver box right out of the box. they gave me a new one
and i just figured being one of the first to get it was the reason.

during the install and tweaking process i found it to be loud. i liked to run it at high speed
on my tank and it is a noticeable noise issue. people say it is quiet but i disagree. not terribly
loud, keep in mind, but quite noticeable. perhaps that has changed over the years.

next the wet side, the metal disc inside of it started to have problems. it basically had a plastic
type coating that was coming off and getting corroded. naturally this lead to performance problems.

in the end i sold it on ebay as needing repair.

i am planning a new tank and i think for the cost they are not worth it to me on smaller
tanks. 40-80 gallons. i think they are very cool but not a right fit for me due to past
experience. i would rather just try to design a tank this time by getting good flow from
pumps in the sump plumbed to the tank or just go with the cheaper in tank pumps. perhaps
try a tunze this time around. a few cables running out of the tank will not bother me very much
if you control them nicely.

 

[Len]

Vortech got better and quieter over the course of their production. My first units were much noisier than my very last Gen2 units. Tunze are quieter, of course, but my 6105 are no where near silent. I was a little disappointed actually regarding their noise level. I was hoping a fully submersed pump would be virtually silent, but it makes a good deal of low pitch hum.

 

[leftovers]

As a beta tester of the vortechs ive used them since day 1. I have had little trouble beyond failed power supplies. Most noise issues i have are from snails coming in contact with the glass while cruising the inner cage.

I've found that using the rubber mats regardless of tank thickness eliminated most if not all obtrusive noises. I've also found that the wireless setup to be simple and trouble free.

As for looks, neither is optimal but the vortech's occupy significantly less space both in and out of the tank and the lack of heat transport and electrical conduction route into tank is key for me. I have also cut my electrical bill by eliminating all the various internal power heads and replacing with two MP40's all the while significantly improving water movement.

I think Echotech could even make a larger internal head with the same external motor and with some firmware changes move more water at a slower speed with a larger prop, and for larger tanks this would be an amazing add on.....muahahaha

I am going to purchase at some point a third echo for the rear of my tank pointing to the front but behind the rock... but right now after aquascaping i have significantly improved overall water movement and am currently using long full strength pulse mode with my Echo's.

 

[Anonymous]

My problem with the vortech has been power supplys burning out and more often the plate the impeller spins on wearing through causing the impeller to stop spinning. It a $10 part but a PITA they keep wearing out.

This is exactly why I bought Tunze. Much as there are no doubt 99 users like Rich who have no problems at all for every user that has some problem like yours, small or major, my impression is that there are fewer Tunze users who have problems, as a percentage (though there are some) and reliability is a big issue for me, ordering from overseas.