Tunze or Vortech opinions please

[pmoneyt]

looking to get a controllable powerhead either a Vortech or a
Tunze with about the same output. Besides price what are some of the pro's and con's of both units.

 

[Euroreefer]

Vortech is my vote. The mode settings are nice..the adjustability of the power output is nice. Feed mode, and night mode iarenice. Some will say, "the ocean doesnt have modes/ settings":irked:, but its still a nice option to have.

 

[NYreefNoob]

tunze only because of being able to aim it

 

[Euroreefer]

The thing about the vortech is that you dont need to aim it anywhere...the whole column of water gets motion so there are no dead spots..

 

[pmoneyt]

euro i have a 120 i dont know if i wont have dead stops

 

[ecvernon]

both are great pumps...
2 vortechs on a 120 gallon will create enough flow as long you do not have rocks touching the glass
but vortech has a battery back up option which is great..
but sometimes fails for a couple of reasons. (they have excellent customer service. very fast)

tunze is great also but have to be on top of your impeller maintenance because of calcium buildup

its a matter of preference. both will get the job done

 

[Pinkheine]

I have no experience other than with the Vortech. We have one on our 120g. I have also worked with their customer service on two occasions and was very pleased with the outcome and response time.

For what it's worth I think the product itself and customer service is well worth the extra money intially.

 

[nyc reefer]

Vortech Vs. Tunze

I love my Vortec pump its the MP40w second generation, love the flow and the presets are great way to mix it up. I use the built in feed mode, the nite mode and usually the lagoon and crest modes during the day. I haven't used a tunze but love my Vortec too much to trade. I've been using it for aprox. 5 months.

 

[emmanuel]

+1 ^ I've been using it around 6-8 months love it

 

[dacaptain78]

I have two Tunze Stream 6101's on a 7095 multi controller and love them. They are absolutely silent and really move the water around. The only down side I find is their size.

Either way, as others have said, they are both great products. Which ever pump you decide on you will be satisfied.

 

[Bob 1000]

My opinion, is a bigger return pump so no powerheads are needed..

 

[Josh]

Some will say, "the ocean doesnt have modes/ settings":irked:, but its still a nice option to have.

I'm not sure what that means, flows can change dramatically on the reef in just an hour or so. Also, you are putting corals in positions that they wouldn't have chosen themselves so the ability to randomize the flow allows just about everyone to get a period of flow to their liking.

 

[Josh]

My opinion, is a bigger return pump so no powerheads are needed..

True, but you probably want some sort of redundancy, if you lose the return pump during the day at least the powerhead is still running in the main tank.

Also, if you had a powerhead in the sump, if you lost the return you could just fix it and there shouldn't be too much of a problem with water losing oxygen and gas exchange.

 

[D1J8Z]

My opinion, is a bigger return pump so no powerheads are needed..

I disagree, your drains can only handle so much and most people want more flow than just the return can offer(when I say most I mean me and other SPS keepers), not to mention different angels and speeds which some powerheads can offer. Also as Josh said in the case your return pump goes out at least you have powerheads moving water.

 

[pmoneyt]

right now i have 3 moded tunze 6045's and i find i still have low flow areas. Maybe i need to redo my rock work for more flow, but i was planning on setting it up low to mid tank level.

 

[tangmaniac]

i love my vortech mp40 gen2, i use it as short pulse mode, and there is no dead spots in my tank, and costumer service is great.

 

[Ink]

Here in Italy, all my friends who has a vortech (4 persons) in six months have all changed at least the dry side or the controller or both... Good pump, grat flow, but it has too many problems IMHO. My modded tunze 6000, have the same large flow and never had a problem in many years...

 

[jhart]

Tunze 100% IMO
vortex wins my vote for sleekness and wireless .. But more people I know have had to return there vortex to get repaired..
Reliablity is key here so I go with Tunze, plus I dont like the modes vortex has compare to tunze .. Surge mode is great with the tunze and tunze seems to have a hell of alot more pressure..its just bulky and plain ugly ..

 

[Sumbub]

Vortechs are great for their size and power. They also have a undertow when it's running that is unparalleled. I will admit, they do need a fix every now and again. My MP40W circuit board burned in less than 7 months of usage. They were fast about fixing it so it made up for it. During the one week i was without it. I noticed tissue recession on some of the SPS that I was keeping in the tank when I was running a emergency powerhead. Ever since I received the Vortech back, most of the tissue has returned. I have no experience with Tunzes, but I've heard nothing but good reviews. Only problems I heard was bulkiness and ugliness. :tongue1:

 

[krak256]

i used to use koralias in my solana and then switch over to the vortech. im using it on the reef crest mode and have seen great polyp extension. I would definitely recommend it for the power, random flows, heat reduction, and less clutter in the tank.