Vortech Propeller Pump

[paulthomas]

Other than they're extremely expensive, any other thoughts? At up to 3,000 gph, I'd need just one for a 58. Damn, that would blow all the corals into oblivian. Plus they're inconspicuous and everything else you read about them.

TIA,
Paul

 

[paulthomas]

Also, when you add the cost of a Tunze 6000 and a magnet holder it comes to about $300. Throw another $45 at it and you've got the cost of a Vortech. Am I trying to convince myself that it's a good investment or what?

 

[Casino]

Thats too much flow for a 58. You are better off with 2 6025's. You wont be able to keep corals from ripping from the rocks with a vortec.

 

[Marc]

You can set the flow on the VorTech from 100gph to 3200gph. So later as you upgrade tanks, you can transfer it to the next tank. Plus, with the battery back up your tank will have flow for 24 hours in an emergency.

I love that it is small, is not in the tank, and doesn't add heat.

 

[paulthomas]

Perfectly said Marc. I think I'm gonna get one.

From my basement to the tank upstairs I'm looking at roughly 9' of head pressure. I want to get an Iwaki RLT pump, either the 40 or 55. I can scale the pump down with a valve for now, but have the option to provide good flow to a larger tank in the future. I explained all this to my wife, who nodded her head the whole time. Funny how women humor us. She looked a little concerned though and said to get a larger tank now and skip on the smaller one. But I keep telling myself it's a good idea to start small and go larger if need be. What if I find the 58 is more than enough for me to handle? I can't beleive I'm thinking that. Anyway, I can add another powerhead and recycle a lot of the other stuff if I do move up.

 

[naturebatslast]

IMO, save your money and get a maxi mod or 2 for 100. Wait until the Vortec gets the bugs worked out and the price comes down, 300 bucks for a powerhead is just insane- you could buy a nice tank for 300.

 

[paulthomas]

How new are they to the market? Do you know what issues there are with the Vortechs?

 

[Marc]

They sent out the Beta models back in Dec - Feb a year ago. I've got one of the January models and have been using it for 11 months.

Any bugs seem to have been resolved and the new ones are ready to work as expected. Anyone that seems to have had any problems were quickly resolved by the guys at EcoTech in mere days.

I like that they don't get clogged with food like the Tunzes can. They are easy to reposition since they are held in place via magnet. I'm about to buy a second one for my reef.

Now talking about tank size - 58 sounds small to me, but I did have a 29g for 7 years. I had a 55g for two years, and now my 280g for over 2 years. If you really plan on doing a set up from basement to living area, I'd get a larger tank. A 4 x 2 x 2 (120g) is a really nice size, and the VorTech will fit on it perfectly.

 

[Bobbofin]

Why would you want a basement sump for only a 58 gallon tank? Why would you want the killer electricity bill for a pump to push water upstairs for only a 58 gallon tank? Wouldn't all the equipment easily fit underneath?

 

[paulthomas]

Bob, I'm a glutton for punishment. It would fit underneath, but moisture might be an issue in my living room, plus it gets cramped with all that stuff in the stand.

 

[rjdudek]

I have one of the Ecotech pumps, no bugs. Has worked without a single glitch every day for 6 months. Starts and stops from a wave maker every time. They are expensive, but if you are looking for the top of the line these are it.