Are Ecotech Marine Powerheads worth it?

As do almost all manufacturers... Didn't mean to make it sound like that was an isolated practice.

 

Matt I would go with AT LEAST 2 mp40s. I have a 125g which is a tad smaller in depth and width but still a 6 foot tank. I'm running 2 mp40s and bought an mp10 for the middle-back of my tank. Not using the extra mp10 but if I were you I would look into 2 mp 60 or one mp60 and one mp40.

 

You're not going to like this response I'm guessing. The amount of circulation pumps you're going to need will be determined by your rock formation. You can have the strongest return pumps but if they are placed in the wrong place in your tank you can still have dead spots. A 210 gallon is no joke. In my opinion 4 mp 40's or 2 mp 60's are what I would recommend. Wireless of course. Dont make the mistake of buying the non-wireless modules as you'll most likely want to have them in sync with each other. A friend of mine has 2 mp40's on his 120 and they are pretty much running at 80% all the time simply to keep up with the flow requirements of his corals. If the budget doesnt allow for it go with koralias. You do get more bang for your buck. Also to control heat you can always clip on a fan to your display tank as well as your sump. If you do that you're going to have to get an auto top off to keep up with the evaporation on a daily basis. If not your salt will get very high and your other parameters will also fluctuate. But I am getting off topic. Good luck in your decision but knowing that you are buying the best off the bat willmean one less thing to upgrade to later.

 

My salty 2 cents goes against the grain here. I have a 210 also I had 3 mp40s.I sold them all.sure they move water nicely and look nice but snails always crawled into them and in doing so stopped the impeller.when the impeller stops abruptly it knocks the wetside loose and that inturn send the dry side crashing to the floor.I switched to rio polarios.I have 2 on my back glass (the full size not the new minis) my rocks hide them pretty well most people can't find them without tracing the chord to it.they're cheaper and I didn't run a chiller this year though I do have an apex to shut the halides down if the temp creeps up.my stand is tall and I could only imagine 1 of those dry sides falling from roughly 6 feet up and hitting my puppy in the head.forget the damage that it does to the pump they're just plain dangerous.

 

#1 rule in this hobby: YGWYPF = you get what you pay for. Vortech and tunze are expensive because they are the best. Vortech IMO is nicer because it has a smaller profile and a broader flow pattern.
I love my vortechs! 2 mp40, one mp10, and one old mp20 on my 120.

It depends what corals you want to keep. But +1 to this recommendation... if its softies and lps then maybe 2 mp40. If its sps then 2 mp60 and maybe an mp40

 

Ecotech includes mounts designed to hold the wire out of the way for visual aspects and to keep the dry side from falling. If yours did, it was your poor installation.

They also sell covers for the wet side and there are numerous diy solutions for snails.

 

Lots of great info. I want to try to avoid mp60s as much as possible.....or lets say the price tag $775 That price isn't Mercedes Benz, that price is Rolls Royce money. I would rather get a few nice specimen and get a cheaper powerhead....If I go with vortechs I am thinking 2 mp40s and probably 2 Koralias. I read much negativity when it comes to Tunze Powerheads. If I was to get more vortechs or mp60s I would have to get them from someone that is trying to sell off their equipment in order to get them cheaper. I don't think I want tons of live rock to allow the corals to grow so I am think roughly 1.5 pounds per gallon. I'm going Sps all the way

 

I think this is a recipe for disaster.

Invest in the equipment now ... so that the species you get thrive later.

I would normally have popped into this thread and told you that there is no way in the world vortechs were worth the money ... and then I got my first one.

I got an MP40wES slightly used on a forum for half of retail, so I pulled the trigger.

Within the week I had ordered another one at full retail online because of how great the first one was. And now that I have two communicating with eachother ... I'd never want to go with another option.

If your going with a full SPS tank ... you're going to need very good powerheads that eliminate potential deadspots.

I have a 144 Gallon with a 3600 GPH return split into 4 inlets plus 2 MP40's (40%) and 2 Tunze powerheads and I have a mixed tank. Thats perfect flow for me ... no dead spots, and not so rough that the LPS are affected negatively.

I'd have to think that with a strictly SPS tank you'd need much more flow.

 

I bought my mp40s used so I did not get these attachments plus im not sure id be able to use them on my set up anyway.that being said I got 2 brand new polarios for less then I paid for 1 mp40wes used. Sure I could mod the hell out of a $450 powerhead and it would be ok for keeping snails out but for $450 I don't want to have to do that when I can spend half of it on brand new pumps that don't require modding...why shud I buy a lambo and have to put a bigger engine in it to go faster.if were going the route of modding might aswell pick up maxijets.

Just my opinion maybe id consider them again if they were 1/4 of their current price.plus if you've ever openend them up you wouldn't be saying how great their quality is. Gons of them burn out prematurely.they do have excellent customer service but still an inconvenience especially when were talking about potentially dropping over 1350 on 3 mp40s. That money can go along way elsewhere with out the headaches.again just my opinion.

 

I do have some experience with Sps....At one point in our 55gal we had at least 10 sps colonies and we only had 2 maxijet 1200, small hang on protein skimmer, and small canister filter. They all died because of no power, but they grew very well and needed constant pruning. It won't be strictly Sps I want Lps as well. My thinking is to have the vortechs for most of the gently currents and supplement dead spots with Koralias. When I say cheaper I mean normal, not a $775 powerhead but, that doesn't mean not good.