Are Ecotech Marine Powerheads worth it?

Discussion in 'Filters, Pumps, etc..' started by mattb57, Sep 12, 2012.

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  1. Powerman

    Powerman Giant Squid

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    Getting your flow from a return pump is a very very costly way to move water in the tank. The only thing you want a return pump for is to supply what ever equipment is in the sump. That is it. You look at what is needed, skimmer, fuge, media reactors... supply them with water, return it to the tank. It is irrelevant at the end of the day what "X" what flow that is.... it just so happens that it is generally 4-6 times display tank per hour... 1000 gph like was said. Anything more than that is a waste of space, money, power, and heat.

    Closed loops are better because they don't have to lift the water... but they still have lots of restriction to flow, much more complicated, and still use more power and add more heat. Not that it might not be a good solution for a given system or your preferences, but those are the drawbacks.

    Powerheads are the best way to move water in the tank. NO, they most certainly are not all created equally, and YES... flow is the most important factor to a reef tank.... flow is the lungs of the reef... it supplies nutrients and oxygen, and removes waste and CO2. Any idiot can hang a light over a tank and dump a skimmer in a sump, but flow takes some serious thought.

    If you are upgrading in the future, costs can be seriously cut... all you have to do is join your local reef club, and wait for all the great setup put up for sale. Equipment is easy to come by. Tanks too. You can collect live rock... no it won't be live, but it will be a fraction of the cost. It will become live as soon as you cycle your tank. You have plenty of time to save money and acquire the setup you want. A return pump is the least of your worries. Plan to spend some money to get the flow you want.

    And yes... Ecotechs are the best. Tunze is very good quality too, but the wireless and control features the Vortech has with the ability to control them with a Apex is second to none. There is no other setup that can do what that will do... buy used, save money, get the best.
     
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  3. brunoboarder244

    brunoboarder244 Torch Coral

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    surf craigslist and local forums.....my local forum sells used vortech in its for sale section all the time....mp10wes go for like $200-225 used, mp40wes $350-$400, ive onnly seen 60s a couple of times and i think they were somewhere around $575-$600.....it might be cheaper to maybe go over on manhattan reefs(my local) and buy what you need and get it shipped
     
  4. mattb57

    mattb57 Banned

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    Like I said before I'm not really thinking of the return yet. I am thinking 2 mp40's with regular powerheads to fill in the dead spots.
     
  5. LoJack

    LoJack Sea Dragon

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    I agree with everything you said to a tee, except for whats above. I agree that using a return pump strictly for flow isn't as efficient as a powerhead, especially a vortech ... but getting a pump like the dart is in no way a waste of money. especially in a 210 Gallon tank.

    Like I said I use one on my tank, and it works great. Reeflo also makes some of the most reliable, quiet, and lowests energy draw pumps ... and for cheaper than everyone else.

    Iwaki 1500GPH external pump/ 336 watts / $359

    Panworld 1500GPH external pump/ 390 watts / $319

    Dart/Snapper/ 4300/2600GPH/ 94/165 watts / $314

    The Dart pushes more water, more quietly, drawing less power, and costing less money than two other top end pumps. And I can speak on behalf of their customer service as well, its phenomenal. Not to mention right in America with no outsourced call center lol. And being external, and the whole body around the motor being a heat sink, I would think that the amount of heat added to the tank is minimal. I of course don't have a stat to back that up, its just an assumption based on the power draw of the motor.

    And when you have the GPH to support it, you can add a manifold to your return, allowing you to run reactors, and filter socks off of your return pump, which reduces the added heat and clutter you would normally get from running each on their own pump.

    I truly believe that in the end ... a return pump like the Dart, saves you money, heat, and space if its utilized properly.
     
  6. mattb57

    mattb57 Banned

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    Heat will be my biggest thing to overcome so anything that helps with heat will be worth it in the end. If I can avoid a chiller that will help because not only are they expensive to buy, but they are also very expensive to run.
     
  7. LoJack

    LoJack Sea Dragon

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    Then you'll definitely want to go with an external pump. Whichever brand or GPH you decide ... external will provide an advantage if heat is going to be your enemy.

    External pumps dissipate most of their heat to the air as opposed to the submersible pumps which dissipate their heat directly into your sump.
     
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  9. mattb57

    mattb57 Banned

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    My parents are sensitive to the thermostat below 75f. and at that temp( they think it's cold ::) ) we have had problems in the room our current 55gal is in and there is only sunlight for an hour in the afternoon. We are running metal halides though.....
     
  10. Vinnyboombatz

    Vinnyboombatz Giant Squid

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    While your Dart may be more efficient then other return pumps it is nowhere near as efficient as PH's. The point is the excess flow you have running through the sump is pointless and over the long run will cost you more money in electricity and added heat to the system. PM already said it perfectly. Figure out what equipment you need to run Skimmer,Reactors,refugium then purchase that sized return pump anything more is just a waste.
     
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  11. Powerman

    Powerman Giant Squid

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    That is false. The majority of external pumps are not air cooled. Sitting out in air does not mean air cooled. The working fluid still cools the pump internally and will take the vast majority of the heat transferring it to the tank.

    As far as what you said above, getting the proper pump for the application is always the best way to use the least power for moving the water you need moved. Moving water is what uses power and having a manifold may or may not provide what you need. The dart does not move it for free. There is a reason those other pumps use more power.

    However, moving twice the water you need to move is useless and cost more in every way. That was my point.

    Heat management is a whole other discussion and your setup in your area with you individual inputs and sink is what is going to determine your need. Bottom line is that it is always best to try to use the least amount of power as possible to reduce running cots. And power use can be a significant operating cost with a large tank.

    However, once everything is said and done, using an air cooled external pump and then using a heater does not save power, it wastes it. Conversely, having high heat input pumps them running another one to run a chiller... that is a huge waste.
     
  12. LoJack

    LoJack Sea Dragon

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    Absolutely I agree


    I don't understand this logic though. I'm not trying to take a shot at anyone by any means, I just am trying to figure out why more water automatically means less efficient.

    Pump A - 2600 Gallons per hour, while only using 94 watts to pump it

    Pump B - 1500 Gallons per hour, while using up 390 watts to pump it

    Why will it cost you more money in electricity in the long run? I understand that the added flow might not be necessary, but what can it hurt? If it does the job, for less energy, and typically less energy draw means less heat produced why would you consider it pointless?

    I'm not trying to disprove anyone, I just have two experienced reefers that are seeing this differently than I am ... and I still can't see the hole in my logic