Tunze vrs. Vortec?

We are looking to upgrade our powerheads, curently have mj 600,900,and 1200 all modded. Want input on which is better tunze 6105s or vortec mp40s? Did a little research and found prices are comparable. Any input would be helpful. Thanks in advance.


Chuck and Millissa

 

the MP 40s look a lot more streamline to me Blumoon reefers -take up less valuable tank space
I have used Tunze Turbelles and was always happy with the performance
but I do like the look of those MP40s to be honest

Steve

 

Never had anything to say bad about Tunze.

 

I've got a pair of 6105's at my house if you would like to come see them in action. Joe is a Tunze distributor so that would give you some good access in the unlikely event that you ever needed service. Unfortunately it doesn't look like anyone ever discounts the Tunze's from retail.

I don't have any firsthand experience with the MP 40s. I considered them when I started looking at powerheads but because of the thickeness of my tank, they were not an option for me. There are certainly plenty of folks that love them but I have heard of a few minor downsides. Apparently a few folks have complained about the noise level from MP 40's. I have no idea how loud they really are but you might want to find someone in RRC who's running them and try to hear for yourself. I can tell you that the 6105 is silent. For MP 40's the motor is hanging on the outside of the tank so there is potential splash risk. I'm told that their warranty specifically disclaims water damage. This would be worth confirming. The 6105 's have pretty much limitless ability to adjust their direction of flow within the tank. As far as I can tell, the MP 40's shoot straight out from the glass, although it appears to be a nice wide stream.

If you like, you can pick up an MP 40 and bring it by my place and we can put it in the 40 or the 30 and compare in side-by-side with the Tunzes.

 

Both have a max energy consumption of 28 watts but the vortech could help with heat issues with the motor being on the outside. I have 2 mp40s on my 240 but it's not up and running yet so I can't give my opinion on them but most everyone that has them love them. They do have a "cleaner" look to them,at first I was going to set both of the mp40s up on one side of the tank(the one closest to the wall) for looks but after getting them and trying one on each side I decided to leave them like that because they are not really that noticable so I was happy with that aspect of them.

 

The one downfall i see with the vortechs is that you cannot aim the direction of flow (as far as I know). Other than that they both seem like a good purchase.

 

The vortechs can go through 3/4" of glass with their magnets. The tunzes can be mounted on thicker glass with their mega magnets.. One downfall to the vortechs is that they all hum and vibrate to an extent. While the tunzes might be a little more "clunky" in the tank, they are always much quieter, if not silent compared to vortechs. While they both have pros and cons, you have to weigh your options.

 

Ive used about 10 vortechs and 20 tunzes almost every model out there. In my 250 i have 2 6105s, and 3 6055's amd a vortech mp40w. In my opinion id use a combination, that usually what ive done on every tank ive ever set up or owned. U cant go wrong with either

Dennis

 

I mostly agree with everything said here, it really is a personal decision. I believe both are good solutions with pros and cons.

Tunze is quieter due to the entire thing being in the tank, lots of people don't mind the noise of the Vortechs though and it really varies with how loud the rest of the tank is and how loud the room is, it's totally a personal preference.

Tunze has a larger in-tank presence and you have cords in the tank. Some people don't mind and it really depends on the size of the tank, on larger tanks (like 180+ IMO) the powerheads are not as obtrusive and look more in scale with the tank. The Vortech's in-tank signature is about the best you could ask for, they are so unobtrusive and are really great for smaller/medium sized tanks because of this.

Vortechs don't add any heat or any electricity leaking risk, of course this is relatively small even with the Tunzes but it's something to consider, I think.

Tunze flow is not quite as broad as Vortechs (the Vortechs are so broad you really don't need to direct them). I think this makes them more suitable for longer tanks though, but I think a Vortech MP40 can pretty comfortably hit 3-4ft though depending on the rockwork etc.

The wave modes and wireless synching options on the Vortechs are really nice, I haven't spent a lot of time playing with the Tunzes, and I haven't even seen the new Tunze 7096 controller's options so maybe they are back on even ground but I like the Vortechs wave/flow pattern modes better than what was available from Tunze previously. This of course is pretty much up to personal preference.

One thing to keep in mind with Vortechs is that there is a break-in period that can be a hassle as the wet side for me occasionally would spin off. I would not use them directly over any coral without first securing the wet side to the canopy or something so if the two sides do separate you don't have the wet side come crashing down on anything in the tank.

I also believe that the warranty does not cover water damage to the dry side, at least last I read, this will be more or less of an issue depending on how your setup is and how likely it is to get wet. Also, it's not like it's an exposed circuit board that's going to fry from the first drop that hits it, it seems pretty well made and relatively water-resistant but I'm sure if you mistreat it you could cause some damage.

Another thing I really like about the Vortechs is how easy they are to clean, you don't have to unplug the entire thing and undo all of your wires etc, you just turn it off and take the wet side out. No fuss.

Anyways, hope that helps!

 

Nice summary, screwtape. K+.