Vortec pumps.

[omarshabaz]

Does anyone use the Ecotech Marine Vortech pumps and what do you think of them. Are they worth the money. I have been considering purchasing two MP40.

[Hookup]

I have used them.  I have a youtube video somewhere of them making waves in my 90gallon corner unit.

They are very cool and have a lot of benefits.  Most of their marketing, in fact I would argue all of it, is pretty accurate.  The price is always the debate.  If money isn't a concern for this purchase, then they are quite good, and do provide something extra for your corals & fish. 

My favorite feature was the random flow patters that could be created, that were "truly random", well as close as can be achieved, but that's more chaos theory than piratical application.

I also enjoyed the minimal foot-print that they have in the tank.  After all I enjoy the "living stuff" more than the "stuff that keeps it alive"... looking at less pump in the tank is better, for me.

All-in-all a positive experience. 

I know of one tank that includes two MP20's and a closed loop system.  The CL provides nice laminar flow, and the MP20's fill in the blank-spots with some nice random flow.  It's one of the nicest flow-designs that I've seen.

[JD]

I have MP40W, and Tunze 6060 in service currently. Are any internal aquarium pumps WORTH $500, no, not a chance.
In my opinion, Vortech's major competition is Tunze.
Pro and cons...
Vortech pros: Small footprint in the aquarium, no cords/motors in the water, minimal heat transfer to the water, more broad flow pattern for "softer flow", easier to clean(wetside only)
Vortech cons: Noise, non adjustable(aimable), inexpensive wear parts once a year, proper alignment can be tricky, too expensive.

Tunze pros: New shock absorber mount for noise isolation, the ability to aim the pump, they seem to need less maintenance.
Tunze cons: Water flow is very concentrated(tends to blow substrate around easily), electrical cords/motors in the water, larger footprint inside the aquarium, additional heat load on the system, some of their pumps don't come with a controller(seperate purchase), too expensive.

Both pumps are excellant, both have good and bad points. My largest tank is 220g with 4 MP40's, I think if I replaced the 4 MP40's with Tunze 6105's I would have a lot less space for other stuff. If I had a peninsula style tank and had to pump water length wise I would rather have the Tunze's.

I think either are an excellant choice depending on your needs. Too bad we need to give up our first male born to get them.

[lost_at_sea]

I run an mp40 in my 90g and it does a great job with the new wave modes, get hte ES version for sure. 

I will say I was quite shocked at the noise from the mp40, in a small condo it was very loud especially since it wasn't just white noise that you can mentally drown out, it was constant LOUD....soft..... LOUD.... soft etc (used to create the waves)... that being said I did create a muffler (cardboard box with a town inside it) that I put over the dry side and it's now whisper quiet.

With respect to flow it's absolutely incredible, there isn't a dead spot in my tank and everything seems to love it.

with respect to price, definitely expensive so I waited till one came up second hand and I upgraded it to the MP40 wES for an extra 100... all told it was 400 (no tax)

I also loved the battery backup, look at the other thread of the entire tank loss due to power outage, this was a no brainer for me again... what's an extra $200 for a 3000+ tank which still retains it's resale value...

my 2 cents.