Time to get some better powerheads
 

My Koralia Magnum 8 is causing sandstorms and stressing my tank. It's time to get some organized flow.

What are the best options for a 180gal display?

I'm looking at:

$$$$$$$$ Tunze 7095 and 2 x 6055
$$$$$$ Tunze wavebox
$$$$$$ 2 x Tunze nano waveboxes
$$$$ Vortech MP40

Would also consider controllable koralias or seio controller.

I'm very partial to my Vortechs. I have 2xMP40W in my 90, more than I need but I love all the options I have with them. I keep mine on anti-synch reef crest random mode to really switch things up. I ran Koralias before I purchased the Vortechs and could never dream of going back. Alas, I have 0 experience with Tunze so I could not give an opinion on them.

I bet that's a sweet setup! 2 x mp40s...I don't think I'm allowed to spend $$$$$$$$$$ tho.

Anyone use the Koralia controller and two powerheads for $$$?

Aquadic Addictions has 1 tunze nano wave box along with a few other pumps but that one wave box makes a great wave in there 250Gal display

Really!? I guess if you can dial in the one nano wavebox, you could get a decent wave.

Maybe I'll try one nano, dial it properly and see how it goes...I can always buy another.

If you go with the wavebox use the full size unit, I ran one on my 180 and could get a 2"+ wave going no problem.

Do you need supplemental flow for the corals as well, or is the wavebox good enough?

tunze 7095 and 2x 6055 is such a good set up. i love mine. was able to adjust my flow and i am only running 60% on a 4' tank

you won't be disappointed

No. The wavebox is only meant for supplemental flow. Tunze will tell you that themselves.

I've had 4 Tunze 6055's since they came out.and a couple 6045. I've went through sheared impellers x 2, broken clips going into magnet x 4, broken holding brace x 4, And now I'm waiting for a power modual thingy. O ya another one just stopped working the other day went to pull it and holding brace broke and it was one of the new one's said to be upgraded stronger version. I have to say Mr. Tunze has warrantied them. But He is the slowest I think he send it by donkey. Because it usually takes 2 to 3 months to get parts back I've had to buy replacements and rotate as needed. I am ****ed and am ready to pull the hole set up and buy some Vortec.

digital,where did you place each vortech?

I know all about slow Mr Tunze...I've been waiting for the right osmolator part for 6 months now. It took 3 months for him to send the wrong part.

This has been my experience with Tunze as well. I had repeated episodes of broken motor blocks and broken brackets on multiple pumps. The last straw was several months ago I was pulling out the magnet holder for a pump only to find that the seal to the magnet had obviously failed and the magnet had swelled more than 1/2" due to rusting incredibly! I'm so sick of sending things back to Tunze I've just given up and won't buy another Tunze product.

And when you guys are referring to "Mr. Tunze" I'm assuming you're dealing with Phil at Xenia (the Canadian distributor for Tunze)?

Well I have have the tunze and the Maxi flow and the koralia, and now I have the MP40W.
I love them the tunzes were great but to bulky in my tank I didnt liek the eye soar of looking at them, and along with broken shafts too. The vortechs are amazing with all the anti sync odes you get, waves low tides, wirless well the only thing is the price per one. But hey if you look at some of our setupsand how much we have invested in them. well that is all i can say.

thanks to digital-audiophile talking to me about them and some others i went and bought them......

couldnt be happier
Josh I have mine at each end of my 60" tank and i can get a 3" wave in mine. and another thing, i can set each mode and then if I need to unplug them and after plugging them in the PH keeps the setting in them too.

I think I may have to try the MP40.
thanks for all the tips :)

I have to say that I've had a tunze 6000 (that's over 5 years old), 6100, 6055, osmolator and wavebox and I've never had an issue.

It's too bad that we have to deal with xenia in Canada rather than Roger Vitko in the US who is #1 in customer service.

I deal with Roger myself. Never been a problem and he sends stuff back to me quite fast.

I tried to get Roger to help me first, but he just referred me to xenia.

I have them on the back wall on either side of my centre overflow. They are about 3 inches dwon from the water surface.

He has always helped me...last time was for a new impeller for my wavebox pump a month or so ago. Shipping to him kind of sucks though.

OKay, well I'll send Roger another email.

+1 for the mp40w Vortechs! had them a month now really, really, liking them. Awesome customer service, called direct and somebody actually picked up the phone! Not an answering machine like most company's these days.

My experience with Mr. Tunze dates back many years. The entire experience has been negative. Paying top dollar for a second rate product is just the beginning of the nightmare. I switched to Vortech a couple years ago, and would never go back. I would buy a Koralia before a Tunze any day. I'm running 2 WMP 40's with battery backups. The battery backup option is worth it alone IMO.

My experience over the past 6 years or more with them couldn't be any different. They haven't been a leader in the industry for so long for no reason. Eco Marine also has incredible service and products of course but what your saying about Tunze isn't really fair. Well maybe for you it is but for a majority of users, its not true at all.

The difference, it seems, is between the Canadian and USA versions of "Tunze". If you go look on Tunze forum ReefCentral, Tunze receives accolades ad nauseum. Roger Vitko, who runs Tunze USA is the best of the best in customer service. The whole broken clip fiasco with the first run 6025 and 6045 nano-streams was dealt with in the best way possible by Roger. Clip after clip after clip was promptly (i.e. immediately) sent out for free by Roger until the second (fixed) run was available. Icecap/Ecotech dealt with the bad batch (buzzy, overheating) of first run Vortechs the same way.

Unfortunately, the company which has the distribution rights for Tunze in Canada, Xenia, appears to have a poorer track record for customer service. When you ask Roger in RC he is reluctant, understandbly, to deal with Canadian warranty issues. It almost seems worth it to order Tunze stuff from the US just so you can deal with Roger instead of Xenia (although I've never had an issue with Tunze stuff - knock on wood). But in terms of asking for information ALWAYS ask Roger on RC instead of Tunze in Canada or Germany - you'll get a response usually in one day.

I guess I have had great experiences then since I have always dealt with Roger and he has never questioned the 'Canadian' thing with me. Or been reluctant. I didn't even know there was a Canadian distributor. I have dealt with him when I lived in Miami too and got the same service.