It's pretty much a given that a motor on the outside of your tank is going to be more audible than a fully submerged unit. If the sound is a concern, go overkill and get an MP40 for your 3 foot tank, the footprint is not that much bigger than an MP10 and you'll be able to run it at a lower speed, minimizing the sound of the dry side. Creating a wave with them is the mode in which you're going to hear them the most, since they ramp up from idle to 100% in short pulses. Or stay with your Tunzes.
I have two MP40W ES running on my 77 gal and I use the EcoSmart TSM (Tidal Swell Mode) with the speed setting up to about 85%. This is similar to the Reefcrest & Lagoon random flow modes available before the ES drivers were introduced. Ideally this mode is used with 3 pumps, one on each end & one at the back, but it works quite well with two on a narrower tank such as mine. In this mode the pump speeds vary over a period of several hours, so at times the sound level is higher and when the speed lowers, so does the sound. I don't have a problem with the sound my VorTechs make, my surround sound system has no problem masking them, but clearly they're not for people wanting to keep an ultra quiet tank. Not sure why someone would void a warranty and risk destroying an expensive dry side in an attempt to lower the sound a few decibels by changing the bearings on their own. Like any other component with moving parts, they are subject to wear and will at some point require service or replacement. This is actually where the VorTech wet side has an advantage IMO, since the wear items are inexpensive and easily user replaced. Dry side is best left alone and sent back for repair. How many other pumps or powerheads out there include internal sensors which will shut the pump down if it overheats? Not that that's a common occurence, but features like this do not come cheap and could easily prevent more serious consequences. My two VorTechs have been running without issue for more than two years.
From time to time, when the mood strikes me, I switch from TSM mode to NTM (Nutrient Transport Mode). Two presses of the Mode button, and away we go in short pulse mode on both pumps with the accompanying rise in sound levels. This creates the wave action sought after by some hobbyists and it works as advertised, pulling all kinds of gunk from the bottom & out of the rocks. After about an hour or so of that, Mode button twice and it's back to TSM mode, less sound and more of a random, chaotic flow pattern. Every year for the past three, I've managed to pick up a used VorTech someone was selling. The first one I purchased new. Spread out the cost and I now have two spares & flexibility for future tank upgrade. Works for me.
|