Vortech vs Tunze

[ed99]

Folks,

Despite all the good advice I had about closed loop systems, space and access to the tank has pushed me to use powerheads in my tank instead. So now I'm thinking of using a couple of Vortechs or Tunzes (6100s) on a controller.

While it looks like people haved had good experience with both, I like the idea of the Vortech because the motor is outside of the water. However my tank has two viewing sides (pic below) and therefore I want to put the second pump on the back pane. Does anybody have any comments on how that would work with Vortechs (i.e would it limit its ability to generate waves and create chaotic flow), or am I better off using a Tunze because of its swivel capability.

Appreciate any comments.

Ed

[GMGQ]

I cant comment about the powerheads, but that's an AWESOME setup you have! That's what I intend to do down the road, an in-wall system with a fish room behind it. Nice, clean, and professional.

I cant wait to see it stocked up!

[Psyire]

I run 2x 6100s and I won't consider giving them up until the vortech's are 100% controllable.

[Joe Reefer]

TUNZE! TUNZE! TUNZE!

I am with Psyire.

[i2ik]

I will be starting my system really soon and i will be going for the vortech since its only a matter of time before the controller get out. I wont have to sell the Tunze and get the vortech, no money lost.

For your system, I would go with a vortech on one side, on the other side, it will be a wavy sea with a tunze connected to it, you will get a crazy flow and no dead spot. problem is you will probably need something to control both of them. If you are going to considered bying a controller, i would suggest the prolifux controller which can control one tunze on it, the pro with 2 tunze and no need for a multicontroller 7095. Having the vortech, which is cool to get would be the battery back up which is IMO one BIG advantage of vortech and i read that the flow is better with the vortech than the Tunze.

[niloc16]

i currently use both, i would not use the vortech if you are planning on placing it on your back wall and facing to the front, only because it is a powerful pump and you would have to turn it way down so when it hit your front pane it would not blow the sand everywhere, looking at your tank why not use 2 vortechs and place them on the end that is behind the wall and have them go straight across the across, end to end, then use a couple 6100's on wavyseas and i promise you that you will love the setup. or just go with all tunze and wavy seas. with the size tank you have 3 or 4 6100's on wavyseas in each corner would give you amazing random flow. i'm definitely not a supporter of CL's anymore. i have some pictures on how to mount tunzes to wavyseas if you would like

[Jaws]

I've got a couple vortechs and a third one on the way. I have to say I love the powerhead but am concerned about a few other things. The Tunzes are kind of an all in one application where they come with a controller, you can angle the flow, etc. The only thing they don't have is a battery backup which i'm sure isn't far away. The problem I have with the vortech is the accessorizing you have to do. The pumps are great but if you want a battery backup then it's $200 to run one pump. If you try running two pumps off of it then I think you'll only get around 18 hours out of it. $200 is a rediculous amount of money to spend on a battery backup that only runs one pump. Correct me if I'm wrong but as far as I know, you need the battery backups in order to run the controller too. The controller is going to cost at least a few hundred dollars as well I would imagine. I've heard they're coming out with internal housing that can angle the flow better too but that's going to come at an extra cost as well. So lets say you wanted to run 4 vortechs with 4 battery backups and one controller, and lets say the controller is around $400. That's minimum $400 for each vortech, $200 for each battery backup, and $400 for the controller. That's $2800 plus tax. Now don't get me wrong, I see the advantage in the Vortech and I love mine but that's an insane amount of money to do the job that two Tunze waveboxes can do for less than half the price. I'm going to stick with the vortechs and eventually head down the contoller road but I'll tell you that I'm going to be a lot more critical of these devices if I'm going to spend that kind of money on them and I can tell you that I have to send two of mine back because of internal knocking, the housing inside the tank continuously rotating, and the external motor and internal housing not lining up properly and causing problems. I don't feel like I've got my money's worth yet.

[ed99]

Thanks for the replies- looks like the vote was 50/50! It does give me some more information to make a decision. I don't have any substrate in the tank so flying sand shouldn't be a problem, however I'm probably wasting flow by sending it directly along the short axis of the tank.

I'm considering a Profilux type controller, but for the cost I may not use enough of the features to make it worthwhile. Having said that, having a Vortech on one end and a Tunze on the other may get the best out of each pump as long as I can control them both. I see that it can control Tunzes at multiple flow rates, can it do the same with Vortechs?

[Dave C]

Is the side of the tank that's inside the wall accessible? If not where would you hang a Vortech? I keep reading about how nice it is that the motor sits outside the tank but my tank is 3 sides viewing and I wouldn't want to see a motor with wires hanging on the side of my tank. I have four Tunze 6100s and two Tunze nano 6025s and I love them. The angling ability of the Tunzes is a necessity in my opinion, not merely an enhancement. I've got the 6100s on a 7095 controller and it's a set & forget thing. Very nice. And for backup I spent under $300 for an inverter/deep cycle battery/recharger that will power the return pumps on both of my tanks for longer then any power failure that I've ever experienced. Another benefit of Tunzes is that they have a long, long proven track record with thousands of users.

[niloc16]

as of now there is no way to control the vortechs for different flow rates other than manual adjustment. the motor being on the outside of the tank is only nice if it is not on a viewing pane of the tank. both mine are at the one end that is not viewed through. alot of good points and input on this thread, it boils down to what toys you want to play with and what type of gadgets you want to use i guess. for control the tunzes win hands down until they come out with the controls for the vortech. in my opinion the vortechs should not have been released until the additional controllers were available such as the wave controller and what not. they also claim they have a main controller that will wirelessly run 10 pumps but has anyone seen them?