Cali Kid Corals

2 mp40 or 1 mp60??

Depends what you're going to do with them, limitations on where to put them, etc. Ideally I'd say 1 mp40 on either side would be perfect.. but if you have a peninsula look, or you want really strong flow on one side, the an mp60. Also when you need to take down your vortechs for repair/maintenance (and you will) having the other one still running to have flow would be good.

Note: I have no practical experience with the Mp60, just the mp40s
 
I have a 4x2x2 and plan on using one MP60. I've seen a tank set-up with just one and it had plenty of flow.
 
My preference would be 2 x MP40.
Two smaller jets of current should be gentler than a single larger one.
More random currents if you place them at opposite ends, facing each other.
Or, you can even set up a gyre by placing at each end, but offset front/back, for even more flow.
 
I have 2 mp60s, 2 mp40s and 2 mp10s. I've tried them all and I would use 2 mp40s on your tank like I said above.
 
iani said:
I have 2 mp60s, 2 mp40s and 2 mp10s. I've tried them all and I would use 2 mp40s on your tank like I said above.
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These posts always crack me up.

Aquascaping changes a tank drastically, and how ones sets up a tank depends on what they want to keep. So many factors... and more opinions.

I have a very open scape, not much rock at all. For my tank, the MP60 is perfect. Will it be once the tanks fills in? Probably not. But two MP40s is ugly. See, another opinion :lol:

I hate random flow patterns, no better way to kill the gyre I always try to achieve. After years of fussing with random and the problems it creates, gyre is my only way from here out.
 
JAR said:
There is a good reason to use two Mp40's.
If one stops working you still have 1. ;)
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For whom, me? I own a half dozen Tunzes I could slap in at any time. I'm looking for less pumps, not more.
 
melly mel said:
About to purchase my vortechs this weekend....should I go with 2 mp40 or 1 mp60 for my 48x24x20 100 gallon?
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Depends on your 'scape. If you think the tank is going to be tight, go with the 2. If its going to be open go with the one. I am a big fan of being to switch the direction of the gyre in a system for a million reasons, so I would go with the 2 even if it was open 'scaped.
 
Lots of valid points on going with one 60 or 2 40's. I originaly planned on the 2 40's but was thinking maybe if i use 1 60, I can keep the right side pump free to have a clean looking viewing pane since the left side is kind of close to a wall. But then again, I personaly like the idea of being able to sync or anti sync 2 pumps.

My scaping is pretty open. I plan on having SPS grow on the front and back side of the rocks so being able to stagger the pump placement and create random flow from the front and the back would be ideal. As much as i would like to do 1x60, I think it would be best if i went with 2x40 for the simple fact that these pumps do need the wet side replaced sooner or later. I'd hate to have to throw in a crappy k4 when the single 60 goes out on me.
 
I've been thinking about the same issue as you with my 4x2x2. One side is against a wall, so I want to try a 60 over there. Then again, 2 40s on that same wall might be cool? One behind ricks and one in front, or one high one low? Money for me makes the one 60 sound good, and being better for if I ever go up to a 6 foot tank. Also, I've heard they have a fan built into the 60 which sounds good to me, some of the 40s get kind if hot.
 
Something else to think about also is the type of fish you will be having in your tank. The 60s are very powerful pumps that have very large slots in the pump guard. There are many people that report loosing smaller fish to the mp60s.

The main benefit of the 60 is newer technology. The wetsides are built much better than the 40s. I don't think they will have as big of an issue in the wetsides failing as the 40s do. As Mike mentioned above the the dry side of the 60 is also vented, which allows for a cooler running pump. Cooler pump = less failures.
 
Hmmm, Mike or Ian, how hot does the motor get? Hot enough that i should be concerned since my tank is acrylic? I have no experience at all with these pumps besides looiing at them from in other peoples tank wishing i had some! :) Oh, and how often do these pumps require maintenance as far as parts needing replacement, cleaning etc? Will they be developing a newer version of the MP40 to mimic the slotted 60? Either way i know they are great pumps according to what everyone says and what i've seen.
 
They mp40 can get hot, however I've never had any issues with the mp40 on acrylic. If you go with the mp40 I would get an extra wetside to make it easier when cleaning and to have a back up in case a wetside went down. I would also keep a MP20/MP40 Wet-Side Maintenance Kit on hand. The ceramic piece in the wetside will wear down after about a year to year and a half of use. This causes the prop to wobble a bit. I would assume that next on the list for ecotech would be an updated version of the mp40 but that is just a wild guess.
 
Cool, thanks Ian. I'll make sure to purchase an extra wet side and maintenance kit. I'm glad to hear I dont have to worry about the heat from the motor affecting the acrylic. Only concern, well not really a concern but more questionable trait with these pumps is for how much they go for, you would think parts would last longer than a year or so.
 
No problem Rommel. You should check out Aquatic collection in regards to the pumps. They do sell them at a great price. Its really only one piece that normally fails in the wetside. The problem is that piece is 15 dollars (Wet Drive Shaft for MP20/40 Wet-Side) by itself. So you may as well buy the Maintenance Kit for 5 dollars more.
 
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