Reef nutrition

Which pump to use with Neptune Apex controller

musclebenz

musclebenz

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I noticed in the reef journals that reefers that have the Neptune Apex Controllers are using the Vortex pump versus Neptune wave pump. I was wondering why?

  • Reliability?
  • motor is on the outside of the tank
  • or something else?
 
musclebenz said:
I noticed in the reef journals that reefers that have the Neptune Apex Controllers are using the Vortex pump versus Neptune wave pump. I was wondering why?

  • Reliability?
  • motor is on the outside of the tank
  • or something else?
Click to expand...
Vortex are so much more reliable, advanced. Effective and cleaner look.

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The neptune wav pumps are preeeetty unattractive imop, they look suspiciously like the old tunze stream pumps.

Vortech/Gyre/Nero all have a cleaner look. Apex support is a pain but doable for vortechs and gyres.
 
There are plenty of WAV users on the internet.

WAVs are very powerful (4000 gph) and have a much more focused flow pattern, a lot of users with smaller tanks have issues with it being too powerful. A smaller WAV is often a request submitted by our users.

The best place for a WAV is actually on the back wall pointed to the side panel or to the center of the tank. Wire exits over the back wall and is virtually invisible.
 
You can use whatever pump you want, only the wav will be controllable out of the box with the apex I believe, if you plug it into the energy bar you can shut it down for a feed mode, and most dc pumps come with their own controller to do whatever wavr patter you may want. Not saying the Wav cant do more, but much like lights once you set up your pumps you really dont need to fiddle with them so aiming for "apex.compatability" is not as useful as it sounds
 
sfsuphysics said:
You can use whatever pump you want, only the wav will be controllable out of the box with the apex I believe, if you plug it into the energy bar you can shut it down for a feed mode, and most dc pumps come with their own controller to do whatever wavr patter you may want. Not saying the Wav cant do more, but much like lights once you set up your pumps you really dont need to fiddle with them so aiming for "apex.compatability" is not as useful as it sounds
Click to expand...
Wav is not ready to use out of the box. Wav require apex and or apex module.
Literally all other pupmes are ready out of the box except wav:)

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The #1 reason by far: Vortex pumps have been on the market WAY longer than wav pumps.
Thus a ton more people already have a Vortex.
So I would not say that number of users says much about the pump comparison.

What I like about Vortex : Motor is effectively outside the tank.
A big deal! But pretty much the only real advantage.
Compared to other QUALITY power heads that are in the same price range:
They are not particularly efficient or quiet.
You cannot direct flow. A big minus!
They occasionally slide out of alignment.
Similar reliability.

I do not have a WAV, so no opinion there yet.
 
ofzakaria said:
Wav is not ready to use out of the box. Wav require apex and or apex module.
Literally all other pupmes are ready out of the box except wav:)

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Click to expand...

The quote was “ only the WAV is controllable by the Apex out of the box”. Not if it requires the Apex to work.

The OP’s question was what pumps to use with an Apex.

In both, the Apex is involved.

A single MP40 is currently $366.50.

A single WAV is $174.99 so yes, I would hope the MP40 is stand alone at that price difference.


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Yea sir, and what I meant also is. Literally every other pump can be controlled by apex on top of it being self controlled and stand alone. That's all.
Because its deceiving to describe the cost of wav and say it's the cheapest. Since it's not stand along. If we want to compare the cost, either we compare the wave cost to the wet side cost only of vortex or compare the cost that would take for someone to add wave without apex to the cost or vortex..that's all.
Both pumps have pros and cons. Nothing against wav.


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A more direct comparison would be to Tunze 6155 at $430
Controllable, around 4,000 GPH, good quality.

Note that a Tunze 6125 is similar flow, but not controllable, at $200
Also super quiet, and you can get a huge magnet for thick tanks.
My favorite pump. I have a few of those. I don't consider controllable all that critical.
And the 6125 seems more power efficient in GPH/Watt.

The WAV has a big advantage on cost because the power supply and controller is already paid for in the Apex.
The WAV has a big limitation in that you would only get one if you already have an Apex.
There is really no "fair" way to compare pump cost stand alone.
 
For me the biggest advantage that get overlooked is how easy it is to fix vortex. Most vulnerable part in a pump or power head is its propeller. With vortex westside is like 50$ u can change it easily. It is yet to be seen how reliable the wav with enough customer time usage and compare its maintenance fees...

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ofzakaria said:
For me the biggest advantage that get overlooked is how easy it is to fix vortex. Most venerable part in a pump is its propeller. With vortex westside is like 50$ u can change it easily. It is yet to be seen how reliable the wav with enough customer time usage and compare its maintenance fees...

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Click to expand...
I was curious, so looked.
Replacement impeller is $50 on Aquacave. Unlikely to have a different failure.

FYI: I have had a lot of Hydor impellers fail over the years, but very few other brands.
 
While yeah the Vortech is easy to repair when it is a the wetside issue you cant replace just the propeller can you? I mean I know you used to be able to do it but the way it is now you replace the entire wetside, and IMO that is a con.

Plus $50? Where? Every place I've looked is closer to $80
 
sfsuphysics said:
While yeah the Vortech is easy to repair when it is a the wetside issue you cant replace just the propeller can you? I mean I know you used to be able to do it but the way it is now you replace the entire wetside, and IMO that is a con.

Plus $50? Where? Every place I've looked is closer to $80
Click to expand...
Yup I see it range from 65 to 78.
Still that'd changing the whole wetside..its like changing all wave do not you think?

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Sure if you want to compare replacing the entire wetside to replacing the entire WAV. But I think it's more fare to compare to replacing JUST the impeller, which is a $50 operation, not that I'd be happy with that either mind you.

But a $366 pump...should not need repairing, like ever. As long as you do periodic vinegar baths everything should be good.
 
sfsuphysics said:
Sure if you want to compare replacing the entire wetside to replacing the entire WAV. But I think it's more fare to compare to replacing JUST the impeller, which is a $50 operation, not that I'd be happy with that either mind you.

But a $366 pump...should not need repairing, like ever. As long as you do periodic vinegar baths everything should be good.
Click to expand...
Agreed.

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I have both in my tanks. They make different sounds, but neither is silent.

Positives for Vortechs:
Broad flow, which I see as a positive.
Less visual obstruction in the tank, also positive.
Historically good warranty support after the official warranty has run out.
Good durability history.

Negatives for Vortechs:
Price.
Wet side failure if you buy a pre-QD used unit.
Cannot angle (although broader flow covers for some of this).
Can only be mounted on an area where the exterior is accessible. This can be a problem if your tank is less than 2.5" from wall or you want to mount to an overflow box.
Will not integrate to Apex for feed mode other than off (cut outlet) or with WXM. Personally I don't change mine during feeding, or I turn it off.

Neutral for Vortechs:
Nicer programming interface (but only if you have a Reeflink and learn the quirks of Ecosmart live). WXM if not, although I haven't used those.

Positives for WAV pumps:
Price.
Excellent warranty support within the warranty period.
Much easier to direct flow, mounting more robust.
Integration to Apex without a WXM if you're an Apex user.
More possible mounting locations than Vortechs, especially with tanks that do not have 2.5" to the nearest wall.

Negatives for WAV:
I don't like the Neptune interface as much.
The narrow flow pattern. I've been thinking about making and printing a different front housing to try to make it more like the Vortech pattern.
I really don't like the cords in the tank. I don't care how large they are outside the tank, but I don't like them inside.
Good luck with warranty if you lose your receipt. Sort of suspect it's iffy after the warranty expires too (well, it is expired, but we're comparing to Ecotech who often does support post-warranty).

Neutral for WAV:
Extra 1-link needed after the first three units, although not an issue if you have another EB832.
Not nearly as much durability history, although other than wireless network issues Neptune products are generally pretty robust.
 
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