MP40W ES worth it?

[Reeftanker3295]

I have a 90 gallon mixed reef with SPS, and I use 2 K3's and my mag 7 return pump for flow. I have a lot of spots where detritus settles, and the rocks have a lot of settled material on them. I know now, especially because i'm going to be buying more corals at the swap tomorrow, that I need more flow.
I really love the MP's, but the price is just ridiculous, especially for a 16 year old who just got his first car. I will be spending all my christmas money on this if I buy it.
So, can you guys justify me buying this? Or should I stick with 2 K4's? Or does anyone have an alternative that they believe would work better?

 

[Tonyscoots84]

you can get the vortech and use the kor. where deitrus builds up . they are great!

or go old school and siphon it up every week but more flow will do your tank well

 

[Flashy2003]

You can find one used for about $350. For that price they are definitely worth it. A bit pricey. But no wires in the tank and they push some serious water.

 

[albano]

IMO...save your $...if you don't mind the wires in the tank!
Get the 2 K4s, if necessary, supplement with the 2 K3s!
Maybe you need to re-aquascape to improve flow.

 

[Imbarrie]

IMO you should aim for a new one at that price.
You could just stay with the koralias for now until you can get the money. There are plenty of reefers that are not using them.

 

[Flashy2003]

mp40

IMO you should aim for a new one at that price.

I you know were I can get a new one for $350 please tell I want one or two for that matter.

 

[FMF0331]

At first i thought it was nonsense to spend that kind of money on a powerhead, now i have 3 of them . Does a wonderful job moving water and no wire running in / over the tank . Very clean look .

 

[SCOLYBOY]

MP is the way to go i have a 90gal myself and i experienced a major change in sps growth. Also ZERO dead spots and fish love it. Im running 2 mp40s on it. If u run only 1 on a 90gal 4foot long tank you will notice the mp at max power only covers 3/4 of the tank with undertow. Running 2 also allows you to tone intensity down on both so they dont have to work so hard. MP hands down

 

[Imbarrie]

Yes they are cool but the question remains. Can you justify a 16 year old kid spending all his money on one of these.
I think not.

 

[OGGISPORTS]

Maybe they don't know he is 16

 

[OGGISPORTS]

Just read it It says 16 my fault

 

[OGGISPORTS]

Not worth it maybe get hydor 4 pumps instead of the 3's you have make more flow or keep the 3's and add another 3

 

[Reeftanker3295]

Haha guys if I don't spend this money on the MP it will probably go towards the tank in another way. I am very dedicated to the tank and it consumes a good amount of my time.
Basically I just want to know the pro's to having this pump. I can run one mp40 and a K3 on the other side of the tank to make up for the missing flow on one side. Plus the side that it won't be hitting is just a huge mushroom island.

 

[Imbarrie]

How about a picture of your tank.
If you will be spending the money on the tank anyway let's see if there are other things that need attention first.

 

[thirty5]

I went with MP40 in my new setup. I have very clean setup and did not want any wires in hanging over the edge (rimless).

If I were you, i would just go with some K4's for now. If you are going to spend your cash and get something that will benefit you tank, I would say look at an APEX controller first. Pick up a couple more small PH's and place them where you need them. Even bury them behind the rock to create flow where you need it.

When money is not dispensable (wish it always was). I look for what will help the overall tank first. My next purchase is going to be a controller. Then after that will be a DYI water change system (allegedly one can be made simply with the APEX) Something that no one will ever see but will do wonders for the health of the tank.

If you are new to the hobby, it may be actually pretty good for you to experience some things that devices can control for you, like low flow and having to do more manual maintenance. This will educate you even more by seeing it and fixing it. But this DOES take patience and you need to make sure that you are dedicated to it all.

I have a friend who is OLD SCHOOL. Only mechanical he runs is a skimmer. No reactors, no dosing pumps. He does it all by hand, and he has never to my knowledge lost a tank.

So you have to put your money where you think you need it to go. If you already have the K's then just pick up a couple more (you can find them here cheap). Then save some cash up and put the money where you feel it should go.

 

[dnreef]

I used to use (3) K3s and mag 5 return pump in my 75 gallan tank. Now I just use and MP40, (1) K3 and return pump. I love the MP 40 but it is expensive and you can get almost as much benefit from a less expensive 3 ph setup. The obvious advantages to the MP is the space you will save relative to the Koralias, the lack of wiring inside the aquarium, and the different settings on the mp which let you fine tune the environment you want to create. At the end of the day a Ford will get you to the same place a BMW will. The BMW is just more fun to drive.

 

[E.intheC]

Are MP40's nice? Yes. Do they provide excellent flow? Yes, absolutely. Are they necessary? No. Many people have excellent tanks without MP40's or Controllable Tunzes. In this case, it'd be much better to spend limited resources on lighting and skimming and get some Koralias.

You also have to remember, if you're asking these types of questions ("is this expensive piece of equipment worth it?") on a forum, people have varying levels of income and the "worth it" doesn't mean the same thing to everyone. Someone who always has $1000's of disposable income probably won't mind spending the extra cash, and it if won't impact their financial life too much they'll say "it's definitely worth it". However, if you have to save for 6 months and not buy any corals/fish/whatever for that entire time, it's going to be a different story.

 

[STHILL]

Are MP40's nice? Yes. Do they provide excellent flow? Yes, absolutely. Are they necessary? No. Many people have excellent tanks without MP40's or Controllable Tunzes. In this case, it'd be much better to spend limited resources on lighting and skimming and get some Koralias.

You also have to remember, if you're asking these types of questions ("is this expensive piece of equipment worth it?") on a forum, people have varying levels of income and the "worth it" doesn't mean the same thing to everyone. Someone who always has $1000's of disposable income probably won't mind spending the extra cash, and it if won't impact their financial life too much they'll say "it's definitely worth it". However, if you have to save for 6 months and not buy any corals/fish/whatever for that entire time, it's going to be a different story.

exactly what he said....

 

[ReeferMadness99]

Necessary is a funny word in the Reefing hobby. Nothing is really necessary, there are ways of accomplishing the same thing with many different means. But if your simply asking if the MP40 is worth the price, arguably the best flow maker on the market, then yes it is. I've used Tunze, Koralia, Cheap imitations, and now I have 3 MP40s for side and back sync. I've never owned a powerhead that moved so much BROAD flow, like the MP40. It moves massive amounts of water but broadly which means gently. Its not a direct piercing stream. Also, with the stock functions, its the most versatile right out of the box. The modes i use are, Ecosmart tidal which basically has the MP40 start slow and build up like a tidal swell and then max out and then die down. This goes on all throughout the day to mimic the swells of the ocean. This is awesome for the corals. Then I use Ecosmart Nutrient export mode once or twice a week. It creates an upswell in the tank with strong pulses that lift detritus and waste off the floor and other areas and puts it into the water column for skimming. Then finally, every night at midnight, my MP40s go into night mode and the flow is 1/2 of the day time mode. This allows the open extended polyps to feed on slower suspended particulates at night.

Its really an ingenious pump that nobody has managed to recreate. That means excellent craftsmanship and something that cannot be copied.

BTW, I PM'd you, I know your 16 but I have another MP40 that I don't use anymore since I downsized my system. I'll hook you up with a solid cheap price. Rather see it go to good use than sit in a box.

 

[FlyTekk]

I think mp40s are nice. But hes not there yet. Get koralias. Everyone talks about k3s. What about 4s? I have 2 1400gph. Bounce the flow off the glass and eerything in the tank will get glow. Use money for skimmer and lighting.