Vortech or Tunze?

[Anonymous]

I am currently leaning toward the Vortech. It will cost me $419 compared to about $600 for the Tunze package.

The other pros are:

1. No current in the tank

2. A little less wattage

3. A wider angle flow

4. Less intrusive

5. Price

The cons:

1. Cannot direct the flow

2. Tunze seems to have a better record with quality/customer service

3. I already have a tunze that will also be able to be controlled by the multicontroller


Anybody with the above have anyother reasons to go with either Vortech or Tunze?

Any input will be appreciated.

 

[Anonymous]

I have both and vastly prefer the vortech. In fact, I am removing the Tunze because having to clean it all the time is a pain. YMMV.

 

[Anonymous]

I love my Vortech. I've never owned a Tunze so I can't comment on those.

Vortech's customer service has always seemed top notch to me. I am only familiar with one instance in which they did not honor a request. In that case, the guy dropped the motor in the water.

 

[Anonymous]

Depends what you want.. at $600 I'm guessing that's a single 6101 w/ multicontroller. As opposed to the beefy 6201 w/ 5000+ gph output. I'm of the mindset you don't need every pump in your tank on some sort of controller to make some exotic flow pattern. Having the Tunze in there as a "constant" might be a good thing, and the Vortech perhaps on the other end in such a controlled fashion that it it strongly opposes the Tunze occasionally (in a reefcrest or lagoon type mode), then when it ramps down it doesn't do much at all.

So yeah my vote is Vortech however not knowing the layout of your tank maybe another Tunze... my mindset is for another $200 you could get two vortechs and have your tunze you still use (or hell maybe even sell that online get two vortechs and have money left over)

 

[Anonymous]

I have a 6' long standard AGA, reef ready, 125 gallon. I currently have a Tunze 6100.10(1875 gph) on a single controller and two algae free maxi mods(1600 gph each) and about 1000-1200 gph on my dual returns. I was thinking of putting the vortech opposite the Tunze the long way in reef crest mode and the Tunze on a 3-4 second switch from full power to medium power. I plan on upgrading to a second vortech in the future, assuming I like the vortech.

The $600 I was refering to was the stream 2 6105(3400 gph, not available yet) with multi controller. Then I could run both Tunzes off the multi controller.

But after getting these posts I feel confident that the vortech will do me well.

Thank you all.

 

[Anonymous]

Wow two streams plus the multicontroller for $600? I thought they went for $350 a piece and the multicontroller is almost $300 as well.

 

[Anonymous]

Wow two streams plus the multicontroller for $600? I thought they went for $350 a piece and the multicontroller is almost $300 as well.

No, no, no. Just one stream and controller. I already have a stream in my tank....that would be two total.

The new Tunze Stream 2 6105 is $365.00:

http://www.tunze.com/149.html?&L=1&C=US ... zeprod_pi1[predid]=-infoxunter025

Plus Multi controller $270.00:

http://www.tunze.com/149.html?&L=1&C=US ... zeprod_pi1[predid]=-infoxunter026

$625.00 OUCH!

 

[SnowManSnow]

tunzes are beasts.. i had one but it was too much for my tank, so i sold it. I would consider ebaying one if i were you.

 

[clekchau1]

what about the new koralia magnums?

 

[SlipperMan]

what about the new koralia magnums?

I'll let you know what I think of those tomorrow, when the LFS gets theirs in. They ordered two of the 7's for their 180g.

 

[pwj1286]

Ive been really digging on vortechs, but Tunze values your business and they will fix your pumps very quickly.

When you go with Tunze your getting top notch everything. I am waiting for vortech to work out all their kinks. They are so new on this market and I think they need time before I will buy pumps from them.
_________________
BMW GS

 

[SlipperMan]

what about the new koralia magnums?

I'll let you know what I think of those tomorrow, when the LFS gets theirs in. They ordered two of the 7's for their 180g.

Got a chance to check them out. TONS of flow. The new ones are slightly shorter than the K4 with the directional flow piece attached, and wider by about 1.5x. Very nice for what they cost, about $150.

Probably can't hold up against any Tunze or Vortech but I'd call them a cheaper alternative.

 

[Anonymous]

Ive been really digging on vortechs, but Tunze values your business and they will fix your pumps very quickly.

When you go with Tunze your getting top notch everything. I am waiting for vortech to work out all their kinks. They are so new on this market and I think they need time before I will buy pumps from them.

I'm not sure what you mean - they have been around for 3 or 4 years now.

 

[Anonymous]

My Tunze shafts kept getting frozen and after sending them back 3-4 times, I got sick of it and just replaced them with MJ Mods. I would probably go Vortech if I didn't have a cube tank as I do now.

 

[bleedingthought]

I do like the vortechs over the tunzes as well but one thing to consider is that they are louder than the tunzes, considering the motor is on the outside of the glass.

 

[Ben1]

They are a bit louder but I hear gen2 are much quieter. I got mine right after they hit the market. A while ago I upgraded to the wireless driver and just ordered the magnet upgrade yesterday. We will see if the magnet/screw/new wetside help keep the hum down.

 

[camaroracer214]

i've had the koralias, vortech, but never the tunzes.

for the money, koralias are obviously the best. they are super cheap. but, they do have flaws as well. they are kind of big (although smaller than the tunzes) and their magnets suck imho. the koralia magnums are nice, but they are huge compared to the other koralias. they have stronger magnets and only run in the mid $100 range. however, they aren't controllable. the controllable koralias are ok. i've had them on my 90, and moved them over to my 180. i like them, but wouldn't recommend them for larger tanks. they don't stick well to half inch glass or larger, and their flow just isn't strong enough, but they are a cheaper option than tunze or the vortech.

the vortech is a great pump, but there are still plenty of kinks to work out. i recently purchased a vortech for my 90 when i had it, but it only worked for three days. not wanting to deal with all the hassles of sending it back, i returned it to the lfs i got it from and just exchanged it for the controllable koralias. i was a bit disappointed that it only lasted 3 days, but i did love the pump. it moved a lot of water, was very inconspicuous in the tank, and had a lot of great features. i would definitely like to try vortechs again in the very near future, but i wouldn't mind giving the tunzes a try first.

now, onto my opinion of the tunzes. they make great products. they are expensive, but they work. they are reliable, have a great name in the industry, and have a great product line. i would love to try them, but they are just to darn expensive. it's hard to get on board with a product that is out of the reach of most hobbyists. i personally can't go out and buy the two to four pumps that i'd need for my tank, so i can't comment on my experiences with them. but, i like the design of their new stream pumps. i'm so glad they have gone from that "boxy" design to their newer, sleaker look.

 

[FifeReef]

Have had my new Vortech Gen2 installed for a week on my 150 with zero problems. Lots of flow, EXTREMELY quiet, the feeding mode and night mode are very nice features. I have mine set on the reef crest mode and am very happy with the performance. Worth every penny so far. Granted, it hasn't passed the test of time, but so far nothing but good things to say about it.

 

[Unarce]

In the same boat as, Chris. Can't go Vortech with my cube. I also don't like stuff on the outside walls of the tank. Tunze has a good track record, but it seems Vortech is working towards a trouble-free model.

 

[Anonymous]

I went with Vortech because my tank while long (6 feet) is quite thin (18" wide) so having the coke can in the tank was not something I particularly wanted. Not to mention when you add in the cost of the magnetic mounts, and all that other stuff, it came to around the same price.

However with a much wider tank I might consider Tunze.. especially if I can get a bunch of the older models on sale as the new ones come out