Thank you for explaining it like that. For some one reason or another, I could not get my brain to process the flow related inquiry but your message made so much sense of it. I totally understand that regardless of the pumps, certain obstacles will create slower spots.

Thanks again for this info!

Marcos

Thanks again!

Thats great information. I have watched a number of videos and the thing that confuses me (I am new and am barely adding water this week) is how to control the water flow on the Gyre type pumps. I have looked at some SPS that say they require heavy flow and some LPS that require little flow. My though was that if I used a couple of Vortech's, I could create areas with heavy/light flow to accommodate the different corals, etc. That said, it seems like the Gyre is one solid stream throughout the whole tank, that that reasoning wrong? I see videos where it appears to move just as much water from the origin all the way to the opposite end of the tank.

You both seem to know a lot so I figured I'd ask.

Also, rfoote, if you sell your MP40, I might be interested...

This is getting interesting.

Thanks!

 

I would agree with Aaron; wait for the less powerful model. I can only set mine @ 40% power; otherwise, sand gets blown all over the place. Actually, I had to limit it to 30% at first; until the sand shifts 'settled' and enough biofilm redeveloped on the sand surface to hold it in place. Then I bumped it up to 40%.

 

Otherwise, I am very happy with my unit. I removed ALL other powerheads and circ pumps from the tank - it is that powerful. Now my tank has a very 'clean' look to it, without all those pumps and power cords in the tank. In fact, if you look quickly, you don't really see the black gyre pump against the black tank background - and you wonder where all that water flow is coming from...

 

I am getting better suspension of detritus using the single gyre than I was getting using (2) mp40s. As far as I can tell I have ZERO "dead spots" using just the single gyre. I really does move a ton of water.

 

I have read some reports on ReefCentral of people complaining of noise (a hum) when using the Gyre, but mine is dead quiet.

 

I have seen no negative effects from running the Gyre with either my corals or fish. I did reaarrange my rockwork to get it off the back wall to allow the gyre flow to go completely around the tank.

 

My only complaints?

 

First, the unit came out of the box preset to start up at 100% power. So when I first plugged it in, it ran so hard it came loose off the back wall, knocked down half my rockwork from all that water force, and shot water out of the tank (!) That is just DUMB. Almost no one is going to run this at 100% unless they have a very large tank. It should be preset at the minimum (10%) and then the user can adjust it up from there.

 

Second, the directions stink. Bad Chinese translation. For $300 each, they should have better directions. No excuse for that, either.

 

Third, the controller is actually very nice and user- friendly; except the indicators are simply raised black symbols against the black controller face - difficult to see unless you have bright room lighting. If the symbols were done in a contrasting color (like white or yellow) that would be better.

 

But still, overall, probably the best water mover I have ever used. IMO better than a similarly - priced Vortech or a Tunze circ pump. Simply because you don't need so many of them to get your whole tanks water flowing.

 

Clean looking, energy efficient, quiet, and moves a ton of water.

Keep in mind the pump was engineered to create that "gyre" motion in the tank.  So having other pumps messes up the gyre motion.  I've got 3 MP40's on my back wall and an MP60 on each end of my tank.  I purchased these riptides for a completely different reason.. For surface agitation.  I put a gyre on each end of my tank towards the top to create that ripple effect on the surface and then lowered my MP60's to push the water through the middle of the tank.

It creates some pretty awesome flow patterns in the display.  Go onto youtube and search for these pumps. There are tons of videos showing what people are doing with them.  The quality of the pump itself is pretty good.  The magnet is a little weak on my 5/8 glass.  I'm not sure it would hold on 3/4 very well. You are more than welcome to swing by and check them out.  I know Dion has one as well.  For $300, it's a pretty awesome pump.