Review of Ecotech Vortech Pump

[Caoineag]

So as some of you know, I ordered the vortech pump and we got it into our tank this Saturday. Since I know a lot of us were curious, here is my review.

The Pros

Even on the lowest setting (100gph) reaches 4ft across my 6ft long tank

Creates a turbulence stream at least a 1ft tall

No cords in the tank and the mounting system in case of magnet failure is well done.

1 year warranty should you need it.

Two leds let you know everything you need to know about what the motor is doing and why. The manual lays everything out so you know what to do.

The Cons

If you have sand, this needs to be high up because of the volume of water it draws from. (By and by, the higher you run this pump at, the more water it will draw so realize that my review is based at the 100gph rate).

Can't be angled but the amount of flow makes this point moot.

I had to help my husband set it up because he didn't have it aligned perfectly the first time.

While they give you four cord holders, initial positioning still needs to be semi-permanent since you only have four tries to get it where you want it. (the cord holders are permanent adhesive so that your motor in case of magnet failure won't damage your aquarium or itself.) However, removal of the sticky thing is clean and easy (we had to reposition ours already).


Frankly, we are impressed with ours. Our Seios are rated for 620 gph but the three of them combined can't equal the water movement of this pump on the 100gph setting. It creates turbulence just from the way it draws the water, there is no point pressure just a steady stream, and the amount of stream volume is impressive in that the stream is the equivalent of four motor lengths deep. I have never had a Tunze so for those of you who want that comparison I am afraid that you will have to find someone else. However, I would have to say that even with a price tag of $350, I feel that I received a very good deal. I think that two of these would be more than sufficient to provide all the flow I would need in a 125g long for anything.

By the way, we will be turning it up after we move the pump higher than 9 inches off the sand.

I am sure I didn't cover everything so if you have any questions, feel free to ask them.

[Geoff]

thanks for the review!!

i guess i do not understand why it does not just stay on the glass. i thought it was like an algae magnet. is this not the case?

G~

[Caoineag]

It does stay on the glass via magnets, however, the cord holder ensures that if the magnet fails or is dislodged the motor doesn't swing into the glass or fall any distance. Its more of a idiot proofing than a necessity. After all, if one of your rocks dislodged and hit the inner part or someone on the outside bumped it, the motor could be seriously damaged by dropping to the floor. There always the possibility of something going wrong with our tanks, think of the cord holder as insurance that it won't be the pumps fault. It also has auto shut off if the magnets dislodge or something becomes stuck in the propeller.

[Geoff]

how strongly does it hold itself to the tank?

G~

[Caoineag]

It stays put and has a decent hold but its not like your magfloats which can fight you. This pump is designed to adjust the magnet hold according to thickness of glass. It uses a pin spacer to do that. If someone ran into it, it would come off but bumping it won't dislodge it.