Gyre 300 Series XF330 Double or Ecotech MP40??

peterhos · Jan 12, 2023

Morning All

Unless I am mistaken you can get a double gyre pump package plus controller for roughly the price of a single Ecotech (=Vortech??) MP40. What would you recommend for a 50 gallon SPS tank? Is the Gyre 300 series the latest must have gadget? Would be interested to hear your views. Thanks all.

Katherine Corals · Jan 12, 2023

I run gyres and personally, I like them. Each Ecotech MP pump Ive ever owned has gone to s$!t in 6 months.. I dont see the point in spending money in them. For supplementary flow, I use Jebaos SOW series and have even recently switched from Maxspect gyre to the Jebao gyre models. Those suckers have some FLOW! Over powered in my 300 gallon frag tank to where it mounds up the sand lol
Check out my Build thread!

CK00020 · Jan 12, 2023

The controller on the gyre is complete garbage it will break on you in under 3 years if you use it to power tandem pumps. Maxspect knows about this but hasn’t altered the product in years. I would go with either the jump series or a different name brand if you are looking at gyres.

Tuan’s Reef · Jan 12, 2023

I vote for Mp40 all day long. Gyres get clogged fast and is unsightly to me.

peterhos · Jan 12, 2023

Hmmm. Bit confused. On a different note then which of all the alternatives looks neat and inconspicuous in a Red Sea reefer 250. Not a huge tank so need to keep things ‘neat’.

peterhos · Jan 12, 2023

Hmm. Now confused. Is there a smaller neat gyre pump (or pair…) for a Red Sea reefer 250. Do not want too much kit inside the tank. Thanks all.

WallyTime7 · Jan 12, 2023

peterhos said:
Hmmm. Bit confused. On a different note then which of all the alternatives looks neat and inconspicuous in a Red Sea reefer 250. Not a huge tank so need to keep things ‘neat’.

You can keep both options on the back corner walls to keep the clean look

Tuan’s Reef · Jan 12, 2023

I have 2 MP10's on my Red Sea back wall . I can't even see that's its there as it blends in well. Flow is amazing and maintainence is 30 seconds to switch out a wet side

srobertb · Jan 12, 2023

I’ll weigh in.

I currently run two XF350’s on a 6’ long tank.

I hate them.

The good: The flow works well. It is powerful and moved a ton of water in a large swath which is aesthetically pretty. They can be mounted high and still give great flow.

The bad:

1. They’re pretty loud. I’m sitting on my couch 20’ away with a space heater blowing in my face and I can hear them wind up. It’s worse after cleaning but…

2. The flow degrades over time. It happens so I don’t typically notice it at first. Expect to clean them every 3-4 weeks RELIGIOUSLY.

3. The controller dies. I started with the stock controller and Wi-Fi unit. It was buggy to say the least. Seemingly always dying before I left for vacation. The company replaced the controller 2x before we both decided it was enough. I purchased a Hydros wave maker which has been better with recent updates but after 2 years, I just lost pump port 1- it stopped supplying power.

4. Taking the pumps apart to clean them is a nightmare. Well…putting them back together is. Every dang time I put them back together, plug them in, I get an error. I have to twist, retake them apart, and put them back together. Run them out of the water, jiggle them, etc for them to stop giving an error. Could take me 2 minutes, could take me 2 hours. A full cleaning requires pulling the dang cord out which is a nightmare in itself.

5. The shafts strip. I just keep 3-4 magnet drives laying around for when they inevitably strip. They aren’t sealed well and so I tiny piece of sand will destroy them. I go through about $150-$300 in repair parts a year.

6. They don’t stay in place. The magnet is actually pretty impressive and held well on 1/2” glass…Until a snail comes along and tips one side down. Once again, from 20’ away I’m looking at a lopsided Gyre in my tank.

Prior I ran MP40’s.

1 on either end couldn’t push to the center on 6’. Definite con. I would have needed 4. I sold the 2 I had and discussed with my wife the idea of 2MP60’s but I had to go with the new thing. I regret it.

MP40’s- They’re not as loud but you can still hear them for sure at 70%+. Little tidbit: Powerheads like this and lights aren’t really meant to be run at 100%. You should aim for closer to 50-60% to maximize life and limit noise. Another reason I should’ve gone with MP60’s.

My MP40’s with no foam nem guard needed cleaning about every 6 months- not because they were dirty, just because it felt like the right thing to do. Cleaning was easy as you didn’t have to contend with wires. They stayed in place better too.

I’m currently holding out for something better than XF350’s to hit the market (hopefully before the next major repair is necessary) or I will be purchasing 2, MP60’s if the alternative decision is throw more money at XF350’s. They may be noisy but at least they’re reliable.

peterhos · Jan 12, 2023

LOL Thank you but you have all made me think about spending the £££. Oddly, I have only a hydor koralia plus the adjustable return pump in action at the moment, but when the fish are fed it is clear that the ‘linear flow’ we are all trying to avoid is more random maybe than we are led to believe. Maybe I should just add a Red Sea return pipe ‘Y-splitter’. Only £8 and could be a simple solution!???

peterhos · Jan 12, 2023

Also the MP10 is for glass up to 9.5 mm., whereas the Red Sea reefer g2 has 19mm on glass.

Treefer32 · Jan 12, 2023

I run 2 XF350s and 2 XF 280s (Higher flow newer build) I will say the 280s are easier to maintain than the xf 350s. Seem stronger built, slightly bigger, and less problems with the motors. I've had all 4 running on my 340 gallon display for over a year now. I agree with what everyone says about cleaning them. Unfortunately the blades build up a bacterial slime that decreases performance. I've gone 3-4 months without cleaning them, then spent a couple hours soaking them in citric acid and cleaning them thoroughly with toothbrushes.

When I put them back in they were ten times the flow. So, I agree cleaning them is important. The only caveat is that I don't know of a circulation pump you don't need to clean. I run two MP40s pushing water from the back to the front of my tank. I like the cordless aspect, but other than that, I don't like them. The Mobius app is crap. I just use the controllers they came with and set them. No special settings. I've found bristle worms were able to stop the motors and cause them to fall off my tank. That's happened to me 2-3 times now and I pop the magnet compartment open and there's 3-4 bristleworms sitting in each. Very annoying that Bristle worms are able to stop a magnetic motor and cause it to fall off my glass. I've never had issues with the Gyres moving or slipping.

The Gyres I wouldn't run without the Hydros Wave Engine. Made controlling them so much easier than using the interface on each gyre's controller. Plus reduces power cords if you're running more than one gyre. The phone app works reliably with the Hydros controller and you can make it aware of all the gyres so you can easily create different flow patterns by telling it that the gyres are opposite each other or next to each other. Really slick. If the Gyres have reversable motors, you can do the wave making motion of backwards and forwards motor rotation creating additional flow patterns.

In the end. . . My tangs all battle to swim in front of the MP40s and the higher they're set the long they swim in front of the MP40s against the current. . . .They love it. . . They don't swim against the gyres.. So, Fish rating. My fish would rate the MP40s 10 stars. Human rating: 5 stars out of 10. Gyres Fish rating 1... There's gyres in our tank? Human rating: 7 out of 10. The only reason I rate them that low is the cleaning aspect.

I will say the FX 280s are much easier to assemble and get right and no issues with the motors not starting right away. I've had the most problems with the xf 350 series starting and/or figuring out how to get them back together correctly. But all are still working over a year later.