Gyre vs MP40 vs ??? for a 120 Gallon ???

Finatik · Mar 8, 2017

Hi Everyone !
I finally decided that I'm going to set-up both a 120 gallon AND a 75 gallon. Both will be mixed reefs, so I'm in the process of purchasing all of the equipment I'll need, and then I'll start two separate build threads to chronicle my journey.
For flow, what do you guys suggest for each sized tank ? Two Gyres -or- two MP40s -or - something else all together ???
The more I research both products, the more I'm torn, So please help me decide which/what would be best for flow in each of my tanks given their sizes. I want something that can be set-up to alternate flow and wave patterns from each end of the tank. Thanks in advance for your recommendations !

tgfitz1 · Mar 8, 2017

Jebao RW8s! They have all the bells and whistles of the Vortech's for a quarter of the price. Very good, reliable pumps.

GnarleyMarley · Mar 8, 2017

I'm running 2 tunze 6095s and a gyre xf130, as well as a dc12000 return on my 120. I am a huge tunze fan

thewbell · Mar 8, 2017

If you are going with an Apex I would look hard at the Wav pumps. Much cheaper than the Vortechs or Gyres once you figure in the accessories required for Apex control.

Trevor Daniels · Mar 8, 2017

I just replaced my gyre with an mp40 last week and the difference is incredible! With only one gyre, the flow is completely laminar with no turbulence whatsoever and flow across the sandbed was so high I couldn't put any coral on the sandbed. I had a hard time finding suitable locations for any new frags. With the m40 the flow is much more turbulent, and the extra control features are much better. Wish I would have coughed up the money for the mp40 in the first place! In one week my tank is looking much better. Polyp extension and even colors have improved.

mrsaltwaterguy · Mar 8, 2017

I started with a gyre and have switched over to MP40's on my 75 gallon. All pumps require maintenance but it seemed that the gyre needed to be cleaned way more often. It really affected the flow and the level of control just wasn't comparable.

john2152 · Mar 8, 2017

This is also my dilemma,mp40 or gyre or go for it and get the mp60....money will always be an issue but I need the right stuff,tank is a 6 foot 300 gallon peninsula and isn't quite done yet but it's getting there with a lot of help from everyone

pelphrey · Mar 8, 2017

I just swapped a MP40wQD out for the Gyre 230. The noise the Gyre makes initially is annoying, it's been running a few weeks now and the noise isn't as loud as it was but it is still there.

If I could have put the MP40wQD on the back wall I would have kept it, with my rock work that couldn't happen. Also I can run two Gyre pumps off one controller with one power cord, this was the biggest thing to me.

Having used both I like both pumps, if the Gyre ever runs dead silent it would be a coin toss for me. Both pumps have worked great in my tank, the Gyre noise as mentioned is the only concern/problem. If you are looking for a dead silent pump out of the two mp40 wins hands down. If not being able to control direction mp40 again.

If you want to run two pumps off one controller and one power cord Gyre. Depending on how long your tank is the Gyre may be better. I started off with the mp40 in my reefer 250 (3' tank) it was a beast in the tank, I just didn't feel it had the length to send out a wide flow pattern. This is where the Gyre wins in my tank:

Finatik · Mar 9, 2017

Cool ! Great Info!

Finatik · Mar 10, 2017

Trevor Daniels said:
With only one gyre, the flow is completely laminar with no turbulence whatsoever and flow across the sandbed was so high I couldn't put any coral on the sandbed. I had a hard time finding suitable locations for any new frags. With the m40 the flow is much more turbulent, and the extra control features are much better.

Definitely don't want so much flow that sand and corals are blowing all over the tank and won't stay in place. So maybe a Gyre would be too much for a 4-foot tank.

Kerwin1721 · Mar 10, 2017

I have a Gyre 150 on my 4ft 110g tank. Really wish I would have gone with the MP series. The Gyre just moves too much water to the point I can't keep my coral happy. The Gyre recently went down after just over 11 months and I contacted Coralvue. They were amazing, sent me a new motor unit and controller when all I needed was the motor unit because it stopped spinning. During the time it was down the only movement was from a couple of small pumps I had laying around and the return pump. I've never seen my coral look that happy and extended. My mushrooms, acans, euphyllia, and others looked more plump and happier then I've ever seen. When I received the new motor I put the Gyre back in and every thing stayed tight without much extention. The Gyre was set at its lowest level. I tried it in horizontal and vertical positions to try and find a movement everything/anything was happy with. Nothing seemed to work. I have taken the pump offline and considering selling it and picking up a couple of MPs. Everything is back looking happier than ever again.

Just my opinion but with a 4ft tank I would go MPs.

Finatik · Mar 17, 2017

thewbell said:
If you are going with an Apex I would look hard at the Wav pumps. Much cheaper than the Vortechs or Gyres once you figure in the accessories required for Apex control.

What Wav Pumps ? Got a link to the product you're talking about ?

thewbell · Mar 17, 2017

Finatik said:
What Wav Pumps ? Got a link to the product you're talking about ?

The Neptune Wav pumps. They come as a kit for much cheaper than a pair of Gyre's or MP40s and integrate with the Apex right out of the box. I have a pair on my 120 and they work very well. The only downside to them is powering them with a battery backup requires a little bit of thought since you cannot directly hook up a DC backup like you can with the MPs or Gyres.

landlubber · Mar 21, 2017

Finatik said:
Definitely don't want so much flow that sand and corals are blowing all over the tank and won't stay in place. So maybe a Gyre would be too much for a 4-foot tank.

for the past year i used a single gyre and just recently added another xf250 gyre in my 120 standard and don't have sand blowing everywhere. the gyres can easily be dialed back and while mine only run at 30% of full capacity they move the water well.

Y&Y Corals · Mar 21, 2017

Mp40 you will have more control in your flow

jwshiver · Mar 21, 2017

I started with two MP40's, one on each end of my 120 gallon. I added two gyre XF230's on the back about two months ago. With the advanced controller on the gyres I have them running on the Oceanic Gyre Cycle at 50%. The growth of my SPS took off after adding the additional flow from the gyres. I have more than doubled the dosing amount of my two part to keep up with the growth!

Jeremy Chatham · Jun 21, 2019

jwshiver said:
I started with two MP40's, one on each end of my 120 gallon. I added two gyre XF230's on the back about two months ago. With the advanced controller on the gyres I have them running on the Oceanic Gyre Cycle at 50%. The growth of my SPS took off after adding the additional flow from the gyres. I have more than doubled the dosing amount of my two part to keep up with the growth!

I have 3 MP40s and 1 MP10 and an Icecap GYRE which is setup to be controlled by apex.
Also have 2 APEX COR20's as return pumps.

Where should I put this equipment on my 120 (48"x24" footprint)
Currently running the cors at 15% and 2 of the MP40s at around 75%. (one on each side.)
Not using the GYRE at the moment.
Could I turn up the return on the CORS? should I?
My sps don't seem to be growing after 3 weeks they haven't made any growth at all.
Would more flow help this problem?

jwshiver · Jun 21, 2019

Jeremy Chatham said:
I have 3 MP40s and 1 MP10 and an Icecap GYRE which is setup to be controlled by apex.
Also have 2 APEX COR20's as return pumps.

Where should I put this equipment on my 120 (48"x24" footprint)
Currently running the cors at 15% and 2 of the MP40s at around 75%. (one on each side.)
Not using the GYRE at the moment.
Could I turn up the return on the CORS? should I?
My sps don't seem to be growing after 3 weeks they haven't made any growth at all.
Would more flow help this problem?

It's been 2 years and 4 months sense that post. Boy how times have changed! I ditched the Gyres because they are such a PITA to clean. I love the flow from them but I am a stickler for maintenance and I found myself putting off cleaning them until the flow was greatly reduced because I just didn't want to deal with them. I now have 3 MP40's and 2 MP10's. From 7:00 am to 8:00 pm they are on Reef Crest at 100%. From 8:05 pm to 6:55 am they are on Nutrient Transport at 100%. Starting at 9:00 am for 15 minutes at two hour intervals thru 5:00 pm they are all on Constant at 100%. Let the flow rip!!! SPS love it. I have one MP40 on the left, two MP40's on the right and the MP10's on the back. See pics. (Sorry for the reflections. I just took these as quick pics for this reply) Every two weeks I switch out the wet sides. Dirty pumps reduce flow. The main thing with placement is you don't want them blasting the corals directly. Occasionally I have to adjust mine as the colonies grow. What a terrible problem to have

.
My return pump is an Abyzz A100. I have a Neptune Systems Apex flow sensor at the top of the return as high as possible to account for head pressure and I'm running it at 54% to get 400GPH turn over. You state your SPS are not growing. How long have you had them? If they are frags and IF they are happy the first few weeks to months they will just encrust before starting to grow into an actual colony. It just depends on the coral. I've had some that spent 6 to 8 months just encrusting then they exploded in growth.

Jeremy Chatham · Jun 24, 2019

jwshiver said:
It's been 2 years and 4 months sense that post. Boy how times have changed! I ditched the Gyres because they are such a PITA to clean. I love the flow from them but I am a stickler for maintenance and I found myself putting off cleaning them until the flow was greatly reduced because I just didn't want to deal with them. I now have 3 MP40's and 2 MP10's. From 7:00 am to 8:00 pm they are on Reef Crest at 100%. From 8:05 pm to 6:55 am they are on Nutrient Transport at 100%. Starting at 9:00 am for 15 minutes at two hour intervals thru 5:00 pm they are all on Constant at 100%. Let the flow rip!!! SPS love it. I have one MP40 on the left, two MP40's on the right and the MP10's on the back. See pics. (Sorry for the reflections. I just took these as quick pics for this reply) Every two weeks I switch out the wet sides. Dirty pumps reduce flow. The main thing with placement is you don't want them blasting the corals directly. Occasionally I have to adjust mine as the colonies grow. What a terrible problem to have .
My return pump is an Abyzz A100. I have a Neptune Systems Apex flow sensor at the top of the return as high as possible to account for head pressure and I'm running it at 54% to get 400GPH turn over. You state your SPS are not growing. How long have you had them? If they are frags and IF they are happy the first few weeks to months they will just encrust before starting to grow into an actual colony. It just depends on the coral. I've had some that spent 6 to 8 months just encrusting then they exploded in growth.

How do you keep the junk off the bottom of your tank? like fish poop and stuff?