My biggest concern before purchasing and running was if it was going to move enough water in the hard to get to places, especially for the price and the fact that you can't aim them, but with the undertow it creates there are no problems. I admit, I am cycling and haven't seen how it performs with corals, but after watching movement of bubbles and food (generating ammonia) I have no worries. If these are in your price range I don't think you can really go wrong. Oh! And much more silent than I have read concerns about too.

The VorTech MP40w ES was the first adjustable flow water pump I have purchased. Admitedly there were two concerns I had prior to the purchase, even after considerable research. The first was the price and the second was many reviews that referenced how loud it operated.

The MP40w ES was purchased to go on my 55g soft coral tank and replace my existing water pumps, a Hydor Koralia Evolution 600 and Hydor Koralia Evolution 1050 (that's right 1050).

I left the Koralia 600 in place. When facing the tank, it is mounted on the upper left hand side of the tank, toward the back, pointed behind about 50lbs of liverock. This is to keep deadspots at a minimum. The MP40 is mounted where the Koralia 1050 was, on the right side of the tank facing the opposite direction, toward the front and about 4" from the water line.

First off, READ THE DIRECTIONS. I wanted to see this thing in action immediately and it took great restraint not to just hook this thing up and turn it on. Remember the second concern I had with this pump...the noise level? Well, if you don't follow the directions and set the pump up properly I believe this is where many (not all) folks went wrong when they complained about high noise levels.

In my opinion this pump is very quiet. When the MP40 is turned up past 75% max output, it is not as quiet as the Koralia Evolutions. However, it when set to 75% or higher, it only emits a mild hum. For my size tank anything past 50% is too much flow and when you max any piece of equipment out it won't last as long. When set to 50% and below the MP40 is very quiet. To add context to what I define as very quiet....put it this way....I do not want to hear my tank buzzing, huming or splashing. It has to be as quiet as one of those rock fountains. The kind that when you turn it on it sounds like water trickling.

This pump does a great job. When I turned it on it started without any trouble, immediately stired up ditritus, and kept it suspended until it went down the overflow. When the MP40 is set to a constant speed it still seems to have random flow. I watched my soft corals nonstop for about 20 minutes and was very impressed at how their movement was random. This is common sense but one thing to keep in mind if you have corals. Start out slow and see how they react. Changing a powerhead is like changing the lighting. The animals in your tank will need time to adjust. One common problem I have read about is an unsuspecting anenome getting too close to the powerhead and getting chopped up. The MP40 comes with a foam cover so if you have anything that may get caught in it I suggest using the foam initially and see how your critters react.

The bottom line is this pump is expensive but worth the extra money. There are a lot of the MP40 reviews online. Check multiple sources before making a decision to purchase any piece of equipment. This hobby is expensive enough without wasting extra money. Good luck!

It'a an expensive pump! Thought it would make a difference in my mixed reef 150. I have a two 1600gph on opposite sides before I added this pump. No major change noted. My corals actually closed up more when I install this pump. Tried different modes and intensity that the corals will respond to. Finally settled at reef crest mode and lagoon at night. The only difference is this pump can change speed
But still a linear pump. I'll probably keep it and see how it goes .

These pumps are simply the best pumps on the market. I now have 7 of different sizes for different tanks.

These are fantastic pumps i have. 2 on my 72 bowfront an they make a diffrence 2 of theses replaced all 4 Hydor 1400's. i have to say there $$$$$$$. But. Way. Worth it. A little tricky to set up and get use to but once you do u will love them

I installed this product per mfr recommendations and it rattled, vibrated, and made noise like crazy. I called their service people who spent an hour on the phone with me before concluding the wet side part was defective. They sent me a replacement and it worked great, but still was a tad on the noisy side for my taste.

These are truly great pumps, I have two on a 120 gallon marine land corner overflow tank. There are no dead spots now and it's not a overpowering jet stream that would damage corals like frog spawn. These pumps are very powerful though, when setup to be. I truly believe I could make waves crash over the top of the tank if I wanted to. Over all these are great pumps with the ability to create any kind of flow your tank requires. If you love your corals the way I do it's a great investment.

I had 2 koralia's 1400 and a sicce voyager 3 and this pump blew those away. Just one in a 75g and its doing great, now I got 2 on a 150g

I've had mine hooked up for a few days and can't believe how much flow I've got. I haven't had any problems with noise even on the highest setting. Definitely getting another one

Love the powerhead. It moves the water in my tank like no other powerhead has. However when you pay almost 500 per powerhead. I think it should definite include control features like radion lights have. But you must buy a controller if you want the powerhead to change modes at another time without you manually doing so.

On its own the VorTech pump is programmable and moves water like no other pump. Connect the Neptune Apex controller and now the water movement options throughout the day are changing. Awesome products.

This thing can really move some water! It's really nice to replace bulky power heads with one of these.