Mr. Saltwater Tank Reviews The EcoTech Marine Vectra Pump
I have been very, very skeptical of DC return pumps for a long time as my colleagues have countless stories of failed units, hot control boxes and lack of customer support. When EcoTech told me they were coming out with a return pump, I was skeptical and wanted to try one out for myself for several months before I formed an opinion
Mark did it get hot? Did you take a before and after temperature reading?
Reliability is great but if I have to run my chiller more often then I would stick with a tried and true pump
thanks for the video
Another great video Mark. Thanks.
Hi Mark
Great review. You are the first reviewer of this pump to mention the need for ABS/PVC glue. Even Ecotech has overlooked that. I could not wait and purchased one of the first M1’s and your larger is better philosophy is right on. Wish I had waited. In any case the pump is amazing as is the interface software. The pumps quality far outshines anything this side of the German Dragon pumps and at 1/2 the price.
First a couple of things to add. The flow/head numbers were taken with both pumps NOT using the included blue compression unions. [Per Mark @ Ecotech] If you use these fittings, and they do look pretty, you will get nowhere near those numbers. Example: the M1 outflow from the block is 1.25″. If you use the blue fitting, you restrict flow down to 3/4″. Both intake and outflow of both models are similarly reduced. Secondly, for those who wish to get the maximum flow from the pumps, you cannot just go to your local hardware store and purchase larger fittings because the thread pattern on both ports, M1 & L1, are BST- British Standard Thread. This system is not compatible with our NPT standard as the BST is not tapered. For proper fit, you must screw the fitting completely together. I use food grade silicone grease on the threads and this works just fine- no tap or paste. Ecotech does have you covered as they carry BST to slip fittings for both pumps. You can force thread NPT threaded fitting onto the pump but this can cause problems in the long run. You could damage your pump or have seeping leakage. You can buy these fittings directly from Ecotech and some of the Ecotech dealers carry them as well. Price is very fair.
The Vectra series of pumps are fantastic and I beleve will change the way we operate our aquariums.
Richard
I’m from the Netherlands and I’m Aqua Medic DC Runner 5.0 (5000 L/H)on a +/- 400 L (100 G) tank + 100 L (25 G) sump it’s a good pump and using it around 6/7 months I had 2 weeks ago that I crashed because my cal/alk/mag where not the good values 340/12/900 so my alk had a white yellow substance that sat down on every thing in my sump that was why my DC Runner crashed. My temp is between 24/25 degrees Celsius (76/77 F) after and before my pump switch tunze (3000 L/H) 230Volts.
gr eric
Hi Mark, I used to think Ecotech products were over priced. But having purchased a few Vortechs and a Radion I think they are worth every penny. Would you say the Vectra lives up to the same standard as their other products. Ecotech is is probably the only company I’ve been completely satisfied with. I just dropped a G note on another company and totally regret it.
I’m not to worried about the ABS as my …UHmmm unsupported dc return I’m currenly using is connected to the PVC with flex hose. I’ll just slip the Vectra right on there. That is when they finally put them on a sled and send them north to Canada. LOL
Are you sure about glueing the fittings?
On reefbuilders Q&A with Ecotech they said the blue fittings are the quick couplers for being able to remove the pump for your plumbing and reconnecting it very easily. The blue collar slides up the pipe. You then slide on the rubber gasket onto the bottom. Place the pump under the pipe and slide the coupler back down. Threading the coupler onto the threads of the Vectra applies pressure to the gasket and the water tight seal is made.
I look forward to your review of the programming as I feel this is where the Vectra out preforms the other DCs on the market.
I’m so excite for this pump I’m even thinking about getting the M1 for my TWELVE gallon tank 😀
http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/296235-3-foot-office-nano-nov-2015-fts/
On reefbuilders Q&A with Ecotech they said the blue fittings are the quick couplers for being able to remove the pump for your plumbing and reconnecting it very easily. The blue collar slides up the pipe. You then slide on the rubber gasket onto the bottom. Place the pump under the pipe and slide the coupler back down. Threading the coupler onto the threads of the Vectra applies pressure to the gasket and the water tight seal is made.
The compression union works as you describe. However, you must glue a supplied ABS fitting to PVC pipe to continue your plumbing. Ecotech as hinted they may soon produce a barb fitting that may inclued the above ABS as one piece. If you wish to use a barbed fitting, this would allow you to go without using glue.
Richard
Hey Mark where did you buy those two water storage reservoirs behind you in this video? I’ve been needing to buy some. Thanks! Always informative videos.
Thanks for all your videos, This one helped me decide on my new return pump. I kept wondering if it was really worth the price and almost went with the smaller M1 until your statement about going bigger and dialing it down, I agreed! Thanks again and keep up the great work!
Thanks again Mark for this great video and all of your work.
Top notch quality as always, I’m spoiled! 🙂
Best, Bob
Your testing leaves me with more questions than answers. You did not test the pump as it would be used. Why leave the pump swinging in the fluid? – sea water? On/OFF cycles were not conducted under load – Why? Inlet opening with piping is not the same as your testing method. Temperature monitoring would have been good. Monitoring power consumption would have been ideal.
Very professional and engaging website you have here, enjoyed the informative video as well, thanks!
Saltwater fish, especially reef-dwelling species, are not only some of the various vibrant species in the aquarium hobbyist world, but they are also some of the most interesting animals in the world.