Nero 5 vs. MP10qd

[choconut74]

Hello! Just wondering what y'all think is better for a 2ft long 8 gallon tank. Will run either the nero 5 or mp10qd on a very low setting. I'm wanting to get either as I can use it in the future when I upgrade to a larger tank. I was set on the MP10 but then with the $50 off of the nero this March, both pumps are now $250. Thanks for the input!

[Tamberav]

Depends how big your upgrade is...neither work on 1/2 glass.

 

I don't think you can go wrong either way. The Nero is a bigger footprint which may matter to you in a 8g. The Nero pushes a lot more gph according to the specs but is the size of the the larger mp40 so makes sense.

 

https://reefbuilders.com/2018/10/02/nero-5-pump-review/

 

I have mp10s and I am happy with them but will try a Nero next because why not. I am just sort of debating in waiting until the magnet is fixed to attach to 1/2. 

[choconut74]

Thanks for the input! Makes a lot of sense. Your tanks are beautiful by the way.

[DreC80]

Just replaced one of my mp10s with a nero in my 30l.  As stated above, larger footprint and more powerful.  I'm loving it so far. 

[choconut74]

56 minutes ago, DreC80 said:

Just replaced one of my mp10s with a nero in my 30l.  As stated above, larger footprint and more powerful.  I'm loving it so far. 

Thanks for the input! Are you able to turn it way down to say 1% capacity? At that percentage, would you know the flow in gph that it's putting out? Just afraid even the lowest setting may be too much for a small tank.

[DreC80]

Yes, you can turn it down to 1%.  It will actually give you a read out of the flow as well.  Mine is currently running at 15% and says the flow is 1240 gph

[A Little Blue]

1 minute ago, DreC80 said:

Yes, you can turn it down to 1%.  It will actually give you a read out of the flow as well.  Mine is currently running at 15% and says the flow is 1240 gph

Weird bc it’s rated at max 3000 gph. 

I get that number when I run my at 40-45% on certain modes. 

[DreC80]

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing.  I have it set to a constant 15% for night time and that's what it's reading...but based on the 3000 gph max 1200 should be in the 40% range.  Looks like I have some troubleshooting to do.

[A Little Blue]

Edit. I just double checked and it does show almost 2000gph at 48%. Still, a little strange. 

[choconut74]

2 minutes ago, A Little Blue said:

Edit. I just double checked and it does show almost 2000gph at 48%. Still, a little strange. 

That IS odd. Thanks so much for taking the time to share all this great info though!

11 minutes ago, DreC80 said:

Yes, you can turn it down to 1%.  It will actually give you a read out of the flow as well.  Mine is currently running at 15% and says the flow is 1240 gph

Perfect, thanks very much! Info is super helpful 🙂

[A Little Blue]

No problem. Pick the wavemaker that works for you. Both are great pumps. I like mine. 

[FISHnChix]

One bonus on the mp style pumps is when you go to clean them you can just pull th wet side . No pulling the cord with it so you can leave the cords all tie wrapped and pretty., 

[Tigahboy]

I was also torn between the 2 given they are the same price now and I do like that the cord is outside for the mp10, but I ended up going with the Nero bc I heard they are quieter and just seemed like a better bang for your buck given the sales price.  They look pretty cool too.   

[burtbollinger]

once you have no cords in the tank, there's no new pump that would ever be cool enough to make me have a cord in the tank again.  no cord in tank is worth 50 bucks IMO

[Tigahboy]

5 minutes ago, burtbollinger said:

once you have no cords in the tank, there's no new pump that would ever be cool enough to make me have a cord in the tank again.  no cord in tank is worth 50 bucks IMO

Now I'm second guessing my decision.  😂

[choconut74]

1 hour ago, Tigahboy said:

I was also torn between the 2 given they are the same price now and I do like that the cord is outside for the mp10, but I ended up going with the Nero bc I heard they are quieter and just seemed like a better bang for your buck given the sales price.  They look pretty cool too.   

Exactly my thinking haha - I love the blue blades too.

[Tigahboy]

6 minutes ago, choconut74 said:

Exactly my thinking haha - I love the blue blades too.

Me too.  But the no cords in the tank is really hard to give up.  I was REALLY REALLY torn with this decision.  I guess I'll just stick it in the tank and see how it goes.  I can always return it if the cords annoy me, but I feel like the other aspects of the Nero should hopefully compensate.

[choconut74]

34 minutes ago, Tigahboy said:

Me too.  But the no cords in the tank is really hard to give up.  I was REALLY REALLY torn with this decision.  I guess I'll just stick it in the tank and see how it goes.  I can always return it if the cords annoy me, but I feel like the other aspects of the Nero should hopefully compensate.

I still can't decide as well haha. Appreciate your thoughts. Hope the pump works well for you!

[DreC80]

I also like no cords in the tank, but the cord for the nero is very thin.  It's nowhere close to the thickness of the mp10s cord that goes from dry side to controller.  Both are great pumps and I use both.  In terms of pushing water though, nero beats mp10.  Nero can also be angled slightly.

[05XRunner]

No cords sound great. but I didnt realize how much I HATE this big zit hanging off the side of my tank with my mp10.

You have to be careful when cleaning glass if you knock out of alignment. You gotta make sure you dont knock it form the outside cleaning the tank or anything and mess up the alignment. I am just waiting for my cat to decide he wants to play with it and pull it right off. I personally dont like the setup and would rather have a small cord in tank and a small magnet on the outside. Honestly for a tank that small why spend this kind of money on a pump to run it at 1% save the money just buy a Jebao OW10 and be happy for $40. down the road when you get a bigger tank dont buy either of these again and get an Icecap 1k gyre for ton more flow and way less of a price tag. I like my icecap so much more than the mp10. It moves way more water and better water flow. I am tempted to dump this overpriced fan and replace it with another 1k gyre. 

[A Little Blue]

8 hours ago, burtbollinger said:

once you have no cords in the tank, there's no new pump that would ever be cool enough to make me have a cord in the tank again.  no cord in tank is worth 50 bucks IMO

Not true. Had mp in the past (still do. In the box somewhere) and I don't miss that wire out of the tank "luxury". But the real reason for switch was failure of my last two Ecotech units.

1st, several years ago sparked out to the point that controller plastic partially melted. Second unit (there is a video in my journal thread) rusted our (wet side) so bad that it was unusable, not to mention destructive to the health of my tank. So forgive me for being bias but I have my reasons. 

(Auto correct on android tablet is really bad)

[burtbollinger]

56 minutes ago, A Little Blue said:

Not true. Had mp in the past (still do. In the box somewhere) and I don't miss that wire out of the tank "luxury". But the real reason for switch was failure of my last two Ecotech units.

1st, several years ago sparked out to the point that controller plastic partially melted. Second unit (there is a video in my journal thread) rusted our (wet side) so bad that it was unusable, not to mention destructive to the health of my tank. So forgive me for being bias but I have my reasons. 

(Auto correct on android tablet is really bad)

it's true for me.  I carefully used the words "me" and "IMO"

I'm running a pair of blue box OG MP10s running since @2008 (?).  I'll try the newer models (which could be garbage for all I know) IF Ecotech wants to send me a pair for T&E 😉 @EcoTech Marine

anyway, in use for over a decade...no rust or sparks yet (knock on wood).  The only thing I've had running longer with zero issue is the Tunze ATO.

 

YMMV

[A Little Blue]

33 minutes ago, burtbollinger said:

it's true for me.  I carefully used the words "me" and "IMO"

I'm running a pair of blue box OG MP10s running since @2008 (?).  I'll try the newer models (which could be garbage for all I know) IF Ecotech wants to send me a pair for T&E 😉 @EcoTech Marine

anyway, in use for over a decade...no rust or sparks yet (knock on wood).  The only thing I've had running longer with zero issue is the Tunze ATO.

 

YMMV

The electrical short that caused the meltdown was a bit freaky as it happened in front of my eyes. What caused it? No clue, water and electricity don’t mix so there is that. The rust wasn’t so obvious. 

To keep it short, during cleaning I noticed a tinny rust color patch between plastic base and rubber cover of the wet side that goes on the glass part towards the external motor part. Decided to take it apart and found magnet inside of the housing completely rusted out. Problem is, the pump would have been still in service for who knows how long. With all that rust leaching into the tank, problems could developed rather quickly. Keep in mind, tank is only 30 gallons. 

If you are happy with your ecotech pumps? Great, but I need a little more convincing to regain my trust in this product. These are my personal experiences so don’t take those to heart. There are thousands of happy ecotech user and they are one of the leading brands in this hobby. 

In my final statement, I would say this, don’t trust your equipment, whatever it is, no matter how reputable the company might be. It all fails at one point. Inspect your gear and replace it if in doubt. Even better, have a back up on hand in case of a failure. 

[Tamberav]

I have three mp10s from 2012 and they still going strong. My maxpsext gyre has had to have new parts after a year and the inside magnet rusted (must have not been sealed properly).

You can get lemons from any company. Nero is just too new to know if it will last so it's a gamble but I hope they work out as more choices is nice.

 

Reef2reef has a lot of complaints about the Nero but it's about the magnet. The thing is the size of a mp40 but the magnet is too weak and won't work on larger tanks with 1/2 glass as advertised. I am basically waiting for them to fix this before I try one. If nothing else I will learn about their customer service.

[A Little Blue]

17 minutes ago, Tamberav said:

I have three mp10s from 2012 and they still going strong. My maxpsext gyre has had to have new parts after a year and the inside magnet rusted (must have not been sealed properly).

You can get lemons from any company. Nero is just too new to know if it will last so it's a gamble but I hope they work out as more choices is nice.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not advocating for AI brand. I just need to take a breather from some bad experiences with ecotech. 

I’m watching this new Nero pump like a hawk. Lol 

I don’t trust any equipment period. They all fail at some point. Some ppl get lucky. I wasn’t one of them. 

The only time AI Nero stopped working was when a piece of rubble got stocked between propeller blade and the protective cage. But that’s the safety feature so no big deal. It will shot down the controller and prevent motor from burning out. Other then that, it has been a smooth ride so far. I might also add that this pump takes literally 5min to clean. Easy to take apart and plenty of room for toothbrush to get to. I had plenty various pumps. As far as cleaning, this one is at the top. If money is no issue and you are a big fan of no wires in the tank, go with ecotech but get a spare wet side. It will serve as a spare and when comes the cleaning/deep bath time for extended period of soaking time in vinegar, use the spare to keep your water moving.