I’m a quirky reef hobbyist and as mentioned in earlier posts, I keep my reefs with ‘careful neglect‘. I like equipment that is quiet, reliable, and low maintenance. I’ve gone through countless skimmers and reactors to find ones that fit these criteria. I hate noise. Some might call it OCD, but I fixate on repetitive noises – they drives me crazy. Given these quirks, many would argue that I’m in the wrong hobby. They’re probably right. since I’ve gone to great lengths to ensure my tanks are quiet.
I love my first generation Tunze 6100s molded in the original Tunze ‘brown’, these old school prop pumps have served me tremendously well for years. They have been silent, low upkeep, and reliable. So when Tunze sent me their updated 6105, it had big expectations to fill. These pumps have been out for quite a while, but I thought they deserved a review in light of some of the recent revisions.
The Tunze 6105 comes with a pump, bracket, magnet holder, 3 different jumper voltage options, and an additional “Wide Flow” Propellor housing. There’s no doubt the controversial prop pump review raised some concerns with the original 6105, but the inclusion of the “Wide Flow” housing and additional jumpers was a commendable remedy. The fact that they still include the original housing and two jumpers(12V and 18V) is a nice gesture.
The 12V maxes out to 1,849GPH at 11W, 18V is 2,639GPH at 22W, and the 24V gets you 3,430GPH at 35W. Changing between them is a breeze. There is also a speed adjustment knob on the power supply. The power supply has the option of adding a backup battery or a controller(like the Tunze 7096). Coming from a first generation 6100, I was quite impressed at how much smaller this power supply is in comparison.
The pump bracket mounts to the magnet via blue silicone dampeners, and eliminate any vibration noise. The round pump and C-bracket allow you to swivel the flow in any direction. This design change is a huge step from the original 6100s.
So what about dislikes? Some folks find them to be a bit bulky in the display. Compared to an EcoTech Vortech, there is definitely more to see in the tank. However, the motor of a Vortech mounted to the outside would be distractive as well. The external portion of the Tunze magnet is thin and unassuming. I’m also more concerned with noise than bulk.
Some of the Vortechs I have encountered in person are a tad louder than the Tunzes. I have zero experience with Vortech pumps, so it may just be that the ones I’ve heard were not aligned properly. But the Tunzes are absolutely silent. My filtration is in the basement, and my lights don’t run fans often. Therefore, the slightest hum would be noticeable on my reef. When I plugged the 6105 in, I had to put my hand in front of it to confirm it was on.
I’ve had the 6105 running for a month now, and it’s definitely a great upgrade for those still running the old school 6100 bricks. I plan to replace the other 6100s in the near future. I’ve also got the Tunze running with a really cool third party accessory that I will review soon. Talk about random flow!
