So I am looking into buying a 120 gal tank and have decided to go with a sump but don't know a whole lot about them or return pumps. I heard you need to flow 10x your water volume? Is this true and if so can anyone make any good suggestions on a pump I should look into. Thanks
return pump help
- Thread starter jwalsh
- Start date
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carey
Aquarium Advice Addict
The return pump size will be dictated by the amount the overflow can handle. 
You go from there....
You go from there....
mfdrookie516
Aquarium Free - 2+ Years
Are you going to do a glass-holes type kit, or an internal overflow? If you go glass-holes, I'd get their 1500gph kit, and do something around 1000-1200gph after headloss is calculated.
I was going to get an overflow box rated at 1200 gph but I know with head loss I will need a larger pump to turn that over. How do I calculate head loss? I know with a lot of pumps they tell the max head but other than that I have no clue
mfdrookie516
Aquarium Free - 2+ Years
This is a great tool - Head Loss Calculator
Just remember that you want a little wiggle room with your overflow. Make sure you have one that can handle more than your return pump, or dial back the return with a ball valve.
Just remember that you want a little wiggle room with your overflow. Make sure you have one that can handle more than your return pump, or dial back the return with a ball valve.
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That link you sent doesn't work... is it the one I found on reefcentral? The only issue I found with that is that It obviously doesn't have every pump out there and some of them aren't made anymore. Is there a formula to figure this out?
mfdrookie516
Aquarium Free - 2+ Years
I fixed the link. Yeah, it's the RC calculator. They don't have every pump made, but they've got a lot listed. Honestly, unless you with with some off the wall brand, they'll most likely have it on there. I'm not sure what kind of formula they're using to calculate it, but I'd imagine it's pretty complex.
iadubber
Aquarium Advice Freak
FYI your overflow only overflows what your pump is dialed in at. The 1500 gph just means max throughput. You don't need a 1500 gph pump.
mfdrookie516
Aquarium Free - 2+ Years
I'd look at something along the lines of a mag drive 18. With 3' head height, a few 90's, and a ball valve, it's going to push close to 1200gph. You don't *need* 10x turnover. You're going to have powerheads and such in there as well.
Thanks for the advice its really appreciate it. You guys on here are great. I would like to turn it over as much as possible just because I'm going to have my filter built into my sump and obviously have my Skimmer in there
So I've been doing some more research and from what I can tell the larger return pipe you use the better flow you get? And lose less psi? To me that doesn't make sense. Shouldn't the smaller pipe you use the less psi you lose? Just do to the fact that psi will rise faster because you are constricting the water flow. It does how ever make sense that the flow goes up with a larger pipe considering there is just more room for the water to flow. Idk let me know if I'm close. Thanks
