return pump

[BBReef]

i was reading some posts on pumps and have a similar question. right now i have a rio 2100 for a 60 gal tank with about 4 feet of piping. recently the pump started crapping out on me after only about 6 months of use, and there is little movement and my corals look like they are suffering. i put in an extra powerhead to help but now i am looking for a new pump. what pump would be sufficient for my needs? how many gph should i get with 4 feet of piping? any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. thanks

would 951 gph be too much?

[captivereefs]

How big is the drain line? That is your determining factor.

[loganj]

To replace the Rio, assuming you intend to go with another submersible pump, my suggestion would be either a Danner Mag 7 or a Dolphin DP-650. Either of these pumps has close to the same rating as the Rio and are much more reliable. As far as going to a larger pump, as Darin mentioned, we'll need to know the size of your overflow...both the size of the drain line and the U tube. As an example, assuming there are 2 elbows in the line and 4' of pipe, the Mag 7 should give you around 400 gph.

[BBReef]

i believe my drain pipe is 1 1/2 inces. i dont have an overflow, just a bulkhead fitting at the top of the tank. i want to DIY one but am a little weary of doing it. i wouldnt mind a submersible or in-line, i just thought in-lines were more powerful than i needed. i would really like the return pump to be the main source of movement, i dont like the look of a bunch of powerheads and chords in the tank. i havnt yet but i am going to have three splitters on the return and have them pointing in different directions. the recomendation is 600 gph correct? is it bad to do more? how many gph on average do you subtract for 4' of pipe? sorry about all the questions, i just want to do it right this time. thanks again. :P

[loganj]

I'm not sure, with a bulkhead, exactly how much flow it will carry. I'm thinking you can up the flow some, but I'm not sure how much.
The inline pumps are much better although they are more expensive. You can get them down to around 400 gph. A Blueline 30HD is rated 590 gph @ 4' head and will cost you around $130.00. A Little Giant 2-MDQX is rated at 640 gph @ 3' head and runs about $100.00.
As far as figuring the head loss, that is a rather complicated equation to get an accurate figure. The easiest way to do it is measure your pipe, add one foot of head for every elbow, and look up the flow chart for the pump you're looking at. A pressure rated pump will experience less of a loss than a circulation rated pump.
Another option, if you wanted more circulation and don't like the looks of the powerheads, is to set up a closed loop. This is basically an external pump with the intake and return plumbed into the tank. They work well and there is little chance of a leak.

[daveNandi]

We have an Eheim 1260 (635 gph) with which we are happy (so far we're new to this). Eheim came highly recommended by LFS. There are also a 1262 (900 GPH) and 1264 (1200 GPH) available. On the box there's a graph of output vs height. for the 1260 I'd guess 80% of max at 1 meter, 1262 75%, and 1264 70% though the graph is hard to read precisely. I imagine similar info is available on other manufacturers websites.

Good luck

[captivereefs]

a 1 1/2 dia pipe will flow a max of 1400 GPH under perfect conditions. Just make sure that you are talking about ID and not the OD of the pipe. Take a look at the sea swirls for a return. The return line hooks up to them and they alectronically rotate 90 degrees about every 2 minutes! They work really nice and remove powerheads from your tank. For a nice inexsensive return pump I would recomend the Gen-X pumps.

[BBReef]

does anyone use a quiet one pump or know anything about them??

[jamal-188]

Originally Posted by BBReef

does anyone use a quiet one pump or know anything about them??

I haven't used one but I've read that people do recommend them. They seem to be a pretty reliable pump at a decent price.