DC Pumps: Best bang for your buck?

smartwater101 · Apr 8, 2019

Jomama said:
I don't even know what they cost, anybody know

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/a200-dc-controllable-pump-4-400-gph-abyzz.html

A200 DC CONTROLLABLE PUMP (4,400 GPH): $1,899.99

Water Dog · Apr 8, 2019

The A200 is almost a $2000 pump.

hatfielj · Apr 8, 2019

If you want complete SILENCE, can't beat a red dragon. The abyzz is probably similar. You pay for it though. It's also a much higher quality pump that will likely out last your current tank and several more tanks down the road.

rockskimmerflow · Apr 8, 2019

kyley said:
Calculate the cost of your electricity though. You'll probably find the expense is more than offset by the energy savings! That's why I just ordered a Jebao DCQ-10000 return pump.
--Kyle

Water moved/watt of power in a jebao DC pump vs. a quality AC pump like a fluval SP4 or SP6 is laughably negligible. In all likelihood the jebao is just moving a lot less water then it says on the box so mentally it seems like you're getting a lot more flow/watt but if you measured the flow between the two pumps in the same situation you'd see hardly any difference in relative wattage vs. flow volume.

Plus the AC pump costs only slightly more and will probably last 5+ years without much attention or maintenance at all. The same cannot be said for any DC pump in a price category below the red dragon or Abyzz offerings.

Lukas75 · Apr 8, 2019

rockskimmerflow said:
Water moved/watt of power in a jebao DC pump vs. a quality AC pump like a fluval SP4 or SP6 is laughably negligible. In all likelihood the jebao is just moving a lot less water then it says on the box so mentally it seems like you're getting a lot more flow/watt but if you measured the flow between the two pumps in the same situation you'd see hardly any difference in relative wattage vs. flow volume.

Plus the AC pump costs only slightly more and will probably last 5+ years without much attention or maintenance at all. The same cannot be said for any DC pump in a price category below the red dragon or Abyzz offerings.

I use the Sicce Syncra Pro pumps for this reason. I'm running two at this moment. I have not had one fail on me yet (knock on wood), the power consumption is comparable and it's quiet enough for my needs. But my needs might not be the same as others.

Dr. Dendrostein · Apr 8, 2019

smartwater101 said:
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/a200-dc-controllable-pump-4-400-gph-abyzz.html

A200 DC CONTROLLABLE PUMP (4,400 GPH): $1,899.99

I'll stick to Ehiem ac/dc pumps, 20+ years I have one going still

Mistahbrock · Apr 9, 2019

Hello SmartWater

I can highly recommend the Aquamedic DC Runner pumps, they can also be controlled via 0-10 volt from eg. an Apex or Profilux
controller

I had a couple of Jebao's and while they run great they have a tendency to develop an annoying constant high pitch tone over time.

Best regards, Brock

JS_racer · Apr 9, 2019

Jomama said:
I'll stick to Ehiem ac/dc pumps, 20+ years I have one going still

My eheim 1262 has been squirting water flawlessly for well over 12 years. still my 120g return

PYRU · Apr 9, 2019

rockskimmerflow said:
Water moved/watt of power in a jebao DC pump vs. a quality AC pump like a fluval SP4 or SP6 is laughably negligible. In all likelihood the jebao is just moving a lot less water then it says on the box so mentally it seems like you're getting a lot more flow/watt but if you measured the flow between the two pumps in the same situation you'd see hardly any difference in relative wattage vs. flow volume.

Plus the AC pump costs only slightly more and will probably last 5+ years without much attention or maintenance at all. The same cannot be said for any DC pump in a price category below the red dragon or Abyzz offerings.

It's not a huge difference in consumption I bet. However I've tested several jebaos along with a few friends they're on point with flow.

I think the difference will come in to play with abuse. I doubt a jebao can take a lot of neglect, but then again I've seen some that haven't been touched in yrs so who knows.

Reading about the robustness of the sp's is really appealing to the designer in me though. I've had my finger on the trigger for 2days on a sp4

vetteguy53081 · Apr 9, 2019

Jebao or Danner Supreme

ca1ore · Apr 9, 2019

kyley said:
Calculate the cost of your electricity though. You'll probably find the expense is more than offset by the energy savings! That's why I just ordered a Jebao DCQ-10000 return pump.
--Kyle

That depends entirely on your application, and the pump you choose. Take PanWorld, for example. Rock solid, good for a decade external AC pump, but much less efficient, right ….. or is it. PW50PX gives you 590 gph max for 90 watts, but the PW50PXX gives you 1,110 gph max for the same 90 watts. How can that be …… It's the design

. Same motor; but one pump with an impellar/volute designed for flow, the other with an impellar/volute designed for pressure. Ask the PXX to pump against pressure and like the Jebao (most cheap DC pumps are designed for flow), it will perform very poorly. Saying DC pumps are more efficient than AC is thus not useful without first considering the application. To further the example, picking a PW50PX for an application with low back pressure would be foolish. External AC pumps will be noisier, but they also add less heat to the system. Tradeoffs.

Even if a properly selected external AC is slightly less efficient in flow per watt than a more modern DC design, the replacement cycles will likely negate any electricity savings.

Jp195 · Apr 9, 2019

Reef octo. Various pumps dead silent and work awsome! Best bang for the buck out there.!!!! Fully adjustable and comes with a float switch and union fittings for hard line or soft. I just changed all my pumps over to them.

rockskimmerflow · Apr 9, 2019

PYRU said:
It's not a huge difference in consumption I bet. However I've tested several jebaos along with a few friends they're on point with flow.

I think the difference will come in to play with abuse. I doubt a jebao can take a lot of neglect, but then again I've seen some that haven't been touched in yrs so who knows.

Reading about the robustness of the sp's is really appealing to the designer in me though. I've had my finger on the trigger for 2days on a sp4

Brand new jebaos? Or ones that are over a year old? I'm just coming at it from a guy who must rely on pumps running the filtration systems for over 40 tanks in the field. Not having any tanks requiring an unscheduled call out for return pump issues is such peace of mind for me. Main pump failures in the field running a mix of iwaki, panworld, eheim 1262, and Fluval/Laguna pumps are next to none. It's probably been almost 2 years since I had a pump go out and that was because a client let it run dry for hours. FWIW worth I only pull the pumps for internal cleaning every 2 years and I still feel very confident.

The SP4 is a really good mid sized pump for tanks from about 60 gal all the way up to 180 gal IME. I don't think you'll be disappointed with it's performance.

Snoopy 67 · Apr 9, 2019

For a DC pump my choice would be Deepwater Aquatics.
I have seen the big one pump @ 29 ft head.

PYRU · Apr 9, 2019

rockskimmerflow said:
Brand new jebaos? Or ones that are over a year old? I'm just coming at it from a guy who must rely on pumps running the filtration systems for over 40 tanks in the field. Not having any tanks requiring an unscheduled call out for return pump issues is such peace of mind for me. Main pump failures in the field running a mix of iwaki, panworld, eheim 1262, and Fluval/Laguna pumps are next to none. It's probably been almost 2 years since I had a pump go out and that was because a client let it run dry for hours. FWIW worth I only pull the pumps for internal cleaning every 2 years and I still feel very confident.

The SP4 is a really good mid sized pump for tanks from about 60 gal all the way up to 180 gal IME. I don't think you'll be disappointed with it's performance.

Both. I believe you're right. I found one for $135. I couldn't turn down at that price

Westside Guy · Apr 10, 2019

Now that Ecotech has released the S2, M2 and L2 look for the prices to drop on the 1st generation of Vectra pumps. I have the S1 and think it is an excellent DC pump, it does the job and is really quiet!

PYRU · Apr 12, 2019

rockskimmerflow said:
Brand new jebaos? Or ones that are over a year old? I'm just coming at it from a guy who must rely on pumps running the filtration systems for over 40 tanks in the field. Not having any tanks requiring an unscheduled call out for return pump issues is such peace of mind for me. Main pump failures in the field running a mix of iwaki, panworld, eheim 1262, and Fluval/Laguna pumps are next to none. It's probably been almost 2 years since I had a pump go out and that was because a client let it run dry for hours. FWIW worth I only pull the pumps for internal cleaning every 2 years and I still feel very confident.

The SP4 is a really good mid sized pump for tanks from about 60 gal all the way up to 180 gal IME. I don't think you'll be disappointed with it's performance.

They told me your comission check is in the mail

wareagle · Apr 12, 2019

I have the eflux and while it is silent, the controller is probably why it's cheaper than the others. There's no feed mode and it has a dial to control the speed. It's a PIA to get it back to it's exact spot if you change it or accidentally bump it. You'll need to get some other part of the loop system to gain precise control of it and to have a feed mode, and even then it may still drift. It's more silent than my RO essence 130 skimmer as a comparison.