Opinons in return pumps

[sbidny]

Why wouldn’t you go dc?

Generally, I want my return pump to be reliable more than anything else. There are a few reasons I feel AC pumps fit the bill more than DC pumps in this regard...

First, DC pumps typically have more failure points than AC pumps, including the controller and the power supply.

Second, DC pumps haven't been used in aquaria for as long as AC pumps, so there is just more data around the longevity of certain pumps / companies on the AC side.

Third, most DC pumps are made in China, with some notable (expensive) exceptions. While this in itself is not a indication of poor quality, it takes a lot of quality control to produce a pump of similar quality to AC pumps made in Italy and Germany.

Usually, I don't need the controllability in a return pump that I might need in a flow pump / powerhead, a closed loop, or even a skimmer pump.

I'm not saying that DC pumps are all bad. In fact, I think they are better than AC pumps for many applications. Some of them have similar reliability to AC pumps as well. And there is definitely a huge group of AC pumps that are junk.

At this time, however, given cost and the data available, I think AC pumps are usually the better option for a return pump.

 

[TaylorPilot]

Sicce Syncra for me. Cheapish, reliable, quiet...I don't see any benefit to a dc pump on a return, and the reliability for all except the very top models is suspect. On that tank I would probably go with a 3.0

 

[User1]

I use Neptune's Cor 15 for both skimmer and return. I won't recommend one vs. the other because there are a lot of different factors that you may need that I don't, etc. Anyway why I am posting though is if you have a skimmer and a return pump one trick I learned from others on this forum is to buy the same pump for both. That way if your return pump does fail you can take the skimmer offline and use it for the return until you replace or fix the broken one offline.

Minimum to no downtime if plumbed properly of course.

 

[Gareth elliott]

These are not major benefits, but
-DC pumps are quieter.
-decrease flow without need of valves.
- increase flow without need of a new pump. If you decide either to add volume to your system or increase distance of the sump to dt. Might just be able to dial up the return with a dc pump.
-Off with controller, either as maintenance or feed mode or simply dialing off. With decent wire management this point is null since just hit that outlet on a dj surge pad.

Either ac or dc a spare return pump in a closet is an eventual purchase to be made. I have had danner mag pumps fail once or twice over 15 years. Being able to just swap out makes that occurrence nearly painless.

 

[LbulletM]

Honestly, I just went Jebao. The new line of DC pumps works fabulously.

If it bites the dust, I have plenty of over capacity in my sump and it was cheap enough that I bought a back up. 2 pumps for less than the cost of a "better" pump.