Pump size

Hyprviperx · Nov 7, 2011

i am upgrading my current 45 gallon reef tank to a 90 gallon reef tank. I used cannister filters on my old tank but have a sump for the new one. i was going to buy a new pump for the 90 but i am not sure what brand to get. i need some help/ opinions, im thinking either a mag drive, a sicce syncra quiet, or other (and your recommendation). thanks all for the help

kracer1025 · Nov 7, 2011

Eheim 1260 would be my recommendation. I have 1 on my 90 and it works great and is nice and quiet.

fish&corals · Nov 7, 2011

i would go with a MAG 12 IMO .. i have 3 mag pumps right now a mag 7 runs my wifes 65 gallon mag 24 on my main reef and a mag 5 to mix my salt in my trash can ..

Hyprviperx · Nov 7, 2011

thanks for the info, keep the votes /rec. coming. love to hear what everyone thinks and why

mainereefer · Nov 7, 2011

mag pumps cost allot to run. and some are very noisy

I just put a rio 26hyper drive on my tank and love it! less power,pumps more and cost less than the mag

rio got a bad name because of its power cords cracking and killing your whole tank about 10years ago, a problem they fixed.

Hyprviperx · Nov 7, 2011

mainereefer said:
mag pumps cost allot to run. and some are very noisy

I just put a rio 26hyper drive on my tank and love it! less power and pumps more

rio got a bad name because of its power cords cracking and killing your whole tank about 10years ago, a problem they fixed.

interesting info , i will check into it, yah i had steered clear because i had heard the bad press about rio... if the problems fixed and the opperating cost is lower then its def a candidate

mainereefer · Nov 7, 2011

*hyperflow

you could probably use a smaller hyperflow pump, the 26 I have is almost to much for my 180g

they used to have flat cords that would dry and crack, believe me I got zapped good. now they are the same as any other pump

VegasRick · Nov 7, 2011

The 26 is only about 1140g per hour at 6 ft, IMO thats a bit low for a 180.

Hyprviperx · Nov 7, 2011

VegasRick said:
The 26 is only about 1140g per hour at 6 ft, IMO thats a bit low for a 180.

do you think the rio HF 20, at around 990 @4ft head, would be enough flow for the 90 gal reef with about 10-12 fish total (i have about 8 small fish now, would like a few anthias added once tank is larger), i also have some corals LPS (chalice, acans) SPS (acro, milli) softies(Z/P's, shrooms) and Fungia plate

Hyprviperx · Nov 7, 2011

bump for more results

mainereefer · Nov 7, 2011

Hyprviperx said:
do you think the rio HF 20, at around 990 @4ft head, would be enough flow for the 90 gal reef with about 10-12 fish total (i have about 8 small fish now, would like a few anthias added once tank is larger), i also have some corals LPS (chalice, acans) SPS (acro, milli) softies(Z/P's, shrooms) and Fungia plate

hf 20 is plenty for a 90g

I have a 180g rr tank with 2 - 1" drains and they can hardly keep up with the 26 with around 4' head

Hyprviperx · Nov 7, 2011

awesome, thanks for the info and prompt responses... i may have to check the prices around town for the rio, i like to support my LFS' so ill check them before i hit the web

anyone else is free to chime in whenever keep the results coming

AZDesertRat · Nov 7, 2011

Ocean Runner or Eheim, both are very efficient, do not produce the heat a Mag or Quiet One does, do not have restart problems like the Quiet Ones and are reasonably affordable for what you get. If you have a little higher budget the Water Blasters are worthy of consideration due to their power savings alone.

Hyprviperx · Nov 7, 2011

AZDesertRat said:
Ocean Runner or Eheim, both are very efficient, do not produce the heat a Mag or Quiet One does, do not have restart problems like the Quiet Ones and are reasonably affordable for what you get. If you have a little higher budget the Water Blasters are worthy of consideration due to their power savings alone.

ocean runner and water blasters ill def check into, i think the eheim i saw was around $170 i think from marine depot

i have heard of the heat issue before with the mag drives, anyone with mags have any input on this subject?

VegasRick · Nov 7, 2011

There are a lot of different opinions and no hard set rules. On my 500 I have 3200gph pump and think its too little. A lot depends on your system, is this going to provide a large percentage of flow or are you going to be using power heads and how many. The gph rating should probably be equal to or larger than the skimmer flow rate.

Hyprviperx · Nov 8, 2011

no this is only for returning the water, ill have 3 power heads (2 koralia, 1 rotating) to move the water until i can move up to a couple mp40s or a 10 and a 40

Hyprviperx · Nov 8, 2011

anyone else have any input?

mainereefer · Nov 8, 2011

with all the power heads you plan on using I would use a smaller pump for the return gives the skimmer in the sump more time to do its thing

Hyprviperx · Nov 8, 2011

mainereefer said:
with all the power heads you plan on using I would use a smaller pump for the return gives the skimmer in the sump more time to do its thing

sorry, i should have mentioned they will be on a wavemaker so they wont all be on at the same time... also having 2 mp40 is more of a fantasy for me, it would take me forever to save enough for one let alone two haha... who knows maybe ill win one in one of these contests on here. thanks again Maine for all the info and keeping the thread going:bigsmile: