return pump brands

[Littlesquishy]

Hello! I'm currently looking for a return pump for my 75 gallon mixed reef tank. I have found some brands like reeflo, royal exclusiv, syncra, eheim's water pump, and etc. Looking around I found prices I thought were reasonable. Browsing around the forum I found other brands like hygger, jabao, and hydor seltz. What other brands of return pumps are there?

If a mod comes across this post maybe a future suggestion would be to have a master list of brands for each kind of equipment a saltwater tank would benefit from. That would cut down on the time search forums that vaguely mention the brand.

 

[blaxsun]

Abyzz, EcoTech, Innovative Marine, Neptune, Sicce... Google is your friend. There’s dozens of brands of pumps, each with a variety of types, specifications, etc.

For example, do you want an AC or DC pump? Controllable, wireless, programmable? Is it for an external or AIO sump? What dimensions (space) do you have to work with? How many gallons per hour does it need to deliver? How many 45/90 degree elbows are there? How many horizontal and vertical feet does the pump need to deliver through?

Is ease-of-use important? What about maintenance and cleaning? Warranty? And most importantly, budget. You haven’t even begun to provide any information other than your tank size, which is akin to saying “I like fish.”

 

[WheatToast]

Reef Octopus?

 

[outhouse]

DC returns will save you more money then the best AC pumps in electricity savings. And they are controllable as stated above. Most pumps come from china so even name brands in DC pumps do not have the best reliability, but still the best choice. Never had a jebao fail yet and at their low price you can buy a back up and still be a head of the game.

 

[outhouse]

Reef Octopus?

they used to have terrible pumps, their aquatrance skimmer pumps ok but just OK their DC pumps same as Jebao

 

[Littlesquishy]

For example, do you want an AC or DC pump? Controllable, wireless, programmable? Is it for an external or AIO sump? What dimensions (space) do you have to work with? How many gallons per hour does it need to deliver? How many 45/90 degree elbows are there? How many horizontal and vertical feet does the pump need to deliver through?

Is ease-of-use important? What about maintenance and cleaning? Warranty? And most importantly, budget. You haven’t even begun to provide any information other than your tank size, which is akin to saying “I like fish.”

do you want an AC or DC pump?
- DC pump since I have heard they are quieter than AC

Controllable, wireless, programmable?
-I'm open to all three options

Is it for an external or AIO sump?
-There is a sump and I am open to internal or external. I have heard internal can leak current or electricity in the water. So that is concerning.

What dimensions (space) do you have to work with?
-The sump is a standard 29 gallon tank (30" x 12" x18"). I'm planning to order a sump kit from modular marine.

How many gallons per hour does it need to deliver?
- Mixed reef tank so i'm aiming for 750 gallons per hour.

How many 45/90 degree elbows are there?
-Theres no plumbing planned yet. I was going to wing it after purchasing pvc pipes. I am aware 45 degrees is ideal in plumbing.

How many horizontal and vertical feet does the pump need to deliver through?
-I'm not sure on horizontal feet maybe less than 1.5 ft. Horizontal distance it would need to pump about 44 inches to 40 inches. I'm not sure if I should go with one or two return outlets.

Characteristics of a pump are a priority for me is:
-Quiet as can be, durability, maintenance and cleaning. Warranty is not important but its an indicator for me for product's quality.

Budget
-Under 250$ to start off. I. I am just looking to start up the tank and cycle. In the future I may be open for a better pump

I understand I did not provide much information to begin with. I was after brands so I can shop around and compare specifications. I'm looking to start the tank in the near future so the budget isn't high. I was going for cheap to work and upgrade quality in the future. The most brand selection I have seen was on the brs website. I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing viable options by asking about brands they have tried or haven't heard of.

 

[blaxsun]

My 160-gallon tank has a Sicce SDC 9.0 return pump delivering about 750Gph @45%, so 750Gph in a 75-gallon tank is probably going to be like a tornado in there. 3-5x turnover is generally recommended for a return pump.

I’d look at something like a Sicce SDC 3.0. That tops out at around 792Gph, but it will be a lot less based on the plumbing. DC, wireless, programmable. 5-year warranty. Super easy to setup and extremely quiet. Easy cleaning and maintenance. The electrical cost savings over an AC equivalent will pay for itself in a year.

 

[Gtinnel]

do you want an AC or DC pump?
- DC pump since I have heard they are quieter than AC

Controllable, wireless, programmable?
-I'm open to all three options

Is it for an external or AIO sump?
-There is a sump and I am open to internal or external. I have heard internal can leak current or electricity in the water. So that is concerning.

What dimensions (space) do you have to work with?
-The sump is a standard 29 gallon tank (30" x 12" x18"). I'm planning to order a sump kit from modular marine.

How many gallons per hour does it need to deliver?
- Mixed reef tank so i'm aiming for 750 gallons per hour.

How many 45/90 degree elbows are there?
-Theres no plumbing planned yet. I was going to wing it after purchasing pvc pipes. I am aware 45 degrees is ideal in plumbing.

How many horizontal and vertical feet does the pump need to deliver through?
-I'm not sure on horizontal feet maybe less than 1.5 ft. Horizontal distance it would need to pump about 44 inches to 40 inches. I'm not sure if I should go with one or two return outlets.

Characteristics of a pump are a priority for me is:
-Quiet as can be, durability, maintenance and cleaning. Warranty is not important but its an indicator for me for product's quality.

Budget
-Under 250$ to start off. I. I am just looking to start up the tank and cycle. In the future I may be open for a better pump

I understand I did not provide much information to begin with. I was after brands so I can shop around and compare specifications. I'm looking to start the tank in the near future so the budget isn't high. I was going for cheap to work and upgrade quality in the future. The most brand selection I have seen was on the brs website. I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing viable options by asking about brands they have tried or haven't heard of.

BRS will carry almost every middle to high end brands of equipment. They tend to shy away from the cheaper Chinese knock offs. I have been using a Jebao return pump for several years now and it has not had any issues. You will find many people online who hate Jebao power heads, but rarely are there any complaints with their return pumps. For your budget you could get two and keep one as a back up.

 

[blaxsun]

A lot of people shy away from the Chinese knockoffs just on general principal. It’s called theft for a reason.

 

[Gtinnel]

A lot of people shy away from the Chinese knockoffs just on general principal. It’s called theft for a reason.

I'll absolutely agree that jebao has knocked off several brands of powerheads, but for return pumps there really isn't much innovation to rip off, they're mostly all the same design..more or less.
I can understand if that causes you to boycott the entire brand, but for many it doesnt.

 

[blaxsun]

I'll absolutely agree that jebao has knocked off several brands of powerheads, but for return pumps there really isn't much innovation to rip off, they're mostly all the same design..more or less.
I can understand if that causes you to boycott the entire brand, but for many it doesnt.

I’ll stick to European made, any day of the week. You get what you pay for. I have a pair of Sicce SDC pumps, and with the money saved on electricity I put it into spare impellers.

 

[Littlesquishy]

After some comparison I'm gonna go with jabao for now since the objective is to get the tank running so it can cycle. Its just a crutch and if it ever craps out i'll probably go for another water pump. I'm eyeing Sicce's wifi pumps they don't seem bad now after learning about 3x - 5x return pump flow.

I do understand some chinese companies have done some shady things. Its not good but I got to make my money stretch for me. @blaxsun thank you for the tid bit of knowledge. I wasn't aware return pump rule of thumb was 3x - 5x of display tank.

 

[blaxsun]

3-5x for return pumps, 10-20x for wavemakers (that’s total flow divided by the # of wavemakers). These are only general guidelines; many reef tank owners will deviate from these based on their own unique circumstances. Good luck!

 

[workhz]

Tunze. Keep an eye out for amazon warehouse deals too. I got my 1073.050 pretty cheap. $121 earlier this year vs current retail of $215.

 

[chiefifd]

I love my Eheim return pumps. I use them for my water return, skimmer (both 1262, rated at 900gph), and water change pump (1048). Eheim pumps have been running without a hiccup for the last 6 years. One of the 1262's I had on a fresh water tank and that one is at least 10 years old. My Eheim 1048 is 15 years old, it sits in my water change tank and simply turns on every time its time to change water. The only thing I've done is removed the sponge from the pumps and occasional cleaning, the only thing I've replaced is the O-Rings a few times.

 

[Littlesquishy]

@chiefifd I love Eheim brand. I got a question, did you drill your return? I'm trying to figure out what bulk head to choose and how many I should have.

 

[JMetaxas]

I’m running two Jebao DC pumps, the 6000 and 10000 models. I‘m quite happy with them.

 

[chiefifd]

@chiefifd I love Eheim brand. I got a question, did you drill your return? I'm trying to figure out what bulk head to choose and how many I should have.

I have a 90-gallon acrylic tank with a LifeReef overflow. I believe the LifeReef runs about 600 GPM thru it, it's been running for 6 years without an issue. Restarting after power outages, maintenance, or whatever without any issues.
I know many here don't trust overflows, I've never experienced an issue with the LifeReef, just keep adequate water flow thru the u-tube, don't try to run it with a slow flow. That would/could allow air to accumulate in the tube and lose suction.
Good luck with whatever you decide on!

 

[DavidinGA]

I have a 90g and run a Mag 7; it's dead silent and pretty much bulletproof. Found it on sale new for $68 recently too.

 

[Schraufabagel]

Sicce are definitely some of the most popular