Return Pump Flow Question
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PapaDragon
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That is kind of my issue. I read you need to have a minimum 10x, but too much hurts the skimmer. What's too much?
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as for the skimmer, it will pull out what it can based on its internal/external pump and I personally don't think that's a factor in return pump choice.
steve&mari
Blessed Reefer
Totally agree with this and the pump mentioned should be fine depending on head pressure and such figured into it.
scardall
2500 Club Member
FYI 5X in minimum . For me 10X pushes it. I use multiple pumps all around the tank to customize flow where it is needed. A valve on return line will let you tune your sysytem to your needs.
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PapaDragon
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I was always told 10x, but my current return pump might be getting me around 4x which I don't feel is enough.
mfinn
likes zoanthids
Many feel that 3x to 5x is good.
IMO save that 6000gph pump for a closed loop.
IMO save that 6000gph pump for a closed loop.
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PapaDragon
Valuable Member
Wow! That definitely goes against prevailing practice.
There are many ways to run a reef tank but I've been low return for a long time. Your return has head pressure which means flow comes at the expense of power. I prefer to have low turnover on my return but in tank I'm about 80x per hour via tunze streams.
mfinn
likes zoanthids
slower flow is definitely not against prevailing practice.
It can be done either way.
I know people that like a high powered pump as a return and 28 years ago ( when I got my first drilled tank) I thought it was what I wanted. But have gone the other way after dealing with a few issues, that were solved with a slower flow through the sump.
I do have approx. 7000+ gph flow inside the tank with a closed loop and VorTech pump.
The first consideration is the size of your overflow plumbing, i.e. a one inch pipe has a "safe" rating of about 600 gph, so after calculating head loss for your particular system you shouldn't use a pump that will cause more flow than the overflow can handle(or use a valve/bypass to divert some back into the sump/fuge). If you have a double overflow then you can go up to 1200gph. Next would be the amount of flow you want going through your sump or fuge. The flow you need in your DT should be provided primarily by your circulating pumps, i.e. VorTech, Tunze, etc.
ss95003
Active Member
I'm on the lower return rate side as well. And 10 years ago I would have said reeflo pumps where great. But now with the power and heat savings of a DC pump no way would I use a reeflo any more. You can get a ecotech L1 and IMO that's more then enough flow for sump, less energy use and I assume less heat transfer I don't own one so not sure in heat transfer.
scardall
2500 Club Member
Part of having 10X or more was to drive other filter units such as a protein skimmer,reactor/s and or UV's. Heaver the bio load would req. more filtration thus more flow to do it. I also believe part of the flow is to be used to keep the whole tank in motion. So if you supplement with other pumps and filtration that coms with it's own pump,you now can use a return pump of a smaller size.
I think of a return pump a little differently, I'm just moving water to the sump to be cleaned so 4x is fine for me. The vortex pumps in my tank make the flow patterns that the coral need along with keeping the junk off the sand.
mfinn
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