Return pump for 180g DT with basement sump

[itgoeson]

Planning an upgrade build… can anyone recommend a return pump for a 180G DT with a 75G basement sump? I’m looking at Reeflo Hammerhead, Ecotech L2, and ReefBreeders DCA12,000. Do I need dual returns though?? Any thoughts on those models in terms of energy consumption and reliability? Other suggestions? I’m not concerned about noise as it’ll be in the basement. Thank you!

 

[blaxsun]

Sicce SDC 9.0. With utility costs going through the roof, you want a DC pump now more than ever. I have the 9 on my 160-gallon system (40-gallon sump) and it pumps up 5ft and runs @45% (probably giving me 600-650Gph).

5-year warranty, rock solid customer support from Sicce and spare impellers and parts are easy to source. I have two SDCs and zero issues so far.

 

[Camaro Show Corals]

Planning an upgrade build… can anyone recommend a return pump for a 180G DT with a 75G basement sump? I’m looking at Reeflo Hammerhead, Ecotech L2, and ReefBreeders DCA12,000. Do I need dual returns though?? Any thoughts on those models in terms of energy consumption and reliability? Other suggestions? I’m not concerned about noise as it’ll be in the basement. Thank you!

How high and long of head pressure? I have a Abyzz A400 but it’s gonna run about 35 feet of head pressure

 

[outhouse]

Jebao dcp 10000. 120 bucks 18 feet of head pressure. Been running mine for 5 years in basement running 40 to 50 watts. Money savings in AC is awesome

 

[itgoeson]

How high and long of head pressure? I have a Abyzz A400 but it’s gonna run about 35 feet of head pressure

Roughly 10 feet and just about directly below DT.

 

[itgoeson]

Jebao dcp 10000. 120 bucks 18 feet of head pressure. Been running mine for 5 years in basement running 40 to 50 watts. Money savings in AC is awesome

Wow that is much cheaper than the Sicce, which was looking like the frontrunner - why is it so much cheaper? No warranty?

 

[outhouse]

Wow that is much cheaper than the Sicce, which was looking like the frontrunner - why is it so much cheaper? No warranty?

Nope ebay. I bought a second for back up and never needed it. They are a quality pump as good as any other DC pump.

 

[outhouse]

Tricks are elevate your sump on bricks. Andcrun inch and a quarter pvc through floor before using a Y with one inch pvc going to each side. Then use your 1 X 3/4 reducer.

 

[Snoopy 67]

A better option is to put the sump up on a bench, thus reducing head by 3' and making any work needed much easier on the body.

 

[jda]

Jeabo pumps are known to be short lived. For every one that makes it a while, there are a dozen that do not. They also steal patents and sell without a US or EU presence to avoid legal action - some don't care about this if they can get a cheap pump and some do, but it happens none the less. The other DC pump manufacturers that you see for sale in the US don't steal, although some of them share the same patents and design with just different houses and colors. I cannot support Jeabo at all after almost losing a company to Chinese IP theft and nearly costing the investments and careers of 20 people, so I just like to mention it, but not everybody cares about this... so take it for what it is worth.

I would avoid most DC pumps for head applications outside of Abyzz and Red Dragon, but they are super expensive. Askoll block AC pumps do not use a ton of power and if you can get that head down to 7-8 feet if you raise up your sump, then there are a bunch that can do the job. I have used Laguna Max Flow for basement sumps but more like 12-13 feet of head (Fluval are good too) - they are not high wattage and are decade-long reliable type of pumps. To me, the return pump needs to be the most reliable part of my tank, so even a company that abides by fair trade and intellectual property laws do not have pumps that are good enough for me. If the first DC pump that came out was still running, and it probably is not, it would still not be long enough to call them reliable compared to Askoll based pumps.

There are the super reliable external PanWorld, BlueLine and Iwaki pumps, but with so little head, I would avoid there. The smaller ones are less than 100 watts, but overkill for less than 10 feet of head. These excel at super high head applications, but I would not use them for your setup unless you just want the most reliable thing out there.

 

[jda]

I run single 1.5" returns from my larger tanks to sumps. I have 2" in one. I do not have any noise issues with my tanks in family rooms, so I just run straight pipes and stuff. These can handle massive amounts of GPH with nothing but gravity. I prefer external durso which makes them pretty quiet - I have also used straight standpipe in tanks right up against the wall. I use a single return over the top with a siphon break right under the water line. On a 180g, 1000 GPH, or so, would be enough for me - I would choose a pump near this number and just live with whatever it is.

 

[Jubei2006]

If you're looking at reeflo......look at the MRC version. About the same price and they fixed the reeflos problem of failed seals. Guess they got tired of reeflos leaking too

 

[Jubei2006]

I use a reeflo hammerhead on my 525 for the sump return. In a basement as well. Also remember none of the pumps are designed to both pump water out of a sump (if elevated above on a table) and then pump up a floor.

 

[JGT]

Sicce SDC 9.0. With utility costs going through the roof, you want a DC pump now more than ever. I have the 9 on my 160-gallon system (40-gallon sump) and it pumps up 5ft and runs @45% (probably giving me 600-650Gph).

5-year warranty, rock solid customer support from Sicce and spare impellers and parts are easy to source. I have two SDCs and zero issues so far.

+1 for Sicce. I have a basement sump pumping up around 12 feet and over around 10 feet. 2 returns, each one split into 4 so 8 returns in total for a 240 gallon. Very energy efficient and 0 problems.

 

[jda]

As discussed above, I have never had a ReeFlo get to two years without leaking, having bearing problems and even had one literally catch on fire. There are more efficient ways to get water up a level from a return pump, but if larger flow pumps are on your mind, then AmpMaster has been great for decades. I have not used the MRC pumps. Hammerhead is a lot of watts to do this job, IMO... like any of these kind of pumps.

 

[outhouse]

Jeabo pumps are known to be short lived. For every one that makes it a while, there are a dozen that do not. They also steal patents and sell without a US or EU presence to avoid legal action - some don't care about this if they can get a cheap pump and some do, but it happens none the less. The other DC pump manufacturers that you see for sale in the US don't steal, although some of them share the same patents and design with just different houses and colors. I cannot support Jeabo at all after almost losing a company to Chinese IP theft and nearly costing the investments and careers of 20 people, so I just like to mention it, but not everybody cares about this... so take it for what it is worth.

I would avoid most DC pumps for head applications outside of Abyzz and Red Dragon, but they are super expensive. Askoll block AC pumps do not use a ton of power and if you can get that head down to 7-8 feet if you raise up your sump, then there are a bunch that can do the job. I have used Laguna Max Flow for basement sumps but more like 12-13 feet of head (Fluval are good too) - they are not high wattage and are decade-long reliable type of pumps. To me, the return pump needs to be the most reliable part of my tank, so even a company that abides by fair trade and intellectual property laws do not have pumps that are good enough for me. If the first DC pump that came out was still running, and it probably is not, it would still not be long enough to call them reliable compared to Askoll based pumps.

There are the super reliable external PanWorld, BlueLine and Iwaki pumps, but with so little head, I would avoid there. The smaller ones are less than 100 watts, but overkill for less than 10 feet of head. These excel at super high head applications, but I would not use them for your setup unless you just want the most reliable thing out there.

You have no experience and are anti jebao, your advise biased and just mean. They are as good as any other DC pump and your full of crap when you state so many fail. VECTRA. Has many failures but I have not read a recent jebao failure post in a long time, and by far more people use jebao then any other brand

 

[outhouse]

I ran an iwaki for 15 years and the DC pump paid for itself in a year in electricity bill savings. Using killawatt I'm around 50 Watts. The Iwaki almost triple that. Bad thing about AC pumps is you cannot regulate them or turn them down. They run full blast. You can run a gate valve but that's just wasting electricity.

 

[outhouse]

I have 2 jebaos currently one for basement pump and the other on my calcium reactor. Magically according to haters I have a combined 9 years of use with zero problems.

 

[jda]

You better believe that I am anti-jebao. Have I ever said otherwise? I spent a lot of sleepless nights almost losing a company to Chinese IP theft, lots of money on lawyers to no avail and in the end we just kinda got lucky to get out of it. If you want to support this then go ahead, but don't pretend to care about US or EU companies or complain about how much their things cost when Jeabo can just steal what they did, cut into their market share and drive up costs. I can respect people more who just say that they don't care as long they can get a cheap pump - at least they are honest. I do know a lot about this having lived through it and also having some long chats with a few manufactures who have had their IP stolen and you can bet that they know how much it has cost them in jobs, money and new development. If you are ever at MACNA, ask a few of them on the floor that make similar products... but they might tell you things that you don't want to hear... it might be hard to know that when you buy a Jeabo product, you hurt an American or European company and their workers. Some people care about these things and want to know - I am writing to them and not the ones who do not care. Go ahead and say that I am upset or crying like some people like to post - I don't care. It is harder to stand for something than not, so I will take it with pride.

When I ran my Laguna 2400 it was like 92 watts dialed back a bit with the head. At 40 watts savings over 24 hours and 30 days at 10 cents per kWh here in Colorado is like 29 cents a month over the 50w Jeabo 10000. AC pumps do turn slower and use less wattage when throttled back. They never have been the power hogs that people claim unless you just choose poorly. I chose well and to replace my Laguna 2400 with a $125 Jeabo that costs $3.50 less a year would take 35 years to pay off. Electricity is cheap here.

 

[lumpadelic]

I have a 75g basement sump hooked up to my 90g DT and the echotech L2 couldn't provide the flow I needed (I had one on hand from my last build). I got an abyzz a400 and couldn't be happier. I put in a manifold and it powers a refugium, frag tank, chiller/uv, media reactor and plenty of flow to tank at 90%. The price tag hurts, but I sleep well at night.