Return Pump on a 120G

krasor · Oct 7, 2019

Hey,

I'm building a new 120g set up. Time for an upgrade

! The plan is that the 120 Gallon goes in my living room which shares a wall with the garage. I will put the 55 Gallon sump (insulated a bit to not lose or gain heat) and other equipment in the garage on the other side of the wall. Now this means the return distance from my sump to the top of my tank in the living room would be about 6.5 ft because the garage floor is about 3 ft lower. I'm not quite sure how to calculate the GPH I would need for the correct flow. I always like the Danner Mag Pumps but wasn't sure which one to get. Any help in deciding my return pump would be appreciated!

Thanks,

Kyle

jda · Oct 7, 2019

Mag 9.5 or 12 are enough. 5x to 8x turnover easily.

If you are looking at other brands, Laguna or Fluval are really reliable too.

Blue Spot Octopus · Oct 8, 2019

What type of overflow do you have? Is it a high flow type?

mfinn · Oct 8, 2019

Tunze, Sicce, Fluval are all very dependable pumps and usually a little quieter than mag pumps.
But since your sump is in the garage, it may not matter.
IMO the 9.5 might not be enough and the 12 would probably require a valve to slow it down somewhat.

Dom · Oct 8, 2019

Is 6.5 feet distance to the tank or the head hight (which is vertical)?

Head height is probably the most important detail, in my opinion.

Personally, I am a big fan of the Dinner pump. I have a Mag 5 running in a 33 long. It has been running in the setup about 8 years and only had to change the impeller one time. Reliable and simple.

krasor · Oct 8, 2019

The tank is an Aqueon Mega Flow, it will have two overflow boxes (I believe its "High Flow"). The height (vertical piping) alone is 6.5 feet plus about two feet or so in horizontal plumbing.

I was found which is a Current USA eFlux pump. I saw that it comes in 1900GPH but can be adjusted down to about 1000GPH. In your opinion, would this be a better option? Get more than I need and adjust it down accordingly?

I'll also check out the Tunze, Sicce, and Fluval pumps, thanks!

mfinn · Oct 8, 2019

You really don't need anymore than 600gph flow back through the sump.
If noise really isn't a consideration a mag 12 with a valve would be plenty of pump.
Mag pumps are known for long lasting, but they are also a bit loud compared to the others I mentioned.

krasor · Oct 8, 2019

I forgot to mention, I will also have a 55 gallon water barrell that water will be going through before reaching the 55 gallon sump. The barrel will be filled with live rock for additional filtration (It will not be preasurized). Didn't know if that would make a difference or not. All together the water volume of my system will be about 200 gallons minus the displacement from rock and sand.

bdare · Oct 15, 2019

Ehiem 1292. I ran this pump on my 120 for years. Rock solid dependibility and enough flow after head loss.

Hilltopreef · Oct 25, 2019

I know this is an old post but I have a Current Eflux flow pump and want to say they are great pumps, very quiet and Current stands behind there pumps even when they are out of warranty.

DuckSlayer627 · Oct 25, 2019

I'm running a Mag 12 on my 120. Goes through a chiller before the tank, but probably only 4ft. of head pressure. Either the Mag 12 or 18 should work for you. Probably just depends if the 55gal drum slows it down to much.