gilmour01
Well-Known Member
I need recommendations on a return pump for a 54g corner tank. my drain line is 1" and my return is only 3/4". how many gph can i push thru a 3/4" return. i was thinking a mag7 or mag9. thoughts?
return pump suggestions
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Ocean Runner or Eheim. Either the OR 2500 or 3500 or the Eheim 1260 or 1262. You should be somewhere in the 3-5x display size flow depending on the size of your sump. I use a OR3500 on a 100G with a 30G sump and its perfect.
I am guessing with a corner tank you sump is not that big so the 2500 or 1260 would work best to keep sump velocities down and reduce the possibility of carrying microbubbles to the display.
I am guessing with a corner tank you sump is not that big so the 2500 or 1260 would work best to keep sump velocities down and reduce the possibility of carrying microbubbles to the display.
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gilmour01
Well-Known Member
i'll have a 10g sump and a seperate 5g fuge that will be t'd off from the drain, then overflow into the sump. dont ask how i got both of these tanks in such a little stand...it wasnt easy. actually heres a pic of the sump and fuge.
You may want an even smaller pump then. The velocity through the fuge and sump will be quite fast and microbubbles will almost certainly be a problem without multiple baffles and bubble traps.
I would keep the return pump small and make up the difference in the display with Koralias or something like that.
I would keep the return pump small and make up the difference in the display with Koralias or something like that.
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gilmour01
Well-Known Member
thx..i've got a few different misc pumps ranging from 300gph to 900gph, so i'll play around till i find the proper flow. i'll have a ball valve on the return as well (if i can fit it) so i'll have a little extra adjustability with it.
Sikryd
hmm...Sweet!
My return does nothing except that, return water. So it is wayyy oversized right now. I am using an OR3500 that is throttled back ~60%.
I keep the flow going through the sump ~600-700 GPH, and the fuge ~50
I also have a plenum off the return that goes through my carbon/phos reactor, and zeovit reactor. Everything is on ball valves, which is nice since it makes it fully adjustable.
I would use a pump that is slightly overated on the flow you want through the sump, while taking into consideration the head pressure, and you should be fine.
I don't know much about what pumps are out there, so I'll leave the suggestions on which would work to those who have experience with them.
Are you looking for an in-sump or external pump? I would imagine an in-sump style though. The only drawback is heat transfer, but if you get a pump that is just used for returning the water, and not flow, then you won't be transferring a lot less heat than if you were using it for tank flow too.
I keep the flow going through the sump ~600-700 GPH, and the fuge ~50
I also have a plenum off the return that goes through my carbon/phos reactor, and zeovit reactor. Everything is on ball valves, which is nice since it makes it fully adjustable.
I would use a pump that is slightly overated on the flow you want through the sump, while taking into consideration the head pressure, and you should be fine.
I don't know much about what pumps are out there, so I'll leave the suggestions on which would work to those who have experience with them.
Are you looking for an in-sump or external pump? I would imagine an in-sump style though. The only drawback is heat transfer, but if you get a pump that is just used for returning the water, and not flow, then you won't be transferring a lot less heat than if you were using it for tank flow too.
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I hope this helps. Reef Central Online Community
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gilmour01
Well-Known Member
definitely helps. thx for the link
Another problem is going to be the physical footprint or size of the pump. In a 10G with a skimmer and so baffles there is not much room left for a return pump. You also need a big enough return pump chamber you are not adding topoff water twice a day, an autotopoff is probably in order.
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gilmour01
Well-Known Member
exactly...therein lies my dilema.:tongue: i was thinking of trying a few different things with foam blocks to try and prevent alot of microbubbles from entering the tank without using actual baffles. if i installed baffles, i would be adding top off water all the time and i'd also have a very hard time getting a return pump in and out of the back of the sump. i decided not to use that skimmer in the pic b/c it's a little to bulky. someone gifted it to me so i thought i'd try it, but i'm just not liking it at all. once i find the skimmer i'll use, i should be able to finalize the sump.
The Turboflotor is a good skimmer but they are kind of bulky. I use one in 100G with a 30G sump and its huge. Even with the 30G sump I was only able to get 6-7 gallons of leeway in the return section. It required top off every other day before I got my ATO system.
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gilmour01
Well-Known Member
i will eventually have an ATO feeding a diy kalk reactor on this tank, but thats a couple months away. i'm going to have to build a matching cabinet to house the ro/di reservoir and the kalk reactor because i dont think i'm going to be able to squeeze them in the stand. lol!
Why is it we always run out of room before we get all our toys in the box?
I had the same problem and built a matching cabinet to house my chiller and various pieces of testing equipment.
I even built my stand 6" deeper front to back and taller than normal for extra room and I still am cramped!
I had the same problem and built a matching cabinet to house my chiller and various pieces of testing equipment.
I even built my stand 6" deeper front to back and taller than normal for extra room and I still am cramped!
