Size pump question
- Thread starter LetItReef
- Start date
- Tagged users None
If your sump is just under the tank in the stand, you might consider one of the DC pumps that you can control. I would get something that is larger than you need, and run it on a slower speed/GPH to meet your current needs, but have the ability to increase the speed/GPH is you wanted to add a manifold for reactor's in the future. Have you calculated your head loss?
mfinn
likes zoanthids
I like to keep my flow on the slower side through a sump, so I usually go for 4x to 5 x the tank volume after headloss.
Quiet One 4000 will pump 621gph after 5' of headloss
400 would be a little to low imo. you want to get close to your overflow gph, so it doesn't have to wait for water from the sump to continue.
Lenny_S
Well-Known Member
I had a "Quiet One Pro" 5000 model. It is anything but quiet unfortunately. And the head loss is very high. I ended up going with a DC pump and it is many times quieter and the amount of volume is unreal. I bought a Jebao model 8000 for a 160 gallon tank and I only need to run it at 70%. Having had both I would go with a DC pump hands down. Since I already used the Quiet One I kept it for a backup, but it was a waste of money IMO.
mcarroll
10K Club member
65 gallons
x4
= 260 gph of actual flow
x4
= 260 gph of actual flow
- Unless you're doing something other than feeding skimmers and the usual sump denizens, you don't need more flow than that.
- I sometimes shoot for x5, which is still only 325 gph, on the basis that flow will fall over time due to wear and buildup within the system...beyond x5 seems wasteful to me in most cases.
- In most cases, x4 or x5 is also the correct flow-through rate for a properly sized skimmer as well....so the skimmer and return flow will approximately match.
- The 700 gph overflow should make the drain dead silent. Excellent.
The 2200 is the pump I ran my tank on for the first four years - replaced by the Quiet One 4000 when I added a second display.
Lenny, it's a bummer you didn't have a better experience with the QO. An Eheim is really the only return pump I'd rather have than a QO - QO's are almost that silent, but come in a ton more different models and carry an extremely reasonable price tag!
Mag's are also nice - bulletproof - but they are probably not as quiet as some people prefer.There are lots of nice return pump options, but I think I just named the top of my list.
Without knowing more particulars on your noisy 5000...
- If you have a Quiet One that isn't dead silent, clean it - even if it's brand new.
- If it still isn't silent...clean it again, only do something better and pay more attention to details.
- If it still isn't silent...either you have it running in very silty water or you have a product defect. The company is great to deal with if you contact their customer service.
- If you have silty water, that means you'll need a pre filter sponge - or something equivalent.
mfinn
likes zoanthids
400 is just fine IMO. I wouldn't go any higher.
That whole water waiting to get to the sump makes no sense at all.
I would stay back from the maximum amount of flow the overflow will handle by 15%-20%.
Algae starts building up and anything gets in the way and you end up with water on the floor.
jetmaker
Valuable Member
Yup eheim65 gallons
x4
= 260 gph of actual flow
We need more info to specify a pump as folks have said, but if you are running a somewhat standard tank where the return is about 5' up, the Quiet One 2200 will suffice nicely.
- Unless you're doing something other than feeding skimmers and the usual sump denizens, you don't need more flow than that.
- I sometimes shoot for x5, which is still only 325 gph, on the basis that flow will fall over time due to wear and buildup within the system...beyond x5 seems wasteful to me in most cases.
- In most cases, x4 or x5 is also the correct flow-through rate for a properly sized skimmer as well....so the skimmer and return flow will approximately match.
- The 700 gph overflow should make the drain dead silent. Excellent.
The 2200 is the pump I ran my tank on for the first four years - replaced by the Quiet One 4000 when I added a second display.
Lenny, it's a bummer you didn't have a better experience with the QO. An Eheim is really the only return pump I'd rather have than a QO - QO's are almost that silent, but come in a ton more different models and carry an extremely reasonable price tag!
There are lots of nice return pump options, but I think I just named the top of my list.
Without knowing more particulars on your noisy 5000...
- If you have a Quiet One that isn't dead silent, clean it - even if it's brand new.
- If it still isn't silent...clean it again, only do something better and pay more attention to details.
- If it still isn't silent...either you have it running in very silty water or you have a product defect. The company is great to deal with if you contact their customer service.
- If you have silty water, that means you'll need a pre filter sponge - or something equivalent.
Lenny_S
Well-Known Member
The pump was brand new. I called Lifeguard Aquatics and tried a bunch of things, reseating the ceramic bushing, replaced the impeller, and changing the cover. Nothing made it quiet, well definitely not as quiet as the DC pump I got to replace it. Since they only offered to send out a new unit and I couldn't just outright return it, I just kept it and stored it away just in case my main return pump failed for any reason, I could at least use it as a backup. The Jebao DCT 8000 I purchased actually ended up being less expensive than the QO and performing much better with the added flexibility of being digitally controllable. I'm sure QO's are good pumps for a lot of people, my experience was just very poor.Lenny, it's a bummer you didn't have a better experience with the QO. An Eheim is really the only return pump I'd rather have than a QO - QO's are almost that silent, but come in a ton more different models and carry an extremely reasonable price tag!
There are lots of nice return pump options, but I think I just named the top of my list.
Without knowing more particulars on your noisy 5000...
- If you have a Quiet One that isn't dead silent, clean it - even if it's brand new.
- If it still isn't silent...clean it again, only do something better and pay more attention to details.
- If it still isn't silent...either you have it running in very silty water or you have a product defect. The company is great to deal with if you contact their customer service.
- If you have silty water, that means you'll need a pre filter sponge - or something equivalent.
mfinn
likes zoanthids
I like Eheim, Tunze, and Sicce pumps.
Spending a little more for a proven quality pump pays off in the long run.
Spending a little more for a proven quality pump pays off in the long run.
Whats the point of getting a 700gph overflow if your just going to put 400gph through it? And If you've ever run a starving overflow with a slower pump, you'd understand, like fill stop, fill stop, fill stop. That makes no sense.
I run the 700gph overflow coupled with a Sicce Syncra 2.0 (568gph) with about 4' head loss I'm looking at about 327gph give or take.
I've no idea what @Reefing Madness is talking about but I've never had any issues like he's suggesting. My overflow starves for nothing and my return chamber is always full. Flow through the sump is perfect and I've got great return flow in the DT.
I've no idea what @Reefing Madness is talking about but I've never had any issues like he's suggesting. My overflow starves for nothing and my return chamber is always full. Flow through the sump is perfect and I've got great return flow in the DT.
mfinn
likes zoanthids
I have no idea what you mean by starving a overflow. Makes no sense at all.
The water will flow. It doesn't stop flowing.
I've been setting up my tanks and helping others with over flows for more than 25 years and what you are saying makes no sense.
The overflow isn't going to stop flowing just cause it's slow.
How do I try to explain this. No, your right it doesn't stop, per say, but the overflow will drop 700gph, so its much faster than your 400gph, so, there is a lip in the tank that fills with water, the weir, then flows it into the back chamber, its not being utilized correctly, just trickling in. If your just going with a 400gph theres no need to go with a 700gph overflow, absolutely no reason.
It takes time for your tank to fill with 400gph if its being drained a rate of 700gph, that make any more sense?
It takes time for your tank to fill with 400gph if its being drained a rate of 700gph, that make any more sense?
nervousmonkey
LPS Lover, SPS Enabler
+1 to @mcarroll and others have said. Shoot for X4 or X5 and you'll be fine. No need to dial it up to the capacity of the overflow. I would not want to ever do that on my tanks. It's one small thing you can't predict and you'll have water on the floor at the most inopportune time, say 3 AM. :mad:
