I have a reeflo Dart sitting in my garage and did use them for years, But times have changed and power costs have gone way up. The Water Blaster pumps i have been using since they came out are the perfect replacements IMO if you want to run your tank a little more cost effective.
As far as them being bulletproof i always had seal problems with reeflo's the whole time i used them, Plus they are Big and take up lots of room and require regular cleaning. My WB has been running 2 years without ever having to do any cleaning at all and restarts every time after a WC with no problems. Plus the 3 year replacement warranty makes it a better deal all around, But everyone has their own preferences as to how to run their tank. Just giving some options that have worked for me.
Bill
oh I understand completely,I wasn't disagreeing and I definitely wasn't knocking the WB pumps,the WB is likely a much better option for his situation,I was just saying that the GPH drops off faster on smaller pumps than with the ReeFlo pumps...kinda like comparing a sports car to a log truck,the sports car will run circles around the log truck for a lot less power consumption but tie a big load to its butt,the sports car will be struggling where the log truck will keep going.....
where a ReeFlo pump would shine as opposed to the WB pump or any other smaller pump is if the sump were placed like in a basement or in a remote room somewhere other than under the tank,a ReeFlo pump would overcome the head pressure much better than the WB or any other smaller pump would....
I run a power hungry Hammerhead pump with an Ocean Motion 4-way on a closed loop plus I have a Vortech MP60...the closed loop has ran flawlessly for well over a year,the MP60 has ran flawlessly also,the MP60 also moves a lot more water for a fraction of the power consumption as the closed loop,and giving the extra plumbing and all the work it took to get the CL running,the MP60 was less expensive to purchase and much easier to install....if there was a way to add the head pressure that the Hammerhead has to deal with to the MP60,I'm sure the flow would be drastically reduced from the MP60 but if the Hammerhead ever fails and I have to replace it,I will likely get another MP60 instead
I also run a ReeFlo Orca 250 skimmer which has the needle wheel modded Dart pump and the seal and bearings have already been replaced once in it after only about 8 months of use,not due to a seal leak but a bad bearing and while I had it apart,I figured I may as well replace the seal too....if sand gets in there around the seal,it will eventually eat away at it causing it to leak....
I guess bulletproof was a bit of an over statement but point is,the ReeFlo pump motors can be repaired by most DIYers and is what I love about 'em,the mag-drive style motors as with the WB are virtually trouble free,with maybe an occasional impeller replacement,but if something major does happen to it,it usually requires a new motor,I use an Eheim 1262 to feed my skimmer,it's over 4 years old now and just as strong as when it was new....giving the saving in power usage,buying a new motor would most likely be less expensive in the long run...point is,there's a bit of a trade off for whatever we use......same as with the Hammerhead pump,if the Dart ever fails and I have to replace it,I will likely try to adapt something else less power hungry to the skimmer body
