What size return pump do I need?

Mester320 · Mar 13, 2015

I am building a fish room and I would like to know what size external return pump everyone recommends to run all of my tanks. I will have the pump running a 220G mixed reef, 60G frag tank, and a 60G display refugium. This will all be plumbed from a 100G rubbermaid stock tank. All of the tanks will be in a 12x13 room so there should not be a ton of head loss but I don't want to be worried about adding to many elbows and not having enough flow. Another thing to consider is that I might add another 60G frag tank down the road and I would like to accommodate it as well. Oh and I almost forgot I will be adding a few reactors and my large UV sterilizer.

I have been looking into the Reeflo Hammerhead/Barracuda Hybrid running on the Barracuda impeller to start. I have found a great price on these $365 new shipped from Reeflo. Also looked at DC pumps for the low watt draw but I am not sure any are powerful enough (GPH) to meet my needs. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I am under the understanding that we need our tanks to turn over 10x per hour... if this is the case I need almost 3400gph just for what I have now not including the head pressure loss on height and length of plumbing, elbows, reactors, uv sterilizer, ect. This leads me to believe that I need the Reeflo Barracuda. Am I on the right track here?

Mester320 · Mar 16, 2015

thoughts? any help is appreciated.

zemuss · Mar 16, 2015

Jebao DCT15000 does about 4k GPH.

However I probably would run three different pumps. One for each tank. Don't know if I would load 3 tanks on one pump and expect good flow.

cope413 · Mar 16, 2015

I would highly recommend having some redundancy built into a system with 3 tanks. 2 returns that can run at 30-40% is probably a better idea than 1 pump running at 70-80%

Mester320 · Mar 16, 2015

So do you have an recommendations on pumps and sizes. My only worry about multiple pumps is the added heat. So I guess I am just unsure of what to do now I have had so many different opinions on ReefCentral and on here. That I think I am more confused now than when I started. I thought that the reeflo barracuda would be good but most thinks to think that is too much. So maybe the Super Dart? I really would like to do external though I know that and the Jeabo DC pumps leak so they need to be in the water.