which pump is best

[muzz]

hello all, i have 2 closed loops on my 125g tank, and i am looking for pumps to run them. the tank is in the living room, so i am looking for the quietest pumps out there. i have read mixed reviews on the gen x pumps, some say they are quiet and others say they are loud. any opinions, or if you have personal experience with a certain brand, please let me know, thank you,

[luke33]

I would recomend a eheim as they are very quiet. Maybe the 1262, it will give you yrs of trouble free life.

[rigleautomotive]

external pump,blue line---internal pump eheim.these are my favorites

[wife no likey]

for a CL, you don't want to use a pump rated for a pressure application. There is minimal head introduced - only a bit due to friction, etc.

Therefore, it is best to use a pump with a low-rpm motor, such as a sequence snapper or dart.

They can't handle high-head situations well, but for a CL, they work very great. :)

Pete

[tperk9784]

Are the blue line pumps pressure rated?

[rigleautomotive]

they come both ways,are inexpensive and i have used a half dozen of them non stop for 5 years .the pressure rated pumps would be the HD models and the circulation pumps are the HDX models.

[wife no likey]

yes, blueline, iwaki, etc. are all meant for more head then youwill see in a closed loop application.

Most of them have similar specs - take a look at
http://iwakiamerica.com/nav/CMImage.aspx?CMID=0&Name=MDWMDFamilyCurve.pdf

and you can get an idea of the curves for most of the impeller/motor combinations of them.

ALL of these are 3600 rpm motors, as compared to the sequence pumps that are 1725.


Pete

[gabe3d]

I would consider Reeflo pumps as well, though having any two on your CL at one time for you system might be a little overkill though. I also agree with pennilessreefer, for your application a flow biased pump is much better. By the way all pumps are pressure rated to some extent else it won't be able to push water up vertically. There is no industry standard on the words "pressure rated", it's merely used to denote a pump that can handle more head within the same line of pumps for a manufacturer.

I've ran both the PX and PX-X series of pump from Panworld and they are not nearly as quiet as the Dart. I also have Eheim pumps, but for a closed loop you might want something that can move a little more water.

HTH

[muzz]

it will be external, as my sump and return pump, skimmer, etc., is all in the basement, and tank is on main floor. so the CL pumps will be upstairs right under the tank itself. the dart seems to be a good pump from what i have read, is it quiet also?

I do not think I have to worry about too much flow, as you know, the ocean is a chaotic place, and isn't that what we are trying to replicate? The tank is AGA 125g, 72" long, I almost went with three CL's........but figured that may be pushing it, although I have seen it done. I also want to be able to put the pumps on a wavemaker os some sort, one that makes them "throttle" up and down slowly, as I do not want a pump to burn out by being turned on and off all the time.

Can the dart pumps start out slow and go to full then back down to slow again without having problems? Also, I know the lfs here has a display tank that has somehting that does this, but I know I could get it for less online. Any good recommendations for wavemakers for pumps, not powerheads? I do not want to have any powerheads in this tank at all. thanks for all the information,

[gabe3d]

I run my Dart on a WavySea and my Hammerhead on an OceansMotions 4-way. I'm not sure if you can achieve a gradual increase in flow with any wavemaker but you can always put an actuator before it i guess. You might have to worry about cyclical wear if you plan to have it slow down and ramp up frequently. The Oceansmotions does have a gradual output to each port but the total flow coming from the unit is always the same. Dart is very very quiet and my Hammerhead is soso a low hum that is not so distinct. So you are planning to have two darts on a CL on your system? If so i think there is a guy with a 300 something gallon on the large reef forum that set something up like that with two OceanMotions.

[wife no likey]

I run two OM 2-ways on my tank.

Since they alternate due to a drum rotating, the flow gradually increases to full output as they spin.

For your 125, if you plan on keeping more demanding coral, you should shoot for at least 40x turnover, and two snappers (rated at 2500gph each) would be right there. They only pull 98w as well.

[chacha]

I have used those same pumps and had nothing but problems

[SDguy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9691716#post9691716 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by chacha
I have used those same pumps and had nothing but problems

Which? The ReefFlow?

I'm very happy with my hammerhead...it moves a lot of water with a minimal hum.

[wife no likey]

personally, I use a very large Iwaki connected to a c-face baldor motor, as I don't trust directly-coupled pumps :)

But I think that you will generally find that many people are happy w/ sequence products as well as their customer support.

[muzz]

i will have to look into the oceans motions, as I am not sure as to what they are, I am still new to this hobby, learning everyday. I have had a smaller tank, 45g, set up for over 6 months, but it is not really good for saltwater, I was misled ( ripped off), buy a lfs, so I have found a new lfs, and am doing a bigger tnak now the "right" way.

Yes, I will be using two pumps for the CL. 2 seperate systems. The main line, drains through sump and return, are run with a pan world pump, with 44' of head pressure. It works really well, but is a bit noisy(humming). It is in the basement though, so doesnt really matter.

I am looking to be keeping sps,lps, and I really like the monti plating type corals. So yes, they will be more demanding. For light, I am getting the constellation fixture, with 14 t-5 bulbs. It looks like a great fixture to me.

Are the OM's hard to hook up at all? I plumber my tank myslef, with no leaks. I am fairly handy, and I work in the trades. I would imagine it wouldn't be too difficult, just wondering though. thanks again,

[wife no likey]

just a couple of threaded --> slip adapters and you're good :)

I really think that they are worth the investment if you are going the CL route.

Paul is also very helpful.

[mg426]

I use a sequence dart for my closed loop on my 125 I am happy with the performance.

[gabe3d]

Not so hard to hook up in my opinion just some piping you'll need to run here and there. Nothing a handy person can't tackle. I wish i could find that thread for you, he did a really nice plumbing job connecting the Darts to the OceansMotions. It gives you an idea on how it hooks up. I'll post again if i find it.

[gabe3d]

By the way, which Panworld pump do you use to pump up 44' of head? I can only think of the 250PS but that thing will only be pumping less than 100 gallons per hour.

[rigleautomotive]

i think all the sequence supporters should mention that they are rated with 1.5 inch plumbing which very few of us have room for or use.the blue lines are rated with more usable plumbing so the gph you actually get is more realistic and not inflated .if you run a sequence on 1 inch or three quarter they do not make much flow IMO.

[rigleautomotive]

also using a ocean motions or wavy sea will reduce the plumbing down to three quarter i believe which would greatly reduce GPH on a sequence which is rated with 1.5 plumbing

[wife no likey]

actually, the 4-way is available w/ 1.5 and 2" in.

the SS and squirt are 1" and 3/4", respectively. :)

[muzz]

I am using the pan world Model 250PS , 1900 gallons per hour. It is only pushing up roughly 10 feet, so I built a manifold on the return, with some water going back into the sump, and some going back to the main tank, otherwise, the tank could not drain fast enough and it would overflow. In the future, the line that goes from the pump back to the sump, will have a media chamber and a uv sterilizer connected to it then to the sump, i just have not bought them yet.(I have started to run out of money)

I am using 1" spa flex for most applications, except the drains, which have 1" spa flex to the floor, then a reversed reducer at the floor to go to 1 1/2" hard pipe into the sump, into a 30" or so filter bag.

The closed loops right now have just the bulkheads, ball valves, and unions, ready to have 1" spa flex installed and a pump. How quiet are the blue line pumps? and how hot do they run? Ideally, a pump that runs cool, is quiet, and has good gph is what I am looking for, as I am sure that is what everyone is looking for.

I ask so many questions because i spent a bit of money for my 45g system, and ended up finding out that almost none of it was for saltwater, so i spent more to set it up the way I wanted it. I do not want to make that same mistake again, I have been reading everything I can find and asking a lot of questions. There is no one better to ask, than those who have already done it. That is why i like this sight so much, so many people here just do not know how important they are to others successes in reefing.

[rigleautomotive]

i dont recommend the blue line cause i use them or get anything from them for the recomendation.i just like them and they are half the cost of many comparable pumps.they are made by the former engineer for iwalki and at half the price roughly.long term they have done me justice.negligable heat transfer,quieter than iwalki,but probably a tad louder than sequence.

[wife no likey]

that's a lot of pump for your sump return. That is the same as an Iwaki md-100, which pulls about 390w - not something that you need running 24/7 :)



generally speaking, you don't need much more than 5x max turnover for your sump. With 10ft vertical rise, possibly you should move your return to a md-40 (or comparable) It will be a major savings watt-wise.


Are your CL holes already drilled?

[muzz]

yes, already drilled. tank is full of water, with sump/return working and running. I am using the larger pump because I originally was going to have the sump on other side of basement, would have had to push through 29 feet of pipe. i ended up just going striaght down. I am going to see how it runs after the media chamber and uv is running on it along with pushing water back to main display. if it is still too much, i can always change it out. I have many unions and valves in place, so anything cna be switched out, worked on, etc.. I am not trying to use the sump for water movement, that is why i have the two seperate loops drilled. I just want to have enough "oomph" to be able to hook up whatever I want to inline and still have the head pressure to get water back upstairs. More water returns to the sump right now(being that everythhing is new), then goes to the display tank. I hope I explained that well enough, I wish i knew how to drraw a diagram on the computer, it would make things a bit easierr to show you what i am planning on doing.

[wife no likey]

if your cl intakes are both 1", I would combine them into a 1.5 intake before your pump and run a sequence hammerhead into a OM 4-way or 8-way :)

It would be a nice setup IMHO.

You can take a look at some pics here:


http://www.oceansmotions.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=10&sid=4c883b726126437a69eef91376521315


Pete

[muzz]

what about the quiet one 6000 pump? are they any good, says 1500 plus gph, less than 45 decibels, and only 95 bucks. price looks good, but also scares me at the same time. have you ever used these anyone?

[gabe3d]

I like the qietones pump as well but dont' get anything higher than a 4000 model. The higher ones are loud, i think they got the 45db from the low models. You can try to take a look at the Oceanrunner 6500, however that has a 1.25'' input, you can always enlarge your CL hole after the bulkhead to 1.25'' and the pump shouldn't cavitate.

I did what pennilessreefer said, i combined 2 1'' drain to 1.5 and ran my Hammerhead.

Gabe

[muzz]

that might be a good idea, so if i combine the two drains, i just split the return line to the 2 returns form the hammerhead, so 1 pump would run the whole system, rather than two seperate loops?

i was looking at that other forum for the OM's, and I am not sure if i can do that. My tank does not have a canopy, and will be against the wall(6" or so from the wall, and i do not really want the plumbing to be sticking up above the tank, I do not think it looks that good that way. For an inwall design, or with a canopy, that would work really well. not sure I could do it with my tank without it looking gawdy.