what size return pump should i get

[nychris351]

im setting up a 150 gal tank i just bought 2 eshopps 300gph overflows and i have a 37 gal rubbermaid as a sump..what size mag drive return pump do i need....i was told by a friend to get a mag drive 12...they pump 1200gph...i will need the water pumped up about 5 ft

[Playa-1]

There's a headloss calculator on the home page that will help you figure out a good size pump for your tank. It sounds like you need something that will deliver less then 600 gph after headloss is taken into consideration. That's assuming in a perfect world that your overflows can handle up to 300 gph each. It might not be a bad idea for you to get larger overflows, Maybe a couple of the 600 gph unit or consider drilling the tank. I don't think it's a good idea to run so close to maximum capacity of the overflows just to get a minimal amount of circulation thru the sump.

I suspect that the Mag12 would be way over powered for this project. A Mag9 looks like it would be about right and may still be slightly overpowered. A gate-valve on the return line could be used to regulate flow.

[isgon26]

The problem I see is that your overflow is not be enough. You should have 1200 gph overflows with a mag 12.

[Michael]

450-750 gallons per hour will do, 3-5 times the tank volume is enough, a mag 12 is too powerful, even with head loss it will be very turbulant, not sure what a mag 7 pushes out but if its 700 gals then id go for that