first sump...trying to choose which pump..

[justme97]

I'm making my first sump for my 58g rr oceanic tank. It will likely be a 20L tank and will at first serve for storage of a heater/skimmer/ato sensors.
I have two brand new pumps on hand that I picked them up over the years that I'm thinking of using as return pumps:

a cheap catalina aquarium "ca 1800"...650gph/about 300 with a 5 ft head

a pond master mag drive 9.5...975 gph/685 with a 5 ft head.


What do you guys think? the pondmaster seems like a better made pump, just might be a little strong for my setup right?

[Toddrtrex]

The Mag 9 is going to be too much for the overflow of your tank -- even with a 5 foot head.

I too have a 58, and using a 20 H sump. I am using an external pump that is rate for 650 GPH (( at 0 head, not sure what it would be at 5' )), and I have it throttle back by about a 1/4.

[lostintheocean]

quiet one has been solid for me, got it used with my 75 andafter 1.5 years no issues. i have the 4000 on my tank and have it turned down some

[jacksonpt]

How do you know it would be too much. I used a mag 9.5 on my 30long w/ 10g sump for a while and it was great. I had it dialed back just a touch, but worked fine for me.

The OP made no mention of what he was keeping in the tank, what his return(s) were going to be like, or what sort of overflow he was going to be using. I think you're making way too many assumptions.

I think the mag would be great for the tank. Flow through the sump might be a little fast, but that's not a huge issue. Just make sure your overflow can handle the mag, and make sure your return(s) get good flow throughout the tank (rather than blasting 1 or 2 smaller areas).

[justme97]

Well it's an ocean 58g "reef ready" which means the overflow is built in and I'll be using the return that comes attached to the overflow. I think it's only one output so it might blast a lot with the mag9...I can pont it wherever though.

The tank'll be softies/some lps at first...few sps down the line. I was gonna get a hydor koralia #3 and #4 on alternate sides so don't really need the extra flow...

What about the ca 1800...is about 300-325 gph enough for my application?

[Toddrtrex]

How do you know it would be too much. I used a mag 9.5 on my 30long w/ 10g sump for a while and it was great. I had it dialed back just a touch, but worked fine for me.

The OP made no mention of what he was keeping in the tank, what his return(s) were going to be like, or what sort of overflow he was going to be using. I think you're making way too many assumptions.

I think the mag would be great for the tank. Flow through the sump might be a little fast, but that's not a huge issue. Just make sure your overflow can handle the mag, and make sure your return(s) get good flow throughout the tank (rather than blasting 1 or 2 smaller areas).

The overflow that the OP is using is the standard one that comes with a Reef Ready 58 gallon (( which I have )), that overflow is rate for about 600 GPH. From my personal use with that tank/overflow, it can't handle 600 GPH, that is why I said the Mag 9 would be too much. IMO, that isn't making too many assumptions, since I have direct experience with that tank/overflow.

[justme97]

Thanks Toddrtrex...I'll take your advice and try the 650 pump since you know my setup. I just hate have a $30 pump deciding if my tank gets heat or not!

Maybe I'll get a mag 5 down the line and keep the cheap pump as a spare.

Anyone wanna buy a nice never used mag 9? =)

[jacksonpt]

I still think the mag 9 is the way to go. By the time you account for head loss, bends and turns in the return/pvc, etc, it's likely not going to be anywhere near the 685gph it's rated at. Throw in a ball valve and dial it back just a hair if need be, but a 300gph pump is hardly going to do anything in a 58g tank.

[RRaider]

I use a mag 7 on my 29 with 20T sump and a small CPR overflow, I have a valve between the pump and the tank and a "T" which feeds the excess back through the sump. I open the valve going to the tank all the way and control the amount of water reaching the tank with a valve on the line that feeds back to the sump. Works great.

Catalina pumps are crap imo.

[justme97]

is "dialing it back" bad for the pump?

Ok, not to be cheap but the mag 9 does use over double the energy than the ca 1800 (which I think is just a re-branded rio)...it's even double of what the mag 5 is. (96w vs. 45w).

For what I pay for energy that equals about $9 more a month. Not to be cheap but I'm already adding mh lighting with the new rig I don't want my pump to rape me too! :eek2:

In fact a mag 9 would use more energy every month than 2 150w mh bulbs (@7 hours a day)!

[jacksonpt]

By all accounts, no - restricting a pump's return does not damage the pump.

[PGUY1]

Those Catalina pumps are junk. I had one go bad on my ETSS skimmer within a few months and switched to a Mag 7. I use a Mag for my return, too. When I was buying the Mag pump at my LFS, another guy was in there with another locked up ca 1800. The owner said it wasn't the first one he'd seen. I don't know if I would trust it for something as vital as a return pump. The Mag pumps have been reliable but they run too hot and are too loud. I have two Eheim pumps on order that will be here Monday, I've read on here that they are very quiet and seem to be reliable.

[discocarp]

Mags are solid pumps. Usually pretty quiet, reliable. They can run a little hot. I'm a fan of not a ton of flow from the sump, so might go with a smaller mag if it were me, but the 9 would be fine imo.

[sterling18]

is "dialing it back" bad for the pump?

Ok, not to be cheap but the mag 9 does use over double the energy than the ca 1800 (which I think is just a re-branded rio)...it's even double of what the mag 5 is. (96w vs. 45w).

For what I pay for energy that equals about $9 more a month. Not to be cheap but I'm already adding mh lighting with the new rig I don't want my pump to rape me too! :eek2:

In fact a mag 9 would use more energy every month than 2 150w mh bulbs (@7 hours a day)!

Go with a smaller pump.

[pledosophy]

Depending on what kind of skimmer you have, and if you plan on adding any thing like a phosphate reactor it is possible to run a manifold off of the Mag so it will power more then one thing, and not overflow your tank.

In the long run it saves you the expense of adding new pumps for new applications.

If your just looking for a cheap solid option to get the water from the sump to the tank, and don't want a lot of flow from your sump pump, a Maxijet 1200 would do the trick. I have run one as a return on a low flow tank for years.

[goober35]

I have the same 58. I was told that i need to look at 1500gph from the sump. I will be putting in a bigger skimmer though. I thought it was over kill but lots of people said it was spot on.

When i first started putting this setup together i though a mag 9.5 would be over kill.