How much GPH?!?!

[lolgranny]

Hey guys im new to this and was wondering what would be a GOOD gph to be pushing through on a 40g breeder? I appreciate the info guys :)

[lolgranny]

Figured it out! woot haha

[smokey30]

10 to 20 times the water volume so 400-800 goh will do you good or you could go more depending on your set up

[mfinn]

I would recommend 3x to 5x the display tank volume.

[lolgranny]

I was thinking about 700gph pump wise. Using a Mag 9 and then two Koralia 2's for inside the tank. It will be holding mainly acro's.

[kimber45]

i ended up going eheim 1260 for my 50 breeder build.

i figure it will push about 400-450gph which is a little high imo but i'll have enough room left to power a reactor or two.

if you want a mag i'd look into a 5 or a 7 if you plan on using reactors.

[Chupakabra-King]

I have a Quiet one 3000 on my 40 breeder . Works great , its silent, and cheap.

[nanojg]

I would aim for about 3-5x turnover through the sump and about 50-60x total in the display tank.

[lolgranny]

if you want a mag i'd look into a 5 or a 7 if you plan on using reactors.

So your thinking Mag 9 is overkill? I thought i rly couldnt have too much espically with it being loaded with all sps

[username in use]

Flow THROUGH the tank is separate from flow IN the tank. Flow through the tank should be 3-5x your display volume. On my 40breeder I use a mag 5. Flow in the tank depends on what corals you are deciding to keep. An all softie tank may be fine with just the return, but you will want more. In my tank I run Koralia powerheads as follows, 2 evo 750's, 1 nano 425 and a standard nano 220 for a total flow in the tank of 2350 including the return pump which is close to 59 times turnover in the tank.

[HighlandReef]

It really depends on the setup, more details on your setup would help
If all your looking to do is bring the water back into the tank a mag 5 should be all you need
Now if your gonna run a manifold to feed other equip then that's a diff story and depends on what you feeding
I have a askoll/laguna 4200 gph pump feeding my 210, 30 breeder frag tank and my octo skimmer but I have a decent sized system so it was needed and it's all running into a 40 breeder sump with a fuge in it and everythings fed from a manifold to give you an example, you can basically have 100 different options depending on your needs

[lolgranny]

Understandable, im planning on a 20g sump / fuge / skimmer obviously.
Have about 4ft of head and not having anything else come off of it. It will be housing all sps.

thanks again guys!

[username in use]

Mag 5 return will be good for you, with powerheads of your choice in the DT. Id shoot for a total of 2500-3000gph of flow in the dt.

[Onedeadbob]

Mag 5 return will be good for you, with powerheads of your choice in the DT. Id shoot for a total of 2500-3000gph of flow in the dt.

Wow, at 3000gph on a 40, that is 75x the tank size. Wouldn't that be too much flow?

[username in use]

not for a straight up sps tank. Im running close to 60x on a mixed tank of sps/lps and some softies and there are spots I wouldn't mind a little more.

At the very begining it may seem like a lot, but I guarantee as the corals grow and take up room and start to block the flow it will be a lot less.

[lolgranny]

Thats what i was thinking, thats why i thought the Mag 9 might be better. Ill go with the Mag 5 and get some strong powerheads. You thinking 2 Koralia#2 will be good enough?

[lolgranny]

I was chatting about this with the owner of a local shop and he was reccomending the Mag 9 / http://www.aquacave.com/detail.aspx?ID=76 The overflow is rated at 800gph. This that is overkill and i should go with a smaller one?

[lolgranny]

Im just getting mixed anwsers so i dont want to get something that is not good enough or REDIC. overkill.

[username in use]

You don't want to rely on your return pump for the bulk of your flow for a number of reasons.

first, too much flow through your sump (20long i believe) and you wont allow enough time for microbubbles to dissipate, there will be a lot of turbulence and it will send bubbles back to the DT like nobody's business.

You are also limited to how you can direct your flow if most of it is coming from a single point as opposed to 3 or 4 points around the tank that can all be pointed up/down left/right.

Plus, when you account for head loss, a powerhead will be more efficient at moving bulk amounts of water in the tank than your return will with the same or less electricity.

On a side note, I run my mag5 through a 1/2" seaswirl and love the way that it randomizes the flow in all parts of the tank.

[lolgranny]

Username- Thanks brotherman, i appreciate all the help. Do you think that overflow will be TOO much? Should i downgrade to the size below that which is 7inches wide and rated at 600gph? Or stick with the 10inch one?

[username in use]

Go with the one that matches the pump. If your using the Mag5 Id go with the one rated at 600gph as it will handle the flow and have a smaller footprint in the tank.

Remember when plumbing the mags, a mag 5 has a 1/2" outlet on it, but to get the full rated gph out of it you need to use 3/4" plumbing, or even 1". The loss from friction with 1/2" is significant.

[lolgranny]

Ya i was assuming that, i will just stop by the Home Depot and pvc that bad boy up haha.

[lolgranny]

To be honest that other overflow matches with a Mag 7 haha, this is a mess lol.

[username in use]

I just meant choose the one that is closer to the gph that you are running. You don't want to go right to the limit in case it gets partially blocked. Then you run the risk of overflowing the dt.

[sjm817]

Pick a different overflow. The CPR overflows cant maintain a siphon without the aid of a vacuum pump. There are multiple failure scenarios. A much better overflow is the Lifereef. Get a 600 GPH model. http://www.lifereef.com/siphon.html Better yet, drill the tank (its easy) and use a www.glass-holes.com overflow kit.

[liz62]

Eheim 3000 - can be dialed back, and is dead silent! Way better than a mag 7.
You actually have to put your hand on it to make sure it is still running lol

[liz62]

Pick a different overflow. The CPR overflows cant maintain a siphon without the aid of a vacuum pump. There are multiple failure scenarios. A much better overflow is the Lifereef. Get a 600 GPH model. http://www.lifereef.com/siphon.html Better yet, drill the tank (its easy) and use a www.glass-holes.com overflow kit.

:thumbsup: drill the tank & get an overflow kit - you won't regret it.

[lolgranny]

ahhhh im thinking about drilling it to be honest. I got the tank at cost because the pet shop is RIIIIGHHTTT next to my store. I guess im just worried i will mess it up to be honest.

So majority is drill the hole, go with the 700gph one / Mag 7? Or Eheim 3000?

Alll these choices haha i hate you guys for this ;)

[kimber45]

Pick a different overflow. The CPR overflows cant maintain a siphon without the aid of a vacuum pump. There are multiple failure scenarios. A much better overflow is the Lifereef. Get a 600 GPH model. http://www.lifereef.com/siphon.html Better yet, drill the tank (its easy) and use a www.glass-holes.com overflow kit.

+1

although i used a siphon style overflow for years with out a problem i would never build another tank with one. but i hate the looks and the amount of space the internal type take up.

so i ended up going with the glass-holes 700 gph overflow and 3/4 return kit.

[lolgranny]

Ok going with Mag7 / 700gph overflow from glass holes and a 3/4 return. boom shackalacka! lol

[sjm817]

I would go to a Mag5. Mag7s are really noisy pumps. The Mag5 will have plenty of return flow for a 40B.

[lolgranny]

Ya thats what i ment haha, Mag 5 + 700gph overflow from glass-holes.com

[lolgranny]

Do you think i will have a problem using the 700gph overflow tho? will it overflow the sump?

Hey thanks again for the help guys, this **** was all confusing to me haha

[lolgranny]

Im going to be grabbing the Mag 5 / 700gph overflow kit from glass holes tomorrow. So more imput while im at work. haha 13hrs inc :(

you guys are awesome. ty soooo much

[sjm817]

Do you think i will have a problem using the 700gph overflow tho? will it overflow the sump?

Hey thanks again for the help guys, this **** was all confusing to me haha
It will work fine.

[lolgranny]

It will work fine.

Awesome, thanks brothaman!

[jenglish]

An overflow can only drain to a certain point so it shouldn't be able to overflow a sump. You want a higher # for your drain than your return pump :)

[lolgranny]

Ya thats what i was thinking, but i wanted to ask the pros.