Lfs lying to me?

[Amaya Reef]

I bought a general purpose return pump rated 500gl for my 60 cube, well after hooking it up the flow is not what I expected. Guy at Lfs said I don't want too much flow going threw my refugium. Is that correct or does it not matter and he don't want to accept my return?

[Berje]

I would normally never trust a LFS with anything, they are a business and are trying to make a profit. There are very few that actually try to steer you the right way.

[gone fishin]

The pump itself maybe rated for 500 gallons. Once you hook it up to some pipe throw some 90's and valves into the mix plus the vertical rise to the tank you will not get 500gallons.

On the home page there is a pump calculator that is pretty useful.

[Cymonous]

While the guy was not specific from what you are saying, he is right. You only want 3-5x the tank volume through your sump. But, you may need to use the calculator to find out how much flow is really going through your tank/sump.

[thegrun]

While I like closer to 8 times the DT in flow through my sump and refugium (480 GPH for your tank), many reefers go with lower flows (3-5 times) which I suspect you are getting. I would be cautious about only taking advice from your LFS, it may be good but they do tend to steer you towards a product that they sell when there are other options that may be better or less expensive.

[Sk8r]

My sump contains my fuge, and the flowthrough is over 1200 gph. I have plenty of pods and such. The LFS isn't lying: that is another opinion. I've just never been able to do low-flow due to my setup, but I've never been dissatisfied with the result I get.

[Nace]

Most users would want a slower flow through the refugium. I would not automatically jump at the LFS lying to you. It is true there are shady LFS our there just trying to make a quick buck on less informed people, but if this is the only piece of information that he has given you that is suspect I would not worry too much.

I would suggest doing research here first and then approaching the LFS and see what they say about future purchases. If they steer you wrong thank them for their time and move on to another location.

[Amaya Reef]

Thanks I went with mag 91/2 . See what happens.

[danil]

you can also check DC pump like one from Jebao. These pump let you adjust flow to your liking and use less energy. Just another option for you to consider.