MJ1200 for return

[Laura8088]

Dont know how well this would pan out. . . but for reasons of energy consumption issues and budget. . . would an MJ1200 work for a return pump on a 75 gal. . . im guessing max of 4' head????:reading:

[RyanSweatt2004]

An mj1200 would be far too small for a 75 gallon tank. They are barely sufficient as a power head as it is. I would look for a pump in the 500-1000 GPH range as a bare minimum. Water blaster pumps are very good pumps. Mag drive pumps are decent as well but they suck electricity.

[pmrossetti]

Look into Tunze Silence

[Laura8088]

Which would be an energy efficient pump. . .meaning low cost to run, and low heat out put

[Laura8088]

Anyone have any more suggestions please?

[Spar]

internal or external plumbed?

[garyinco]

Look into Tunze Silence

+1 on that. Very energy efficient. Sicce's are not too bad either.

[billdogg]

I'm a big fan of anything eheim. They'll last forever

[SeedlessOne]

Jebao DC pump line.

[Laura8088]

internal or external plumbed?

internal, the pump would need to be submersible

[Bpb]

+1. An mj1200 is barely sufficient as a reactor pump. Look into the Jaebo DC return pump models. Very energy efficient, inexpensive, and dead silent. People are recommending Eheim and Tunze, which are fantastic options, but you did say you're on a budget and those are hardly budget pumps. If a mj1200 is all you can afford as a return pump (as in you're sticking in the $15-20 range), don't even bother with a sump at all. Your return pump should match or slightly exceed your skimmer rate, which should be 3-5x your display volume in gallons per hour. Depending on head loss you need to be looking at something in the 300-400 gph range minimum after head loss. Mj1200 won't cut it

[Laura8088]

does any one know how many watts the jebao dc 3000 consumes? I dont know which would be more energy efficient the jebao dc 3000 or the sicce 1.5 (23 watts)

[Cymonous]

It looks like the max is 25 watts

http://www.jebao.com/en/displayproduct.html?proID=102067195

[Bpb]

Correct. The jaebo is gonna be quieter and more powerful as well. A 2 watt difference is negligible. You're talking pennies literally. I don't have a lot of experience with dc pumps but the jaebo 3000 lv is the only one I've owned. Just got it a few days ago. I know people often say this pump or that pump is totally silent, but they really mean it's got a quiet hum. Like my sicce syncra 3.0. Often called a totally silent pump, but it does have a bit of an audible hum to it. Just about any ac pump will. Quiet but audible.

This jaebo dc pump is truely silent. 100%. Plugged it in. Lights came on. Sitting directly in front of the sump. It's powering my reactor manifold. I thought it was a dud at first. Dead serious. Totally silent. I had to lift the flex PVC effluent line out of the water to see and to my surprise a strong flow was coming out. Never imagined a truely silent water pump was possible. I couldn't even hear it over the ringing of my own ears. No television or fans on. Just dead silent.

[Laura8088]

Thank you both

[mbauma]

I would recommend Sicce. I have the Sicce 5 in my 140 gallon and it's silent and not a ton of energy usage.

The guy at BRS recommended them.

[Spiffy]

I have been hearing a lot of negative things about MJ pumps lately... The quality is not what it used to be.

[Laura8088]

I posted this question for two reasons. . .1st because I am in the market for a good quality pump for someone on a low budget, and 2nd because I wanted to see if anyone was using them as a return pump. . .
As a TOTAL newbie, and not knowing any better I purchased a Marineland MJ1200 from either a petco or petsmart, and have been using it as my return for about a year and a half now!!!!. . . I am fully aware that I need a stronger pump and I plan to do so. BUT I wanted to share with you all and anyone else on a budget like myself that this pump has been doing a decent job. My tank is healthy and all inhabitants are happy. I have been looking at all sorts of new pumps and I am excited to see how much more the tank will flourish with a stronger flow. I am not recommending for anyone to follow in my footsteps, but merely sharing my story as the dummy that's been lucky enough to use an MJ1200 for a year and a half with success.

[Laura8088]

When I get a new pump in the near future, I would also like to add a "T" of the return line to run a GFO reactor, possibly DIY.

[Spar]

When I get a new pump in the near future, I would also like to add a "T" of the return line to run a GFO reactor, possibly DIY.

i do that. in fact i have it T'ed to run to 6 different possible lines across a long manifold. just need a ball valve on that T to regulate speed. you won't have constant consistent flow, but it will be consistent enough for GFO.

[Bpb]

Clever. Well all I will say is the same thing I tell anyone either seeking my advice, or telling me the way they're doing something is better than another method. I say if you're happy with your results, keep doing what you're doing. Though I wouldn't expect to convert anyone to mj1200 users who already have larger pumps that drive manifolds. What they're doing works for them. Not knowing much about your sump setup makes the whole subject kinda groundless though. I wouldn't want a sump flow of 100 gph when my skimmer an reactors require a much higher flow rate. Then they'll just be filtering the sump water super clean while the display builds up with foulness

[Spar]

FWIW, i use MJ1200's for my auto-topoff and auto-waterchange system. have had the same ~8 MJ1200's running for over 3 years now, stop-and-go, each running maybe 10 minutes every day. never had any issues. I know it isn't a situation where one is running constantly, but the fact that they work so consistently across time (no changes in head pressure, etc) with a stop-and-go cycle, does tell me something about the quality.

I'd probably trust them for a very short distance upward, but not 4-6 feet.

[Laura8088]

Though I wouldn't expect to convert anyone to mj1200 users who already have larger pumps that drive manifolds.

lol no I wouldnt want to convert anyone . . . I was just sharing :fish1:

[rocsec1]

Sicce 3 would be good I use one on mine

[whosurcaddie]

I have been hearing a lot of negative things about MJ pumps lately... The quality is not what it used to be.

That's because Marineland switched manufacturers to China using cheap Chinese parts. If you still want a quality maxi jet you have to get it from Cobalt they still build the Italian version of the pump.