What do you recommend???

kstuart · 05/11/2006, 12:14 PM

What would people recommend for a return pump for a single megaflow overflow with about 14ft of head? What brands are good and hassle free?

Travis L. Stevens · 05/11/2006, 12:16 PM

How wide is the drain line? 1"? 2"? What livestock and corals do you have in your tank? How much flow are you looking to push through your tank with the return pump?

kstuart · 05/11/2006, 12:20 PM

1.5" drain line i believe, its a standard all-glass megaflow overflow, its a mixed reef with some sps, i'm looking for probably 700gph plus at the tank at the end of the 14ft, down closer to the sump i'll probably split some return water off to a refuge, alot of pumps have the right flow/head but i'm not sure which ones are good and run well without lots of headaches

kiowascout · 05/11/2006, 02:21 PM

I use a Gen-X Mak4 in just about the exact setup that you are describing above. I have no complaints about this pump whatsoever.

kstuart · 05/11/2006, 02:24 PM

That was the pump i'm leaning towards the more i read

kiowascout · 05/11/2006, 02:32 PM

To give you an idea of how mine works...

1.5" up to the tank. Then it is stepped down to 1" The distances of the piping are 14' vertical and 22' horizontal. I have to throttle it back for the overflows to keep up (dual HOB overflows).

My fuge is in the basement near the sump. I teed the fuge line just above the pump and only used 1/2" pipe for that run with a ball valve. I used 1/2" because I didnt want the possibility to exist to run tons of flow through the fuge either by mistake or on purpose. The run for the fuge is about 10' horizontal and 4' vertical.

I amvery happy with this pump choice and think that it fits my needs (which are eerily similar to yours) perfectly.

Good luck.

kstuart · 05/11/2006, 02:38 PM

You went with 1.5" up to the tank? isn't the output only a 3/4" on that pump? It sounds like it will work, i only have 14ft straight up and no real horizontal runs. How do you throttle it back, ball valve straight on the line up or do you divert some of it back into the sump?

kiowascout · 05/11/2006, 02:45 PM

Yes, 1.5" I found, using the head loss calc here on RC, that stepping up the output to double the size increased the GPH substantially. I'm no engineer, but I think that it has to do with less frictional loss because of a higher volume to pump through.

I use a ball valve straight on the line to throttle it up or down. Also, ONthe fuge line, I ran another tee with its own ball valve and a hose barb to pull water out for water changes. If need be, I could easily run that back into the sump to affect some redistribution of the water flow through the pump.

05/11/2006, 12:14 PM	#1
kstuart Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Ohio Posts: 413	What do you recommend??? What would people recommend for a return pump for a single megaflow overflow with about 14ft of head? What brands are good and hassle free? __________________ Computers allow us to make mistakes faster then any other invention in history....except for tequila and handguns Current Tank Info: 90g RR Display, 2x250w PFO HQI MH's, Phoenix 14k, ASM G3, ACJR, Tunzes/Multi Controller, Kalk Reactor, Basement Sump Room

05/11/2006, 12:16 PM	#2
Travis L. Stevens Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Perry, OK Posts: 13,946	How wide is the drain line? 1"? 2"? What livestock and corals do you have in your tank? How much flow are you looking to push through your tank with the return pump? __________________ Travis Stevens Current Tank Info: Restarting 28g Bowfront

05/11/2006, 12:20 PM	#3
kstuart Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Ohio Posts: 413	1.5" drain line i believe, its a standard all-glass megaflow overflow, its a mixed reef with some sps, i'm looking for probably 700gph plus at the tank at the end of the 14ft, down closer to the sump i'll probably split some return water off to a refuge, alot of pumps have the right flow/head but i'm not sure which ones are good and run well without lots of headaches __________________ Computers allow us to make mistakes faster then any other invention in history....except for tequila and handguns Current Tank Info: 90g RR Display, 2x250w PFO HQI MH's, Phoenix 14k, ASM G3, ACJR, Tunzes/Multi Controller, Kalk Reactor, Basement Sump Room

05/11/2006, 02:24 PM	#5
kstuart Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Ohio Posts: 413	That was the pump i'm leaning towards the more i read __________________ Computers allow us to make mistakes faster then any other invention in history....except for tequila and handguns Current Tank Info: 90g RR Display, 2x250w PFO HQI MH's, Phoenix 14k, ASM G3, ACJR, Tunzes/Multi Controller, Kalk Reactor, Basement Sump Room

05/11/2006, 02:38 PM	#7
kstuart Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Ohio Posts: 413	You went with 1.5" up to the tank? isn't the output only a 3/4" on that pump? It sounds like it will work, i only have 14ft straight up and no real horizontal runs. How do you throttle it back, ball valve straight on the line up or do you divert some of it back into the sump? __________________ Computers allow us to make mistakes faster then any other invention in history....except for tequila and handguns Current Tank Info: 90g RR Display, 2x250w PFO HQI MH's, Phoenix 14k, ASM G3, ACJR, Tunzes/Multi Controller, Kalk Reactor, Basement Sump Room

05/11/2006, 02:21 PM	#4
kiowascout Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Depere, WI Posts: 467	I use a Gen-X Mak4 in just about the exact setup that you are describing above. I have no complaints about this pump whatsoever.

05/11/2006, 02:32 PM	#6
kiowascout Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Depere, WI Posts: 467	To give you an idea of how mine works... 1.5" up to the tank. Then it is stepped down to 1" The distances of the piping are 14' vertical and 22' horizontal. I have to throttle it back for the overflows to keep up (dual HOB overflows). My fuge is in the basement near the sump. I teed the fuge line just above the pump and only used 1/2" pipe for that run with a ball valve. I used 1/2" because I didnt want the possibility to exist to run tons of flow through the fuge either by mistake or on purpose. The run for the fuge is about 10' horizontal and 4' vertical. I amvery happy with this pump choice and think that it fits my needs (which are eerily similar to yours) perfectly. Good luck.

05/11/2006, 02:45 PM	#8
kiowascout Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Depere, WI Posts: 467	Yes, 1.5" I found, using the head loss calc here on RC, that stepping up the output to double the size increased the GPH substantially. I'm no engineer, but I think that it has to do with less frictional loss because of a higher volume to pump through. I use a ball valve straight on the line to throttle it up or down. Also, ONthe fuge line, I ran another tee with its own ball valve and a hose barb to pull water out for water changes. If need be, I could easily run that back into the sump to affect some redistribution of the water flow through the pump.