pmrossetti
Active member
I read they were recently recalled for some problem. I think they're way overpriced. What say you?
Are Red Dragon pumps really worth it?
- Thread starter pmrossetti
- Start date
Super quiet and reliable. They are also pretty energy efficient for how much water they move.
Only the RDII pumps were recalled due to quality issues.
Worth it if you need a quiet pump with a company who has been around for awhile.
There are cheaper options that use the same motorblock though, only one i know of is ATB but I'm sure there are others.
Only the RDII pumps were recalled due to quality issues.
Worth it if you need a quiet pump with a company who has been around for awhile.
There are cheaper options that use the same motorblock though, only one i know of is ATB but I'm sure there are others.
My experience with my 8 2m3 pump is not a good one. I got to use it for only 2 years until it broke down. Got to cough up nearly half the price of a new one to keep it running. I didn't pay up and am using the good old eheim 1260 as my return pump. I could have bought nearly 4 eheim 1260 for the price of a 8 2m3. Biggest regret for me as I had saved up and was convinced that I was genuinely buying a good product for the price I paid.
tylorarm
Premium Member
I've had much success with the RD 1, super quiet, low energy use, works great. However, my RD 2s have been a bust. Cheap fittings that broke, noisier by far than RD 1, and now one is making a bit of a clunky noise that sounds ominous. I never heard of a recall, any details?
carlso63
Reefkeeping since 1977
The term "Worth it" in this hobby is open to a wide interpretation...
To those with a lot of cash to throw around, and who want the best just for the sake of it being the best... to them, it is "worth it" to pay the high premium for a Red Dragon pump. Many times there is also the idea of "bragging rights", especially on sites like this one. People love to boast about how much their toys cost, and how great they are; often exaggerating the differences past reality - and often couple thier boasting with an unconscious put-down of those who "settled for less"... they also tend to forget that no one outside the limited confines of this hobby could give a rat's keester about a Red Dragon pump - and many would think them foolish for spending so much $$$ on a "water pump for a fish tank" in the first place.
Most of the rest of us in the hobby,tend to use the term "worth it" more in a "bang for the buck" mentality.
Using that thought process, most will "settle" for a quality pump like an Ehiem, that will net you around 95% of the overall performance of the Dragon at a substantially lower cost.
I put myself firmly in the category of the latter; thus IMO a Red Dragon pump is not "worth it"...
To those with a lot of cash to throw around, and who want the best just for the sake of it being the best... to them, it is "worth it" to pay the high premium for a Red Dragon pump. Many times there is also the idea of "bragging rights", especially on sites like this one. People love to boast about how much their toys cost, and how great they are; often exaggerating the differences past reality - and often couple thier boasting with an unconscious put-down of those who "settled for less"... they also tend to forget that no one outside the limited confines of this hobby could give a rat's keester about a Red Dragon pump - and many would think them foolish for spending so much $$$ on a "water pump for a fish tank" in the first place.
Most of the rest of us in the hobby,tend to use the term "worth it" more in a "bang for the buck" mentality.
Using that thought process, most will "settle" for a quality pump like an Ehiem, that will net you around 95% of the overall performance of the Dragon at a substantially lower cost.
I put myself firmly in the category of the latter; thus IMO a Red Dragon pump is not "worth it"...
addicted2reefin
New member
^^ i second that.
if u realy want a red dragon motor, get a aquaclear 901 or a laguna pump. hagen owns askoll, who makes the motors for red dragon
if u realy want a red dragon motor, get a aquaclear 901 or a laguna pump. hagen owns askoll, who makes the motors for red dragon
Wow, I guess, I purchased a pump, that is not "worth it". LOL What I was really aiming for was flow, less noise, and low energy consumption. I really didn't care of bragging rights. I have three Iwakis(MD40RLT,MD55RLT,MD70RLT), actually four, still use one for my return(MD20RXLT), and was not at all satisfied with the 3 former pumps for a closed loop and removed each one replacing it for the next, mainly because of the noise issue, and the location of my tank. I purchased a ATB Flowstar 1500, but found it to be a little low on flow output so I finally purchased a Red Dragon 6.5 m3, and I'm satisfied to some extent. I still think I need to add some vortechs for more random flow. But the bottom line is the Red Dragon pushes a lot of water for using only 65 watts.
carlso63
Reefkeeping since 1977
I think you are missing the point of the OPs question... he meant is it worth all the extra money for the Red Dragon brand pump vs. other brands? and I based my answer on that question. And of course, my answer is just my opinion, not absolute fact...
And yes, the $650 Dragon 6.5 pushes alot of water (1700 gph) at only 65w... but a $299 Dart will push more than double the water (3600 gph) at 135w - around the same gal per watt at less than half the cost of the Dragon...
And a $189 OR6500 will pump the same 1700 gph (although at 40w more power usage) and is a very reliable and pretty damn quite pump in itself. You'd have to run it for a really, really long time (like decades) before you eat up the $460 price difference in electricity costs.
So, to me, spending TRIPLE the price for a little more quiet and a little more reliability - and a dime a day's worth of electricity savings - is not "worth it"... to me, anyway
tylorarm
Premium Member
i also have two eheims, great pump, especially for the money. Problem is eheims top out at 900gph, so what are the alternatives for higher flow? Putting a 900gph pump on a closed loop that can handle substantially more flow is a waste of money too. Further, I have two darts sitting on the shelf. What's more expensive my overpriced RD pump working hard or my darts collecting dust? The darts were way too noisy to use in my living room, i had to pull them both out. Red Dragon 1 far far superior to Dart in terms of noise, no contest. I wished i'd bucked up for the RD 1 instead of the dart from the beginning. I can't even tell if my RD 1 is running, i have to feel the casing for heat. However, i've yet to try a dart gold and maybe that's an improvement in noise from the old dart. Also, one of my darts leaked, as did one of my hammerheads. Reeflo people sent me replacement gaskets no cost, but i had to repair and the leaks both produced a lot of mess and wasted a lot of my time. No leaks from the RD 1s or RD 2s. As i said previously though i have had other problems with RD 2, but, it does come with a controller so you can adjust the flow from next to nothing to 3600gph, that can be useful. For instance, i added two sea hares and cut the flow on my closed loops down to 1000gph from 3000gph until they found their way around. Not so simple as straight flow per $ equation, you've got to address a number of considerations, including your budget.
TommyBelfast
New member
I run a Red Dragon 3.5m3 as my return on my 100 gallon system.
Basically to get permission from the wife to set up the living room tank, she gave me two rules: 1. It can't smell bad and 2. It can't be noisy.
I tried several return pumps (mag, tunze, quiet one), but they all failed the wife test for the noise. So I finally decided to plunk down the big money for the red dragon, and it is perfectly silent. I do wish I could have solved my problem without spending that kind of money on a return pump, but I had no choice.
Overall, I think it is a great low-wattage, low-noise pump, but I do not think my particular pump is worth anywhere near $450.
Basically to get permission from the wife to set up the living room tank, she gave me two rules: 1. It can't smell bad and 2. It can't be noisy.
I tried several return pumps (mag, tunze, quiet one), but they all failed the wife test for the noise. So I finally decided to plunk down the big money for the red dragon, and it is perfectly silent. I do wish I could have solved my problem without spending that kind of money on a return pump, but I had no choice.
Overall, I think it is a great low-wattage, low-noise pump, but I do not think my particular pump is worth anywhere near $450.
vanillagorila
It stings the nostrils
I run a ATB flowstar 1500. it replaced a mag 9.5 (which was great). I get great performance (flow) from the flowstar, its completely silent, and uses 56-59 watts. the flow is up from what I had before. I am very happy with it.
wdbill
New member
I'm going to be getting a skimmer someday. I was looking at Alpha 170. It comes with a Red Dragon for the pump. It looks like a well made skimmer but a bit high in price $650. I have goten other skimmers that I wasn't happy with. And it has a small foot print 11.5" x 7.75" that will take up less room in my sump. What do you think of this skimmer other than having a Alpha and bragging points. But I'm not looking for any points I'm looking for a good skimmer.
customdusty
New member
Go see a Bubble King or Vertex Alpha skimmer in person. You will see its not about bragging, it's about having the best built skimmer on the market, period. Put any other skimmer you want next to it and check out the difference first hand. They perform as well as they are built, probably the only skimmer on the market that is accurately rated. I messed around for a while with a handful of skimmers until I pulled the trigger on a BK, and I literally laughed out loud when I got to set it up and feel the quality first hand. Just ridiculous. Go and see one first hand and then come back and post what you think.
In regards to the OP, I would have a hard time justifying a Red Dragon pump for a stand alone return pump as nobody will ever convince me that a return pump is an integral part of a reef tank as a skimmer.
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