Best DC return Pump

[pelphrey]

Best and most quiet ...I can think of 2. Royal Exclusive and Abyzz. Both would be at the top. Like most things at the top there is a big price to pay but you could probably rest assured you would be well taken care of. Personally I have not used the Abyzz but have seen videos of them and they are very impressive looking. Personally I use Reef Octopus DC pumps. I run two as returns on two different tanks. Very quiet and have yet to run into an issue. I'm not running a lot of head pressure but there is a little.

I'm running a Reef Octopus VarioS-6 and it is silent! It is apex compatibility out of the box and comes with all of the fittings needed. I almost went with the M1, but it was 60-79 more expensive jam the VarioS6 and the fittings were another additional cost.

 

[thax]

I have been uesing a old Jebao the frist batch for at least 2 yeara now thing is a tank and the best sub $100 pump i ever had

 

[slief]

Red dragon owners, are red dragon pumps quiet?

They are silent at any speed. I have a pair of RD3 230's on my tank and when I fired the first one up, I thought it was broken... Until I saw the sand being kicked out from under the rocks on my closed loop. Even at full power, they are silent. Not quiet but silent. While some may consider me biased becaue of my affiliation, I do installs from time to time and get to play with a lot of pumps. They are the quietest pumps I have ever seen and that's the honest to god truth. The only noise from them is the water pushing through the lines and depending on the plumbing setup, that can be mitigated by reducing friction loss through the use of larger diameter plumbing.

 

[Breadman03]

Totally agree with Scott. My numbers represent the sound level by the pump in a quiet environment, but I can't tell if it's running by sound. I have to look at my water level or touch the pump. Even touching the pump, I can't describe it as vibrating, but more like it isn't quite still.

 

[sandipan.ece]

I agree with the posts above that go with Vectra M1 pump if you are looking for quiet pumps. I use one and cant be more happy about it. If you need a bigger pump go with L1.

 

[gus6464]

Couldn't you just get a big red dragon and run manifold to feed tank, skimmer, reactors, etc. like the RD3 Speedy 150W but honestly the 80W might do the job since your tank is not that big.

 

[FirstContact]

Too bad Abyzz isn't a sponsor. They'd get more votes.

 

[gcarroll]

IMO, I don't think any pump is comparable to the Abyzz. There are other good pumps out there but i feel that none are even equal when all things are compared.

 

[yifan917]

imo, i don't think any pump is comparable to the abyzz. There are other good pumps out there but i feel that none are even equal when all things are compared.

+1

 

[ali1]

Ignore jebao. Short lifecycle and no warranty or customer service. Had 2 dc12000 that lasted 6months. Also had 4 rw-15 that lasted nomore than 4months. Sadly Im going back to koralias for my powerheads and eheim for return

 

[mlb75]

Is the M1 as quiet as the RD or nearly?

Also are you running these external or internal? I've been running my Blueline 70HD external (obviously) and figured that was the best way to lessen heat transfer with any pump but since I'm about to make the switch to a DC return if the difference is negligible then maybe I'd just put it in the sump to save space under the stand.

 

[johnike]

I'm running a Waveline DC12000.
Not a problem in 2 years.

 

[gcarroll]

Is the M1 as quiet as the RD or nearly?

Also are you running these external or internal? I've been running my Blueline 70HD external (obviously) and figured that was the best way to lessen heat transfer with any pump but since I'm about to make the switch to a DC return if the difference is negligible then maybe I'd just put it in the sump to save space under the stand.

Yes it is. There is a video on youtube where they tested the two and they are right on par with each other.

 

[gcarroll]

Here is a link to that test.
https://youtu.be/QqniuK_gFvk

 

[gus6464]

Are there any noise tests with the Abyzz?

 

[RobZilla04]

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/pumps-plumbing/submersible-aquarium-pumps/abyzz.html

for those prices the Abyzz pumps better be less than quiet... :0

 

[mlb75]

Holly crap that Abyzz is expensive, for that price it better do more than move water. It might be the best out there but how much better is it than the Red Dragon or EcoTech to justify the price difference?

 

[mlb75]

Any preference for running them internal vs external?

 

[slief]

Holly crap that Abyzz is expensive, for that price it better do more than move water. It might be the best out there but how much better is it than the Red Dragon or EcoTech to justify the price difference?

Best advice I can give you is to read up on the different threads here on RC. There is a big thread here on the Vectra with lots of user experience. Start at the end of the thread if you want the most recent experiences. If you search by model. I.E. Vectra, Abyzz, RD3 and do the search by title, you will find plenty of threads on all these brands. That said, the Abyzz pumps are terrific pumps. If you need serious head pressure, they are about the only choice right now when it comes to a DC pump though that will soon be changing. They are like fire hydrants when it comes to pressure and being able to generate lots of flow with lots of head pressure.

Any preference for running them internal vs external?

I run my RD3 230's externally. I like that they are easy to access that way but it's kind of a 6 of this, half dozen of the other situation. Personally, I like running my pumps externally where ever possible provided there is enough space. I have another tank with an RD3 80 inside the sump because of limited space under that tank. There are some pumps such as the Jebao's that are prone to leaking when run externally.

 

[mlb75]

OK that makes a little more sense then if they're able to overcome head pressure as well, that would be worth additional money if you needed that feature, fortunately I don't.

I'm all for paying up for nice stuff, I'm a firm believer in you get what you pay for, buy things once and don't look back. I absolutely love my BK skimmer but unless there's some real convincing data on the pumps I'll probably be going EcoTech on this one.