Better return pump Eheim or MagDrive for the $?

[sodaman]

I am returning my Quiet One 4000 after having two that wouldn't reliably restart. Should I go with a MagDrive to replace it or spend twice as much for a Eheim. I really dont want to spend an extra $60 that I could spend elsewhere, but then again, I dont want to buy another lame pump.

 

[hahnmeister]

Eheim. It will last for over a decade w/o even an impeller replacement and be silent and cool the whole time. You cant say that with a Mag. They are worth the money in the end...heck...for some they are worth their silence right off the bat. Their efficiency and reliability makes them a better choice in the long run.

 

[sjm817]

The extra $60 is money well spent. Get the Eheim. You wont regret it.

 

[Ironsheikh]

Eheim is the Mercedes of the fish world...

 

[killereef]

Eheim is the better pump, just on the noise alone is worth the extra 60

 

[landragon]

you will get exactly what you pay for in either case, allthough you may buy two replacement Mag's. so go Eheim!

 

[Yinger]

mags also suck up a lot of electricity and produce more heat as well.

 

[sodaman]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions!

 

[h20cooled]

Eheim hands down...

 

[Funky_Fish14]

Well, sounds like im getting a couple Eheims now too... to replace an old mag and as a second pump.

 

[Ti]

Eheim,no contest.

 

[Flamehawk]

Definately Eheim, i have an Eheim 1060 over 10 years old that still pushes strong!

 

[UCanDoIt]

Eheim, if you want something more quiet, uses less electricity and puts less heat back into the tank water. Those Mag pumps is so darn noisy, everyone in my household was complaining about my tanks.

 

[Yam]

Eheim's are NOT silent. You can still hear them hum. The only silent pump is the Velocity series. But, the Eheims are much better then the mag pumps.

 

[landragon]

Yes, there is noticable hum.

 

[Rueg]

Mag pumps should not be used external either. They leak. Go with Eheim. You will be happier in the long run.

 

[bklynmet]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7396108#post7396108 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Rueg
Mag pumps should not be used external either. They leak. Go with Eheim. You will be happier in the long run.

I've got two running external without leaks. Be careful on the criticism from people w.r.t. this. There are plenty of people running mags external without problems. I think some mag owners are embarressed at times to admit they have them and consequently so not stick up for them when they get a bad post from someone.

I have 5 different mag pumps running for the past two years without a problem. <b>Yes they put out heat and yes you do hear them </b> but my overflow is louder and the pumps are within the stand.

I think Mags are a great value for people starting out so they don't pour a ton of money into a hobby that they may decide to leave. Another plus for mags is they allow you to hard-plumb instead of using hoses. A minus is that I clean them every 6 months to avoid possible problems but IMO it's not that big a deal.

Just want to give you a fair assessment. There are plenty of Mag lovers out there. Mags have done me no wrong and I think they are pretty reliable - but I could just be lucky.

That being said, I do plan on replacing my some of my Mags with Eheims (one at a time because of their cost). The reason is that <b>I want to control the heat issue during the summer months</b> so I do not have to go and get a chiller. Each mag heats water at least 1 degree in the summer (thats 5 plus degrees I have to fight against with just a fan. I may go with a little giant (to replace the mag 9.5) run externally to power my skimmer after I reconfigure the sump and drill some holes - but that is for flow reasons and still doing homework on which to get.

Hope this helps.

 

[landragon]

Mags will leak, if run externally, after being taken apart and put back together wrong. This is the issue most times. The seal plate, cracks easily, and is also easy to misalign slightly. Either of these will cause issue with leaking, and they need to be taken apart and reassembled gingerly for cleanings. More so than other pumps.

 

[mg426]

I have two Mags that have been running for three years straight. I have never had them apart ever. I have never had a problem with them ever. I have a total of four mag drives running in my 125. One is running externally. I have never had any problems with any of them internally or externally. I have no heat problems either. Is Ehiem a better pump? Going by the general opinion it would seem that they are regarded as a better pump. That said I am still happy with the performance of my Mag pumps. I will try an Ehiem at some time in the future. If they are indeed a better pump they must be awesome because the Mags I am running are pretty swell.

 

[PatMayo]

Hummm, I have to rethink the Ehiem pump. I was comtemplating replacing my mag7 for 1250 or 1260 Ehiem pump, but since they too hum it may not be worth it. My mag 7 makes some noise but it's not huge. I was trying to get it even quieter but if the Ehiem makes the hum noise as the mag 7 does then is it worth it?

Regards,

Pat