Can a return pump be too small?

[Mr.Shrimps]

Hi RC. Quick question. Can a return pump be too small? As long as it is pumping water back into the tank, things will be fine right? I have many powerheads in my tank for circulation. Is there anything wrong with using a pump and isn't too powerful?

 

[garethwood]

short answer... yes.
but this does depend what your doing with your sump? many people run Ts off the return to feed reactors and other water treating equipment.
If your running a sump for mechanical filteration of the water from your DT then it goes without saying if the flow is low then the less water is being cleaned.
If your sump is just a low flow area for say a refugium to encourage pod reproduction and so on then you can run a low powered pump.. just be aware that you can always turn a pump down to reduce flow, but if you max out a low powered pump it will tend to be noisey and overworked, so higher power dialled down is always preferable.
hope this helps?

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[toothybugs]

The less flow you have the less effective everything in your sump becomes - heat control, skimming/ nutrient removal, etc. Your return is responsible for that movement. Too little through-sump flow and your skimmer's net efficiency plummets (and every other in-sump item).

 

[scooter31707]

I think if you are getting 3-5x turnover through the sump, you will be fine.