How much return flow should I be planning for?

[FutureInterest]

I'm in the middle of planning out a new tank build. I need some help determining how large of a return pump I should be going for. The display will be 324 gallons. The sump is still being designed but total volume should be about 200 gallons. The display will be a coast to coast overflow with beananimal plumbing. Is there a general rule of thumb to follow for how large the return pump should be? Any suggestions?

Thanks!

 

[Breadman03]

You should shoot for 3-7 times your display volume, accounting for head loss. That's not a hard number, but is a good ballpark to shoot for. I have a 150 deep dimension currently running a Blueline 70, though I have a Red Dragon 230 ordered. The RD will likely save me about 200 watts along with being much quieter.

 

[MelloW33]

I tend to run my return a little higher around 8x display volume.

 

[toothybugs]

I do 10-15x actual sump carrying volume. I like a lower flow to let detritus settle out, skimmer really works the water, etc. So if you have a 200gal sump but only carry 100 in it, I would run 1000-1500gph after loss. Similar value to the 3-5x DT that is often quoted, just a different way to look at it.

 

[FutureInterest]

Good stuff. Thanks guys.