Mag-Drive pumps

[dclaghorn]

What is anyone's thoughts on them? A lot of heat? Good at low heat? Lifespan?

Thanks,
Dave

 

[1DeR9_3Hy]

Long life, very durable, i dont know about heat...but i dont think they throw much into my 50. The only downfall is they are not as efficient as the external pumps (panworld, Iwaki, ect)...but for how cheap you can find them used they are hard to pass up.

 

[evsalty]

Very strong pumps. I have a Mag 24 and it did heat up the tank when I started using it but this is the second largest of this style mag pump. It is also a bit loud.

 

[IFbettas]

I have a mag 12 on my 180 and it doesn't heat it up at all as far as I can tell. My tank never gets above 80 degrees even when the house gets almost to 80 on hot summer days.

 

[fishnub]

buddy of mine has had a mag that he bought used for 7 yrs now. grate pump.

 

[cmm1970]

These are so simple that it makes them a pleasure to use. A slightly quieter option might be an Ocean Runner with which I have had fairly consistent results with for only 10 months now. My Mag's have operated for 6 years with only replacing an impeller here and there when I broke the ceramic shaft during cleaning.

If dependability and simple service is what you are looking for, don't over think this one. Just buy the Mag.

I ran a string on the Danner HY drive pumps not long ago and learned that they are perhaps not a good option. Stick with the Mag pumps. They are great. I have owned all models from 7-18 and think they are all great products.

 

[dclaghorn]

Thanks! My Lifereef sump came with a Mag-Drive 9 for the skimmer and a 12 for the return.

 

[JasonD]

I've owned Mag pumps for years and years lets just say I'm very happy with them. They are like the energizer bunny they keep going. . . and going. . . and

Well you get the ideal.

Jason

 

[lth03]

Mag is good pump,I use many model of them from 2,3.5,5,7,9.5 and 12 for the last 7 year and none of them gave me any issue,they are compact size compare to the output flow so they will vibrate a little bit,you might need to put an isolate mat underneat the pump to cancel noise.My favorite is mag 9.5,it is not that much bigger than mag 7 and weight less and smaller than mag 12 but output 950 gph,that is impressive.

 

[108reefer]

Mags are great pumps, however they are a bit power hungry - I would look into Ehiem if you ever want to replace them. but, like they say - dont fix it if it aint broke! Or, my motto - fix it till it's broke..

 

[Stanley-Reefer]

Mag 9 in my 90 and 18 in my 175.

 

[jhoff]

I have a mag 9.5 on my 46gal with a valve to adjust flow no noise no heat no problems.Love it.

 

[aquaman67]

My Mag 9.5 ran for 18 months straight with no maintenance while I was in Iraq.

 

[horkn]

I had a mag9.5 on my return and it failed with only like 2-3 years of use. The housing is finished, and no impellers will fix it.

These mag pumps are inefficient, and are a pain to service . You must take screws out to get the impeller out. Also, those screws are not a good SS, and rust.

IMHO, and IME, the quiet one pumps are better than the mag pumps. They are more efficient suing around half the watts as mag drive pumps, come with mpt fittings that are not restrictive like the small outputs on the mags, and they are easier to service as well.

Ehiems are good too, but pricier than QO's..

 

[sedor]

So thats 1 in 10 with a negative comment about mags. I'm gonna make it 11. I have a mag 7 and have been nothing but pleased with it. A good word to describe mags is reliable.

 

[Jgoal55]

ran a mag 7 for 2.5 yrs and took apart for maintenance and total of 0 times. Worked like a charm. When I broke down that tank and finally took a look inside the pump it looked like it was barely used.

That said, I dont recommend going that long without cleaning one

Using a Mag 12 submersed on my 90 now and I have no heat issues.

 

[GTriever]

Another vote for the Mag pumps. I've run a Mag 12 for 3-1/2 years now with no issues. In that time I've had several other brands of pumps fail in other applications, and I've tried an Ocean Runner 6500 that has to be the noisiest pump known to man. For my latest tank, both the return and the closed loop pumps will be Mags.

 

[patsfan1130]

Mags are all I have used for nearly the entire time I have been in this hobby. I have a Mag 9 that has been running for over 12 years. replaced the impellar 6 months ago. quiet, very reliable and I notice little heat added. I'll never use anything else.

 

[hndakd]

i have used mag drives for a couple of years as well. Not to much to complain about. They do vibrate alot so if it is sitting on glass you might want to think about putting some mat or something under it. I put dabs of silicone right on the pump and that fixed the noise. I recently switched to an external pump and it seems to be working well also.

 

[Stanley-Reefer]

My 18 came with a neoprene pad for that.