Need Advice on a pump and skimmer

T

Terry C

New member
Hello, I'm just getting back into the hobby after several years off. Wow have things changed. I have couple questions. I am getting ready to set up a 55 gallon tank. I'm still buying everything to get it up and running. I just ordered 30L x 10W x 14H Bashsea Bio-Fuge Sump; that I am adding to the tank, the tank does have a built in overflow. Hopefully with this information you can give me recommendations.

Question 1.) How many gph on a return pump will I need? I'm looking for one that is quiet and energy efficient.

Question 2.) What type of skimmer would you recommend? Also would like quiet and energy efficient.

I'm not on a tight budget but, I don't want to break the bank either. ;)

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I have been doing research on all this equipment and my mind is boggled with all the new latest and greatest.
 
Terry C said:
Hello, I'm just getting back into the hobby after several years off. Wow have things changed. I have couple questions. I am getting ready to set up a 55 gallon tank. I'm still buying everything to get it up and running. I just ordered 30L x 10W x 14H Bashsea Bio-Fuge Sump; that I am adding to the tank, the tank does have a built in overflow. Hopefully with this information you can give me recommendations.

Question 1.) How many gph on a return pump will I need? I'm looking for one that is quiet and energy efficient.

Question 2.) What type of skimmer would you recommend? Also would like quiet and energy efficient.

I'm not on a tight budget but, I don't want to break the bank either. ;)

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I have been doing research on all this equipment and my mind is boggled with all the new latest and greatest.
Click to expand...

For GPH of pump, it's pretty much based on how much flow you want, plus size/distance of piping. With a sump, you probably only need it pumping 600 to 800 gph. A controllable pump is quite helpful as you can overbuild it and just reduce the power. Then you use powerheads to add flow in your DT.
As far as brands go though, I've got a Jaebo (my 2nd one) that's worked quite well for over a year. Just make sure if you go with that brand you get the most recent model, and double check recent reviews. But it's probably the best price point if your on a tight budget.

I've got a SCA skimmer, which for the price has done fine for me. Some recommend to over build your skimmer too. So for a 55 gallon, plus your sump volume, something rated for a 150 to 200 gallon should work well. Bulkreefsupply has a lot of different brands and you can compare price/reviews/features.
 
For something quiet and energy efficient you should look at dc pumps.

The jeabo dcp or whatever the newest pump is has served me well for the last 2 year.

The simplicity line is basically the same as the jeabo but comes with a warranty (that you can actually use unlike jeabo) and their customer service has been great when I had an issue with my skimmer.

The simplicity 1600 would work, its more power than you'll probably need but I'd rather run a DC pump slower that run it at full speed

https://clearchoiceaquatics.com/col...oducts/simplicity-1600dc-return-pump-1-600gph

The simplicity skimmers are good too, but also check out reef octopus those are the only 2 I've used. I've heard good things on the bubble magus as well.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk
 
Thank you

Thank you

Thank you Thornbreaker & ryeguyy84. I'll do some research on those recommendations. I now have somewhere to start.

What are your thoughts on a 48" Fluval Sea for lighting? Later on down the line would those lights sustain soft corals and an anemone? I won't be doing any LPS or SPS corals.
 
Return pump is commonly sized at 3 to 10x display tank volume in GPH after head losses..
So for a 55G tank thats 165 to 550 GPH after head loss..

I too would recommend a Jebao DCP (5000 should be just fine)..
And a Bubble Magus Curve 5 would make a great skimmer.. Or the Simplicity as already recommended
 
I`m a beginner as well. And even tho I have skimmer and return pump I want to get new ones. Why? DC! So IMO dc pumps are the way to go, both for skimmers and return, for everything you can. And why DC? Because they`re much quieter and efficient. My return pump uses 70 watts and my skimmer pump 91 watts. I think it`s possible to drop that down to 60 watts total with DC pumps, maybe less.
So, for now I'm considering a jebao/simplicity pump or one of those more expensive like a neptune or what ever. But only if I find a great deal, other than that, I will have to go with a jebao. I was looking for the skimz but it's not on sale anymore. yeah, I should have bought that thing and a cor 20 but then Thats over 600 dollar and I just bought a ton of stuff.
 
I have a asm skimmer with modded gate valve for sale (footprint because of the needle wheel pump requires space ...not compact)

I also have a Poseidon ps2 in-line pump (quietest pump I ever owned)

Let me know if interested


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wilsonline said:
I`m a beginner as well. And even tho I have skimmer and return pump I want to get new ones. Why? DC! So IMO dc pumps are the way to go, both for skimmers and return, for everything you can. And why DC? Because they`re much quieter and efficient. My return pump uses 70 watts and my skimmer pump 91 watts. I think it`s possible to drop that down to 60 watts total with DC pumps, maybe less.
So, for now I'm considering a jebao/simplicity pump or one of those more expensive like a neptune or what ever. But only if I find a great deal, other than that, I will have to go with a jebao. I was looking for the skimz but it's not on sale anymore. yeah, I should have bought that thing and a cor 20 but then Thats over 600 dollar and I just bought a ton of stuff.
Click to expand...

Don't forget to actually calculate ROI..
"IF" (big if) you get that ~100W reduction thats about $100 a year savings..
Your ROI may be 3 years before you start saving any money.. assuming $300 for pump/skimmer
 
I would recommend avoiding Jeabo for the return pump. They do work fine but my jeabo skimmer pump is already having the power coward becoming brittle where it was exposed to water. I also hade a jeabo UV sterilizer where they forgot to use UV resistant plastic and it decomposed and dumps toxic plastic particles and killed better than 1/2 my SPS over the course of 3 months before I figured it out.

Most people have positive experiences with Jeabo but there is a significant risk.

Return pump failure can be a tank killer.

I wouldn’t save too much money there.
 
As I remember, I used a mag-9 pump on my 55: never fear to throttle a pump down a little with a valve---same for the pump as having just a bit more rise to reach the tank. That way you can fine-tune your flow to exactly what you like. Don't go crazy with the valve-down, but I like to shoot for a little more gph than I probably need.
 
So obviously, I did NOT research the bashsea sump well enough. It turns out where the return pump goes is only a 5" X 5" space. NOW I need new pump recommendations for such a small space. Seriously considering taking out the divider in the sump so I can use a bigger pump.
bashsea-bio-fuge-sump-30x-10-x-14


Any thoughts?
 
Hi Ryeguyy, I liked your recommendation of the simplicity 1600 return pump. BUT, I received my Bashsea sump and the space for the return pump is only 5" x 5". I guess when I was researching I didn't pay attention to that detail. Any recommendations on a smaller quiet energy efficient return pump?

I'm thinking about taking out the partition, where the sponge filter goes so I can do a larger return pump.

Any thoughts?


ryeguyy84 said:
For something quiet and energy efficient you should look at dc pumps.

The jeabo dcp or whatever the newest pump is has served me well for the last 2 year.

The simplicity line is basically the same as the jeabo but comes with a warranty (that you can actually use unlike jeabo) and their customer service has been great when I had an issue with my skimmer.

The simplicity 1600 would work, its more power than you'll probably need but I'd rather run a DC pump slower that run it at full speed

https://clearchoiceaquatics.com/col...oducts/simplicity-1600dc-return-pump-1-600gph

The simplicity skimmers are good too, but also check out reef octopus those are the only 2 I've used. I've heard good things on the bubble magus as well.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
 
Terry C said:
Hi Ryeguyy, I liked your recommendation of the simplicity 1600 return pump. BUT, I received my Bashsea sump and the space for the return pump is only 5" x 5". I guess when I was researching I didn't pay attention to that detail. Any recommendations on a smaller quiet energy efficient return pump?



I'm thinking about taking out the partition, where the sponge filter goes so I can do a larger return pump.



Any thoughts?
Click to expand...
Sicce 2.0 or 3.0?

https://clearchoiceaquatics.com/collections/return-pumps/products/syncra-silent-2-0-pump-568-gph

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk
 
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