New In-wall Project Begins

dougchambers said:
I've been told the SW seals in the Reeflo series are a little better than those in the 750 series pumps.
Click to expand...

Wow, that's news to me. As I understand the volute on the Reeflo pumps is a lower quality material (hence easier to break). I just ordered a 4200 for my tank because the 750 series has a longer track record, and I've never heard anything bad about them.

Oh, and another thing, remember that the 750 series have a 1.5" output instead of 2" on the Dart. Beware the size of a 2" bulkhead for your return line. If you want to bring it up through the overflow like I did, a Hayward Sch80 bulkhead has a 5" diameter flange size, so it takes up a bit of real estate in the overflow. 1.5" has a 3.5" flange, so it's easier to fit more of them in a given area.

Jeff
 
Jeff -

I don't think the SW seals on the 4200 are anything to worry about. Here is the comment that I was quoting from a retailer that sells both types of pumps.

The 4200 has a different impeller trim which allows the pump to be more quite as well as slightly more energy efficient. The dart has a better seal though. I have never had a problem with the stanrd Sequence seals, so I would go with the 4200 unless budget is a major concern, then the Dart would be my choice.
Click to expand...

I plan to have two (2) 2" drains to feed the 2" inlet of the 4200. The 1.5" pump outlet will go strait into the 2" inlet of a Oceansmotions 4-way.

Like you, I still plan to order the 4200.

-Doug
 
Doug,
You know that I'm tagging along to learn from your setup. :D

I'm re-thinking my pumps as well. I was looking at Jeremy's 90g setup thread and was afraid that I might also be putting on a pump that might be to strong for my needs. Jeremy's using a Amp3k and the rush of the drains are causing a lot of micro bubbles back to the return. I might drop down to the Amp2100 for my return since it's only pushing two 3/4" Sea-Swirls and a EV-120.
I think you had mentioned the Amp Eaters earlier on, refresh my memory on why you don't like them?
The watt or amp draw seems to be the most efficient at .09 amps.

I also asked Paul over at OM what pump he thought was good for the 4-way and he stated that he's run one with a Dart and it seems fine.
What in your opinion should be the min and max gph to run the 4-way effectively?
 
No min to run it effectively. Max? I run it at 6000 gph. I have heard 8000 gph. Possibly somebody has gotten more out of it but there are not too many pumps that put out more.

The ampmaster pumps are notorious for leaking seals. Even though they have changed there seals recently, many say they are still not as good as Sequence pumps.

I am the only person I know of that has had problems with Sequence seals. One thing the problem has taught me is Sequence has very good customer service.:)
 
Thanks for the info on the Ampmasters littlesilvermax,

So you and Doug still like the Sequence pumps but not their ReefFlo line correct?

Would you suggest a 3600 Seq 12 for my return (two 3/4" Sea-Swirls at about 5-6 ft head & an EV-120 in sump) and a 4200 Seq 12 for my closed loop utilizing a OM 4-way with 1" overhead piping? (this is opposed to my original idea of using two ReefFlo Darts)
 
pecan2phat said:
Thanks for the info on the Ampmasters littlesilvermax,

So you and Doug still like the Sequence pumps but not their ReefFlo line correct?

Would you suggest a 3600 Seq 12 for my return (two 3/4" Sea-Swirls at about 5-6 ft head & an EV-120 in sump) and a 4200 Seq 12 for my closed loop utilizing a OM 4-way with 1" overhead piping? (this is opposed to my original idea of using two ReefFlo Darts)
Click to expand...

I am not opposed to the Reeflos at all. Just don't break the volute. The motor, bearings, impeller are all the same. I just cemented a coupling to the volute, and I screw my fittings into that coupling.

For your return pump the Seq might be a bit too big, but you might as well go for it. You can always throttle it back. Just out of curiosity do you already own the EV-120? If you are going for an SPS tank I would get a better skimmer. I had an EV-180 on my 90 and it was good for a softy tank, not a real low nutrient one though.

I am not a big fan of using the same pump for return as for a skimmer anyway. The skimmer should receive raw water from the overflow. If you can have a seperate pump get water from the first compartment of your sump that would be best. Not needed (maybe you don't have the space) but better.

For your closed loop it sounds like you have a good plan. But go with 1.5 inch piping. You will heavily restrict the flow with 1 inch piping. Your flow will literally be cut in half.
 
Hey Fursphere did you check out the price of spa flex from Custom Aquatics??? I didn't think their pricing was to bad???
 
pecan2phat said:
I think you had mentioned the Amp Eaters earlier on, refresh my memory on why you don't like them?
The watt or amp draw seems to be the most efficient at .09 amps.
Click to expand...

Several people have reported measuring the current draw of the Ampmaster pumps, and finding numbers significantly higher than the mfr's rating (almost 2X). I had originally planned to use Ampmasters in my system, but the more I read, the Sequence just sounded like a better choice.

Also, be careful of restricting these high flow pumps. Two 3/4" outputs would create significant back pressure on the pump. You may find you get a lot less flow than expected.
 
Last edited:
Fliger said:
The depth gives them more areas to hide, with 30" you don't have to aquascape "the wall". When I went from 22" to 28" it's a huge difference. Now I'm at 36" and it's fantastic. But 30" is just as good. I doubt anyone who's ever had a tank 30" wide or more would argue.
Click to expand...

Amen. The next tank I'm doing will be 36" wide.
 
littlesilvermax said:
I am not opposed to the Reeflos at all. Just don't break the volute. The motor, bearings, impeller are all the same. I just cemented a coupling to the volute, and I screw my fittings into that coupling.

For your return pump the Seq might be a bit too big, but you might as well go for it. You can always throttle it back. Just out of curiosity do you already own the EV-120? If you are going for an SPS tank I would get a better skimmer. I had an EV-180 on my 90 and it was good for a softy tank, not a real low nutrient one though.

I am not a big fan of using the same pump for return as for a skimmer anyway. The skimmer should receive raw water from the overflow. If you can have a seperate pump get water from the first compartment of your sump that would be best. Not needed (maybe you don't have the space) but better.

For your closed loop it sounds like you have a good plan. But go with 1.5 inch piping. You will heavily restrict the flow with 1 inch piping. Your flow will literally be cut in half.
Click to expand...

Hey Doug, I promise that this will be the last hijacking of your project thread. :D

littlesilvermax,
I have the EV-120 sitting in a box that was never used for my 90g, so I figured I'd put it to use. After all the bills subside from the initial setup, I'll upgrade the skimmer.
The reason why I was trying to run the EV-120 with the return pump was to reduce the amount of pumps and electrical draw. I was even hoping to tee off my Ca and phosban reactor to the return but someone advised me against this and just to use a seperate small pump that way when I shut down the return for water changes, the reactors will still be running and they won't need to be tweaked again.
If you think I should just use the supplied Mag 5 with the EV-120, then maybe I should just drop down to a 1200-1400 gph return pump. Any suggestions?

On the OM 4-way,
So the Seq 4200 is good to go? I thought the 1.5" and 1" outs would be good since it's not a large tank and the overhead plumbing would look a little bit cleaner with the 1" piping but you think it's better to go with the 2" in and 1.5" outs?
 
Doug what I am getting at is that the loc-line will hinder your flow a great deal, trust me on this one before you go and buy this stuff see if a fellow reefer will loan you some so you can see what I mean...
 
jeffbrig said:
Several people have reported measuring the current draw of the Ampmaster pumps, and finding numbers significantly higher than the mfr's rating (almost 2X). I had originally planned to use Ampmasters in my system, but the more I read, the Sequence just sounded like a better choice.
Click to expand...

My Ampmaster 3000 is pulling 1.85amps as I type this.

(first time I ever thought to check it).

I use one of these to check power consumption -

http://www.smarthome.com/9034.html

(you can get them on eBay for 50% less)
 
Pecan ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ Donââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t worry about it. Honestly! I started this thread so we could all explore the different pumps and setups. Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢d say itââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s working well so donââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t worry about hijacking.

We are going to run two 2ââ"šÂ¬Ã‚ drains into the Sequence and plumb the output from the OM 4-way in 1.5ââ"šÂ¬Ã‚. I figure if we run the plumbing big we can always throttle back the feed to the 4-way with a gate valve.

I have no personal experience with the Ampmaster pumps. I canââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t even take credit ââ"šÂ¬Ã…"œAmpeaterââ"šÂ¬Ã‚. Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ve read a lot about them and received some pretty brutal opinions from fellow RC members that I trust. The Sequence pumps look good. In 6-12 months, we may have similar opinions of Sequence, but for now thatââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s the direction Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢m going to take.

As for the 4200 versus Dart, I donââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t think you can go too wrong either way. Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢m going to step up a little over the Dart to the 4200 just for the added flow capacity. For only $20 difference, itââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s a pretty easy decision for me.


Tank update:
I have updated pricing out of Will at AquariumObsession in Canada for the 48x28x24H with Starphire, center overflow, drilled for the closed loop, and all the bulkheads. Looks good! Expensive, but good. We only get one chance at this tank so I need it to be perfect.

-Doug
 
Doug,
Glad to hear that the tank hunting might be over. It's nice that Aquarium Obsession will do a 28" depth for you. Being that Glass Cages wouldn't, I tend to think they buy their sheets of glass precut.
How's the shipping from Canada, expensive?
 
Pecan,

AquariumObsession said they do everything custom so they were pretty open to sizing. I was quoted $300 for shipping.

I wouldn't second guess your GlassCages purchase based on changing sizes. The cost difference between your tank tand this one is significant... I like your pricing much better!

-Doug
 
3/4 inch loc-line will reduce flow if you only use 1.

IMG_4164.JPG


This is how I put 6000 gph into my tank. Keep in mind i have a medium pressure pump. With the dart I would have about 5 nozzles. That would give about 700 gph/nozzle. Maybe even go with 6. I think then you will have very little flow reduction.
 
Fursphere - Didn't think about import taxes from Canada. Has anyone else had to pay a tax surcharge to bring equipment or tanks in from Canada?

If we run loc-line on our returns, we were planning on 2-3 per outlet.

-Doug
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

J
My dream of a fleece roller
Replies
2
Views
500
SantaMonica
S
S
Help with Overflow Design Issue
Replies
0
Views
155
SFMAquariums
S
S
Small Sump Leak - Worth fixing?
Replies
1
Views
132
griss
griss
S
Overskimming on New Protein Skimmer
Replies
2
Views
159
wvned
wvned
E
Wall Mounting Light Bar
Replies
3
Views
178
wvned
wvned
Back
Top