New return pump or pumps?

[mjohnson86]

Well after a long fight with my Mag 12 and Mag 7 they have both quit on me and I am pumpless at the moment...

So while I am going to replace them with something new I am thinking about what is the best out there today?

My setup is this:
Tank - 175 Oceanic Bow Front
Sump - custom made 36" long x 14" wide x 16" tall
Skimmer - EuroReef Beast with 2 Sedra 5000's on it
Hydor Powerheads x 2 (750's) I think...

I was thinking about the new Waveline pumps with the controllers for their low power consumption and not heating the water as much. I am not super concerned about price as I am about quiet pumps and quality.

Anyone out there got any recommendations lets hear them!

Mike.

 

[mjohnson86]

Come on people.... I know someone has some input on what pumps are the best out there!!!

 

[azjohnny]

I have used 3 different return pumps on my 180. Eheim 1260, Sicce 5 and a Laguna Max Flo 1500. All were good pumps and were quiet but the Laguna is my favorite, IMO it seems to be built the best and the flow is valved back about 50% and did this with all 3 pumps

I dont think the DC pump craze is that big of a deal of any of the quality AC submersible pumps. It would be a noticeable difference of a magnetic drive external like an Iwaki

 

[mjohnson86]

Hmm thanks for the info... I will do some more research on those pumps...

 

[downbeach]

I started my 180 system with two Eheim 1260's, and ran them for a number of trouble free years. To gain some space in my sump, I replaced those with two Mag 9's and had a few more years of good service. In an effort to cut down on my power consumption, I recently bought an RO Diablo DC 10500. Although I lost the redundancy of having two return pumps, I also cut my power more than in half for my returns, 85W for the DC pump(at full speed) vs 186W for the Mag's. Only time will tell if they will have the longevity of the other pumps, but I like the fact that I can regulate the flow via the controller, and not have to throttle it back using a valve.

 

[mjohnson86]

I was thinking about 2 Diablo 3500's but wonder if that will be enough?

 

[downbeach]

You could go with the 5500's, and control the speed through the controller. That would also leave you a little reserve in case you wanted to add a manifold and power other units, i.e. reactor's, etc.

 

[toky916]

Check water blaster pump love mine and no trouble !

 

[mjohnson86]

Thanks for the input here... I might go with the 5500's just to have some extra for later planning...

On a side note anyone using any controllers like the Apex or Neptune and have any input there?

My lights are the Sunbrite tubes and already have a dawn to dusk setting which works well, but I am thinking about automating some other items like an ATO setup and would love to monitor chemicals in the tank...

 

[jda]

I have a Diablo DC 10500 too. As advertised with flow and head. No idea about the quality since it has only been a few months.

If you go DC, I would get the biggest one and just not turn it up too high.

 

[Vinny Kreyling]

What chemicals are you looking to monitor?
PH,ORP & Temp & I think salinity are it for controllers as far as I know.

 

[JSimpson]

Well after a long fight with my Mag 12 and Mag 7 they have both quit on me and I am pumpless at the moment...

Mike.

If you don't mind the question - how did they quit? I have 3 or 4 Mag 5's and 7's, some well over 10 years old, and all are still working fine. The only problem I've ever had is with the impellers, and typically every 6 months or so will remove, soak overnight in vinegar to remove precipitate, and they are back in service. I did have one impeller break years ago, but have never had a problem with the pump body itself on any.

 

[mjohnson86]

On the Mag 12 the outer cover holding the impeller had cracked and I decided to replace it with a new one and new impeller at the same time. It worked for about 4 months and then the other day the pump just stopped. I cant find anything wrong with it and took it apart but when it is plugged in it does nothing. It is about 8 years old now.

I bought 2 of the Reef Octopus Diablo 5500's and have to say they are the quietest pumps I have ever had! Amazing pumps! So far I am super happy with them!

 

[DasCamel]

Sicce 5.0 here, so far very nice. Low noise, solid build. I'm a noob though, should have used flex piping.

 

[Lacktaters]

+1 in the Laguna Max Flo pumps. I'm using the Max Flo 1350 with the $20 stand from socaltropicalfishoutlet on both my tanks. These pumps are dead silent. The only knock on them is their lack of a steady base. $20 buys a nice acrylic stand with rubber feet...problem solved.