Pump Chooosing is Hard. Help me

[Tron87]

So I'm am trying to choose between a used Little Giant 4-MDQ-SC and a new Pan World 50PX-X for a closed loop for my new 60 gal cube.

Little Giant:
Pros;
Price is $25 less than Pan world($40 less than retail)
Pumps 350 more gph. (gives me 1225 @ 2' head)

Cons;
6 months used
have heard stories of these pumps being very noisy, like outbaord motors
145Watts

Pan World:
Pros;
Nice and Shiny and Yellow and New
I have heard great things about performance and noise(supposedly comparable quality to Japanese Iwaki's)
Only 90 watts

Cons;
$25 more than LG
Only gives me 1110 gph at 0' ( and no flow chart to tell me what it pushes at 3-4')) Maybe just not enough flow for my tank.


What shoul I do?

 

[gsoaxionsk8]

i have never used a little giant so i cant speak for it. However I currently use the pan world pump that you are considering and i have nothing but good things to say about it. quiet, efficient as well as not terribly expensive.

 

[Hop]

The headloss on a closed loop is limited to the friction of the water moving through the pipe and the corners it takes. I doubt you will have 3-4' of headloss, especially if you are oversizing the pipe.

The panworld IMO is a much better pump, plumbed properly with a peice of spaflex and resting on a pad, the pump will be very quiet.

 

[Tron87]

I really want a Pan World but there just isn't one with the right flow for my tank. I want the closed loop to do 1200pgh at about 3' and that just isn't gonna happen unless I buy the 290W pump that is out of my price range. I hate how they jump from 1270 to 1750 when I want 1400 max flow. GRR

 

[Tron87]

Alright how bout more questions then. If I go for the Pan world 100PX-X then I'll get 1270 before any head loss. I am running a Magg 7 from my sump for another 500gph at full bore. Thats 29.5X turnover without any head accounted for on the Pan World.

Should that take care of my circulation needs. I really don't want to spend this money and then go by some unsightly powerheads that will ad to water temp problems.

 

[Hop]

You don't count the 3' of headloss on a close loop! It will be like maybe .75 to 1' of headloss due to pipe friction and corners.

So it would be closer to 1100 gph.

 

[Hop]

And the 100px-x is rated at 1270gph@130 watts. But I think the 50 is a perfect choice for your tank

 

[Tron87]

Hop you rule. I love istant replies!
I gues the question now is 50PX-X or 100PX-X
$25 price difference
160GPH flow difference (1110 -1270)
40 watt difference(90 to 130)
Nice and quiet all around

 

[Hop]

The 50 is going to be a bit quieter with less heat transfer. I loved my 50 when I had it