Recommend me a return pump for 80 gallon

[EmbraceStardumb]

It will be a mixed reef tank and I'm still in the planning phase of everything. I already have the tank, a Lee-Mar 30x30x20 3 sided starphire tank. What size refugium should I be looking at? Would love to get an atb skimmer but will most likely get a swc one.

 

[jlong11]

mag 9.5 maybe ive grown fond of them theres also the eheim 1262 i believe a couple others cant remember off the top of my head tho i know there the rio 3100 also its a little less expensive i have used the rio 2500 for almost a year with sucess

 

[jlong11]

i would say to get the biggest size u can since ur running a cube style its gonna be limited unless u do custom i would like to have a 30 gallon refugium but 10-80 would work it depends on what u want to spend and what u can setup its up to u just need about 3x the flow through the fuge 5 in the sump and 40-100x in the dt but it depends on what coral u get and so on as im sure u know the fuge does need quite a bit less flow though to much wouldnt do any good

 

[iwishtofish]

I've heard some people complain about this or that with Mag pumps, but I like my Mag 9.5 just fine! I don't think it is noisy at all, but I had to fashion a vibration cushion for it.

 

[sjm817]

Id use an Eheim 1260 for that sized system.

 

[Soopabruva1]

I've heard some people complain about this or that with Mag pumps, but I like my Mag 9.5 just fine! I don't think it is noisy at all, but I had to fashion a vibration cushion for it.

My Mag 7 is loud and will not start up half the time. I previously had a Quietone, which are supposed the be notorious for not starting up work flawlessly.

 

[Algaenot]

I use the Eheim 1262 on a 90 gal and have extra flow so the 1260 would probable work well on a 80 gal. Mines been running 24/7 for over three years with only annual cleaning. Also like the lower power consumption.

 

[davocean]

Agree w/ Eheim 1260.

 

[Andrew17030]

Im in the same stage you are in. What I want out of my return pump in first reliability and second low sound production. If the mods can track the number of build threads I have read it would probably seem that I don't have much of a life. I have come to the conclusion that under the need of 1000 gph the ehiem hobby pump is the most widely used. Over that there are more options and obviously qualities. If you want to reduce the potential for sound production from vibration use vinyl tubing between your hard plumbing and your pump, the more length the better. Also, choosing the appropriately sized pump for your needs helps to not need to restrict the output of the pump which may decrease the life and increase the sound production from vibration. Remember whenever you ask what the best anything is you will have differing opinions.

 

[gonpostal]

One more vote for the Eheim 1260.

 

[Fish Dad]

For determining you GPH needs – I read that it should be 5 time your tank? (80 * 5 = 400 GPH)
Is that right? I’m trying to size a pump for a 55 gal reef, seems there nothing in the 275 GPH range?
Suggestion on what to do with the extra flow, as won’t you just drain your sump if you go to big?

Ehiem
1260 475 GPH @ 4 ft head pressure, rated at 635 gph ($149.00- 164)
1262 665 GPH @4 ft head pressure, rated 900 GPH ($169.00 – 189)
Supreme Classic Mag Drive
Mag 9.5 740 GPH @ 3ft head pressure, rated 900 GPH ( 91.00 -99.00)

 

[TurtleSoup2]

love my taam rio pump, its super quiet too!!

 

[kissman]

+1 on the mag drive 9.5

 

[ColaAddict]

+1 on Mag 9. Turn over should be atleast 10x your volume, and don't forget that you lose GPH power depending on the height of your pump to top of the tank.

 

[sjm817]

Turnover should be 3 -5x your display size and cant be more than your overflow can handle. Mag 9s lose a lot of flow to head loss and despite what the flow atings show, are close to the same as an Eheim 1260. A 1262 has a lot more flow than a 9.5.

 

[Rembee]

+1 on the Ehiem1260 or the 1262. I have a 1262 for a 90 gal. and it is super quite!