Reefpack 500 w/ Electronic Pump?

[ghomola]

Would it be possible to order a Reefpack 500 with an electronic pump such as the 7200/2 instead of the standard 1600/2? I noticed in the catalog that the 7200/2 is a recommended pump for the 3166 filter. Of course, I would expect to pay more for this.

Is a controller needed to run the electronic pumps? Can you run the electronic pumps with the included driver and power supply unit and add a controller later?

Would the 7200/2 in the Reefpack 500 be appropriate for a 36" x 20" x 18" 58 gallon oceanic?

Do you have an idea of how often the filters would need to be changed in my tank with a reef setup?

Thanks,

Gary

 

[rvitko]

The ReefPack 500 comes prepacked with a 1600/2 installed in the filter. It would be possible for you to change out the pump but not to order it in this way. The 7200/2 will run without a controller and you can add one later. My experience with a 75 running the ReefPack and a 7300/2 pump with a Single Controller in the other back corner was that it worked very well and the cartridge needed to be changed weekly. You get 6 carts with the filter and I save them and when i have 5 used I unravel them and rinse them in the washing machine, they generally can be reused 5 or 6 times this way. Also, my experience with using the 3166 and a larger pump was not very favorable. With a larger pump the problem of vacuum and degassing can be more pronounced. As the cartridge becomes clogged a partial vacuum forms in the filter and with the 7200/2 this is more pronounced and leads to microbubbles. The cartridges filter the water very well and remove almost all visible particulate because they are about 1" thick of spun acrylic wadding. I would rather use the 7200/2 seperately. From a realistic perspective the Reefpack is no larger than a built in factory overflow box so the obstruction is the same as buying a reef ready aquarium.

 

[ghomola]

Thanks for the reply. Does the mechanical filtration remove any plankton?

Gary

 

[rvitko]

I would logically expect that the smallest of plankton no but most of it yes- if it enters the filter. The filter is designed with a top surface skimming intake and a bottom intake, both together yield a rather weak suction and so I would expect most mobile living things could avoid being taken in. Admittedly pankton safe filtration is not a perfect theory but we try to minimize the forces to the point an animal could escape or survive. FWIW I have tons of copepods living in my cartridge so I assume it can't be that destructive. I also have had customers have the pumps jammed up with snail larvae so they must somehow pass through and survive.