return pump advice??

[jfeva0049]

hi my old return pump on my 90 tall is going out and making loud humming noise. im looking into replacing it. i was looking at the eheim pumps, i hear good things about them. could anyone help with which one to go with??? it will be in sump. i was looking at the eheim compact 3000 but not sure if i should go with the 5000 instead. also what is the pro vs cons of the compact over the eheim universal ones??

thanks for any input you can provide.

 

[Canadaguy]

I have heard the compacts are not actually made by Eheim and aren't the greatest pumps but I have never owned one so.... The universals are awesome pumps which I have owned myself

 

[108reefer]

Stick with the regular Eheim - 1260 or 1262. You could also look into the WaterBlaster pumps - albeit a little more expensive, very low power draw with ceramic shafts and bearings...

 

[jfeva0049]

do you think i would need a 1262 or could i go with a 1260??

 

[ek9vboi]

I have the 1262 on my 56g DT, works very well. Too much flow for my return but I've since tee'd it off with my refugium, chiller, and reactor.

For a 90g, it might be an excellent choice. I love these Eheim hobby pumps, they are quiet and reliable.

 

[jfeva0049]

I have the 1262 on my 56g DT, works very well. Too much flow for my return but I've since tee'd it off with my refugium, chiller, and reactor.

For a 90g, it might be an excellent choice. I love these Eheim hobby pumps, they are quiet and reliable.

i dont have anything really to T it off too, do you think i could just put a ball valve on it and dial it down?? or will that cause to much back pressure on the pump? thanks

 

[blackx-runner]

i dont have anything really to T it off too, do you think i could just put a ball valve on it and dial it down?? or will that cause to much back pressure on the pump? thanks

I would go with the larger pump for the "just in case you need more" scenario. A little too much flow is easier to deal with than too little flow.
Like said you can T-off and run the excess flow back through the sump or to a refugium. I'm not sure if the eheim's like to be run throttled back, but its a common practice on some return pumps. Just run the valve on the discharge side if you go that route.

 

[Aquatron]

Hello,

Check out the Water Blaster pumps, great flow, quiet, and 3 yr warr.

Best of Luck!

 

[ek9vboi]

i dont have anything really to T it off too, do you think i could just put a ball valve on it and dial it down?? or will that cause to much back pressure on the pump? thanks

I don't believe in dialing down a pump, just buy the proper one. See how much flow you would like going through your sump and the head loss before buying. I would make a mock up with PVC piping and do the calculations on the RC calculator. A standard 1" drain will be able to handle 600gph and in most cases, the return pump doesn't get near that unless they want a crazy amount of flow through their sump.

 

[jfeva0049]

can you guys rate these pumps please...

eheim compact
eheim universal
sicce
waterblaster

in order from best to worst, thanks

 

[bugs713]

I've been using an Eheim 1260 for about 8 months on a 55g; it is also tee to a BP reactor and has about 3 foot head and has perfect flow for my needs.
For you, if you go Eheim, I would suggest a 1262 for a little more flow.

These are tried and tested pumps known for their longevity and reliability. They are also quiet and produce way less heat than other submersible pumps.

 

[wildman926]

I have used Eheim 1260/1262, had to us the 1260 as the 1262 will over run a 1" drain. They were loud and had to get rid of them. 1262 is TOO MUCH on a 1" drain, even with it wide open.

Tried a Sicce Syncra 4, and was TOO loud, worse than the Eheims. Tried to use their warranty, and would not replace it, wanted to change out impeller, but had none in stock. Had to wait for 3-4 weeks for them to come from Italy. I recieved a refund.

My sumps came with Catalina Aquarium 4000 pumps, and they are quieter than my SRO skimmers and especially the other pumps I just mentioned. They flow perfect with 5' of head using 3/4" tubing (using 1" tubing was too much) on a 1" drain , they are inexpensive, and they are compact (they look like a miniature Eheim 1260). This is on both my 110g and 150g. You don't need a lot of flow through your sump, 3 - 4x is about it. I have used them for over a year with 0 issues. They are less $60 shipped, and they use 80w. Impellers are only $20 shipped if you ever have issues.

 

[jfeva0049]

I have used Eheim 1260/1262, had to us the 1260 as the 1262 will over run a 1" drain. They were loud and had to get rid of them. 1262 is TOO MUCH on a 1" drain, even with it wide open.

Tried a Sicce Syncra 4, and was TOO loud, worse than the Eheims. Tried to use their warranty, and would not replace it, wanted to change out impeller, but had none in stock. Had to wait for 3-4 weeks for them to come from Italy. I recieved a refund.

My sumps came with Catalina Aquarium 4000 pumps, and they are quieter than my SRO skimmers and especially the other pumps I just mentioned. They flow perfect with 5' of head using 3/4" tubing (using 1" tubing was too much) on a 1" drain , they are inexpensive, and they are compact (they look like a miniature Eheim 1260). This is on both my 110g and 150g. You don't need a lot of flow through your sump, 3 - 4x is about it. I have used them for over a year with 0 issues. They are less $60 shipped, and they use 80w. Impellers are only $20 shipped if you ever have issues.

yeah thats funny you say that cause the return i have been using for the last 10 years has been a cheap via aqua 2600. it has been good for me for the past 10 years and i rarely cleaned it out. i guess i was just lucky i cause i dont even think a via aqua could sniff any of the pumps we have been talking about here. go figure,lol.

 

[Playa-1]

I'm running 1262 and T off the return line to run media reactors. It's just the right return pump for my Tank. Quiet and dependable is how I would describe it.

 

[jfeva0049]

hey guys tell me what you think about this, i was watching a reef dynamics video where the owner Jeff stated that your return pump should turn over no more than 2-3 times per hour. his premise was that you want as much contact time with the skimmer as possible, slower movement thru the sump the longer the skimmer has to remove the waste from the water. he said that the water thru the sump was independent from water movement inside the tank.

i have bought a skimmer from them and most recent a bio pellet reactor, so i am kinda swayed by this. what do you think???

 

[Playa-1]

That sounds reasonable to me. 3-5x thru the sump is normal for many people for the same or similar reasons.

 

[jfeva0049]

That sounds reasonable to me. 3-5x thru the sump is normal for many people for the same or similar reasons.

ok thanks, just wanted somebody to confirm. i have 2 mp40 so im not worried about water circulation inside the tank. i think as long as i get something rated for between 650-750 gph i should be good cause i have about 4 ft head so that should bring it down into the 3-4x per hour thru sump.

 

[jfeva0049]

ok so i did some pricing;

sicce 3.0 = $92
ehiem compact 3000 = $95
ehiem 1260 = $155
waterblaster 3000 = $180

im kinda tempted to go with the sicce or eheim compact due to the cost. i was happy with my old cheap via aqua before it started acting up after 9 years, so im sure either the sicce or eheim compact are gonna be better than what i had.

any thoughts?

 

[jfeva0049]

just fyi, i went with the sicce 3.0.

i hooked it up and i could not hear anything unless real close. my 2 mp40's are way louder then the sicce. i even had to dail it down to keep the same flow as my old pump.