Return pump for AGA 90gal Megaflow

[Gluestick]

Hi, guys! I am new to the hobby, but I fiured this would be a more appropriate place for this thread. I bought a 90 gal AGA Megaflow, with the plumbing kit and AGA sump. What kind of a return pump will I need? I don't want one that is bigger than I need, I want to keep my electric bill down. What work best for this setup?
Thanks!
Valerie in IL

 

[jw10604]

I have a 9.5 Mag on a 90 turned down a hair. It is energy efficient. Does not run hot, and puts out tons of flow.

 

[kris6983]

I have been runing a mag 18 on the same tank and it handles the flow well and I have no heat issues. I am running 2x400w mh

 

[horkn]

a comparable eheim pump will use less watts than the mag9.5, yet still drive the same gph that the mag will.

the mag9.5 uses 93 watts.

that said, since i have a mag 9.5 laying around- when i set up my 90 megaflow, it will probably be with that pump.

 

[s10willy]

I'm using a Mag 9.5, also. I'm happy with it for the price.

 

[sjm817]

I've had a 90G and have used Mag3/5/7/9.5 and an Eheim 1260. The Eheim is far and away the best pump I've had. Super quiet, great flow (but not excessive for a 90G), doesn't need huge plumbing to get good flow. Longevity of these pumps is measured in decades.

 

[sjm817]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7070358#post7070358 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by horkn
a comparable eheim pump will use less watts than the mag9.5, yet still drive the same gph that the mag will.

Actually, the Eheim handily outflows its similarly "rated" Mag counterparts by quite a bit, and it does it with smaller plumbing, less power, less noise. This is due to much better performance under normal head pressure.

 

[trmiv]

Planning on using either my current Mag 7, or going down a Pan World 40PX-MD20R on my new 90. I only want around 350 gph going through the sump.

 

[unmc2001]

I would go with the eheim 1260. is rated 635 gph at 65W. It will be more expensive than the Mag 9.5 but you will save money on electricity and the longevity of the pump. Very quiet pump.

 

[david8956]

Actually, the Eheim handily outflows its similarly "rated" Mag counterparts by quite a bit, and it does it with smaller plumbing, less power, less noise. This is due to much better performance under normal head pressure.

I really don't understand that statement. Specs directly from the manufacturers:

Mag 9.5 - 950 gph max flow, 93 watts, 14' head max

Eheim 1260 - 635 gph max flow, 65 watts, 12'1" head max

Eheim 1262 - 900 gph max flow, 80 watts, 11'6" head max

The Mag is 3/4" on both the suction side and the pressure side, while the Eheims are 1" on the suction side and 3/4" on the pressure side.

Neither of the Eheims "handily outflows" a similar Mag pump based on the manufacturers data .

Either 1) Mag is exaggerating their flow (easy enough to prove this published data wrong, suprised this has not been proven wrong before in some published articles) 2) Eheim is under rating their flow rates (Why ?) or 3) Eheim pumps are perceived to have higher flow rates because they cost twice as much, so they must be better.

Not trying to start an argument, I admit I have never used an Eheim pump. Just don't understand statements like those above after reading the manufacturers published performance data.

 

[blenny90]

We are using a Quiet One 5000 on our 90 gallon and it's done a great job. Very quiet, and plenty of flow.

 

[unit91]

I'm running a Poseidon PS2 inline pump that I CAN GUARANTEE you, is the most quiet pump that can be had in this hobby. (also one of the priceyest) It does however throw TONS of heat... about as much heat as 50Cent's posse. I am running a 72gal tank W/Megaflow, with a 20 gal sump and I DO NOT NEED or HAVE HEATERS ON THIS SETUP!!! So in that regard it will actually save you $$ on your power bill not requiring heaters. Just make sure you have a normal temp living room... ie heat in winter/ airconditioner in summer and you'll be A/OK. this pump rules. ULTRA quiet. it will provide you with about 550 GPH of flow. with 3'6" of head pressure. You will need to dial down your output as the megaflow return pipe is 1/4" smaller than the outlet on the pump... No biggy. I'm up in Canada so it's all good, but if you're say down in the southern US or hotter... It might not be a good choice. If your airconditioner breaks down on a hot summer day... It will cook your fish in no time. otherwise... excellent and did I mention quiet???!!

 

[sjm817]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7071906#post7071906 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by david8956
I really don't understand that statement. Specs directly from the manufacturers:

Mag 9.5 - 950 gph max flow, 93 watts, 14' head max

Eheim 1260 - 635 gph max flow, 65 watts, 12'1" head max

Eheim 1262 - 900 gph max flow, 80 watts, 11'6" head max

The Mag is 3/4" on both the suction side and the pressure side, while the Eheims are 1" on the suction side and 3/4" on the pressure side.

Neither of the Eheims "handily outflows" a similar Mag pump based on the manufacturers data .

Either 1) Mag is exaggerating their flow (easy enough to prove this published data wrong, suprised this has not been proven wrong before in some published articles) 2) Eheim is under rating their flow rates (Why ?) or 3) Eheim pumps are perceived to have higher flow rates because they cost twice as much, so they must be better.

Not trying to start an argument, I admit I have never used an Eheim pump. Just don't understand statements like those above after reading the manufacturers published performance data.

You are correct. Mag overrates their flow and Eheim underrates theirs. Mag loses a lot of flow once you get beyond 0' head. Eheim does not. It is one of the few submersibles that doesn't fall flat on its face once you add a few feet of head pressure. Advertised and real life numbers are very different.

There is no "perception" involved, and it has nothing to do with the cost of the pump. Anyone who has actually used both Mag7/Eheim 1260 or Mag9.5/Eheim 1262 will agree. You have not used one. Once you do, and see the difference for youself, then you can make a more informed post. I switched from a Mag7 to a 1260 and was totally shocked at the difference in flow (and noise). Others have made the same switch and had the same experience. I've also seen similar postings of Mag9/1262 where the 1262 was more comparable to a Mag12.

Manufacturers data doesn't reflect real life application. Maybe it hasn't been proven (maybe it has) in some published article, but it has been proven many times over by actual users.

 

[drew22to375]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7070358#post7070358 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by horkn
a comparable eheim pump will use less watts than the mag9.5, yet still drive the same gph that the mag will.

the mag9.5 uses 93 watts.

I second this. The Eheim will also be quieter.

Drew..

 

[david8956]

Mag loses a lot of flow once you get beyond 0' head. Eheim does not.

Then I suppose the Reef Central head loss calculator is wrong too? It shows the Eheim 1260, with 5' of head pressure, two 90 degree elbows, and 3/4" pipe puts out 304 gph. The Mag 9, set up the same way, shows 608 gph. (They return 337 gph and 701 gph respectively if you go to 1" pipe)

You have not used one.

I readily admitted I have never used an Eheim pump, and that I was confused by the published flow rates vs the anecdotal evidence supplied here and in other posts.

then you can make a more informed post.

That was uncalled for.

I switched from a Mag7 to a 1260 and was totally shocked at the difference in flow

Did you do a flow test at that time ? (See how long it took to fill a 5 gal bucket with each pump under your head pressure then multiply that out to get the gph ?) THAT could have confirmed the "real life" data which you state differs from the published flow rates.

Before someone else misunderstands my post, I am not saying a Mag is better than an Eheim. I don't know. I am just looking for
something other than anecdotal evidence to prove they are better before spending twice as much on one.

(BTW - I have a Mag 9 that has been running 24/7 for 2 years with no issues of any kind. Dead silent too. Maybe I just got a good one?)

 

[sjm817]

You claim you aren't trying to be argumentative. You've never actually used the product, make accusations that I am imagining that it has more flow because the pump costs more (read "perceived") Talk about uncalled for! Yet, you totally ignore actual user experience. It flows a ton more. You dont have to believe me, or others that have used both products. You can go by mgrs data if you wish. Your choice.

BTW, I also had a mag9 and liked it a lot. Not bad as far as noise goes, much better than a Mag7, very reliable, but more flow than I needed. But dont believe me, it could just be perception.

 

[crumbletop]

David8956,

From what I understand, the eheim is rated at 50 hz (the power frequency in germany), and when it is hooked up at 60 hz, it pumps out even more. Also, Mag pumps are rated at 0 head and a wide outlet, which equates to no resistance. All the eheim ratings use more real world conditions. There are many posts on RC about this. My tank used to have a Mag 9.5. I got an eheim 1262 to reduce the noise and heat, and WHOA, it now flows too much, IMO. It way out performs the Mag 9.5. This isn't simply a subjective observation as I actually had to change the air intake on my durso to get more return flow because I was overflowing my display.

The original poster was looking for options. A mag is an option. So is an eheim. Eheims are more efficient (less heat, less watts) and quieter. Eheims are also more expensive. The OP can decide what he wants based on the info.

Jack

 

[unmc2001]

I replaced my mag 9.5 with eheim 1262 thinking they are similar flow rates. the eheim was pushing a lot more water through my overflow. I had to switch out to an eheim 1260.

 

[crumbletop]

That's what I think I'm going to do. Drop back to a 1260 (or smaller). The 1262 is also pulling too much flow through my tiny (20 gal) sump...

Jack

 

[sjm817]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7073917#post7073917 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by crumbletop
David8956,

............ It way out performs the Mag 9.5. This isn't simply a subjective observation as I actually had to change the air intake on my durso to get more return flow because I was overflowing my display........

Jack

I had the same issue when I switched from the Mag7 to the 1260. The switch was to get a quieter pump and had nothing to do with flow needs. I was totally shocked (and not really happy at the time) about the extra flow. I also had to make a new standpipe for my overflow to handle the extra flow.

For those who went from a Mag9 to the 1262, I don't doubt it was a huge change. For one, if you were using small dia 3/4" plumbing (as many do), you had the flow choked way back to being with. You need 1.5" to get the full flow from them which is pretty substantial with the proper plumbing. I agree that a 1260 is more than sufficient flow for most applications.