Return pump help please!

[Bearkat1234]

Hi,
I am a beginner in this hobby.

I have a 56 gallon column tank with I believe a 20 gallon sump which will be a refuge. My tank is 30in long, 18in deep and 24in tall. I have a Reef Octopus 110 protein skimmer with a 1200gph mag drive return pump. I have a 1-1/4" main drain in my overflow that goes into my sump below the display with a 1"OD vinyl tubing for the return back to the display with a ball valve on the overflow and the return lines.

Is the 1200gph return pump to much for my tank? I bought the tank off Craigslist and the guy gave me the return pump with the tank. He said he used it previously and worked fine for his reef tank.


Can I just turn the return pump down by turning the ball valve closing it off about half way and be ok?
When I do this, my overflow is fine with no overflows of the display and when i turn power off there is no overflow of the sump either..which is good.

if the 1200gph pump is ok to use for my size aquarium, next question is, do I need to get a powerhead to move the water around in the tank for flow....or can I count on my return pump to do that since it is a 1200gph pump?


thank you in advance. hope for someone to let me in on any advice.

thank you again.

 

[tdo]

Yes you can dial down the return pump by ball valve. Many do it that way. And yes, I would recommend using powerheads for more circulation throughout the tank itself. How much depends on what you plan on keeping in the tank.

 

[A sea K]

Yes you can valve the pump down but there is no sense in using a mag 12 on a 56 gallon tank unless your sump is located in a basement and you have a lot of head pressure to overcome. FWIW I used a mag 12 as a return for a 210 gal display.
It cost way more to operate in electricity, is too much flow for your sump and adds plenty of waste heat to such a small system.
Select a pump that pushes 200 to 300 GPH after calculated head loss using this RC head loss calculator, http://www.reefcentral.com/index.php/head-loss-calculator

 

[Bearkat1234]

ok great thank you!

 

[Bearkat1234]

so what should I do with the 1200gph pump ? will a fish store buy it from me even if i didnt get it from them? It would be a waste if just left sitting around or trashed

 

[AZBigJohn]

so what should I do with the 1200gph pump ? will a fish store buy it from me even if i didnt get it from them? It would be a waste if just left sitting around or trashed

Offer it up to your local reef club members at a meeting (or on here once you reach the post count to sell).

They are great pumps, and I'm sure you will find interest in it.