Return Pump Questions

[RayAllen3422]

What do you all recommend internal or external pumps?

Do most people use 2 pumps? I am thinking about using two pumps so there is a back up if one does down. So two smaller as opposed to one big.

 

[rtecanoe]

External if possible as internal can add significant heat to the water in the warmer months.
I think most people use one return pump, two means twice as many problems that can occur! Check out the for sale forum for a used one as a back up

 

[UNCsalt]

I only used two when I was running a closed loop system, one external and one internal. It really is preference and space. I run internal eheim 1262 900 GPH it is ultra quiet.

 

[gone fishin]

Yes to me it is just a personal preference. On my smaller tanks I used internal pump and on my 180 I went with an external pump.

I would suggest only using one main return pump. It gets tricky trying to balance flow with two pumps. I keep repair parts in hand for my pump. When I ran smaller tanks I had a spare internal pump to swap out.

 

[RayAllen3422]

I already have an eheim 1262 from a previous tank. It's almost new. That should get the job done.