Return pump

[fkdenton]

I just bought a 150 non rr today. I am going to drill two 2in holes for drains and have the returns come over the top. I have been told this would be the easy way to do it. I am going to use a 40 breeder as a sump. What would you suggest I use as a return pump? What about a skimmer. It will not be heavly stocked but I dont want to under do it. As always the cheaper the better. I plan on mainly having easy sps and lps. It is a 48x24x31h

 

[Jeremy B.]

Do you prefer an external pump or a submersible pump?

For the skimmer I would recommend going with a EuroReef RS135 for a light bioload, or an RS180 for a heavy bioload.

Thanks,
Jeremy

 

[fkdenton]

also would 2 250 M.H. in spider reflectors be plenty of lighting for that. Maybe 14k hamilton bulbs with pfo ballast?

 

[fkdenton]

I prefer submersible pump.

 

[Jeremy B.]

For a submersible return I would use the Eheim 1262. That will give you right at 1000gph before the head loss. This pump would be more equivelant to a Mag1200 for comparison reasons. If you feel like you want more you can always go up to a Mag1800, however I don't think it would be needed as long as you were providing enough flow inside the tank via powerheads, etc.

2 x 250s in a Spider should be just fine. If you want more light and do not necessarily want to go to 400's because of heat and power consumption, then just upgrade the reflectors. I would recommend the Coralvue L3 mini reflectors, which are basically a Lumenarc reflector. They are a little expensive, however they will get you 2-3x the output of what the spider reflectors will.

Thanks,
Jeremy