Sump Pump Question

[Fishboy9227]

How big of a pump do I need in my sump pumping the water out of my sump into my tank? GPH? The tank is twenty gallons and the sump will be either ten or fifteen gallons.

 

[mattpenn]

it really depends on the overflow box rating

 

[scbauer]

Most people recommend 3x to 5x turnover through your sump. If you start to get much higher than that you must do more to help prevent bubbles from entering your display tank.

That would mean that you should have somewhere between 60 and 100 GPH going through the sump.

Keep in mind, this assumes you have some other means of flow in the tank such as a closed loop or power heads.

There are other things to consider, too, but as a general rule of thumb, this should make for a happy tank.

 

[Fishboy9227]

I havent bought a overflow box yet. Im doing an external one and im just seeing what im going to need to have to get the job done well.

 

[reefworm]

I've found the Mag 7 does very well for my 29gal w/10 gal sump. Given the head hight it's around 400+ gph. As mattpenn points out - be sure your overflow box can handle it. Mine has a 1.25" U-tube and outlet. Boxes are pretty standard size - around 7"x5"x3~4"