Tunze 1073.020 on a 65g cube

[tfrechette]

I purchased this pump for a 65 gallon cube. I'm driving less than 5 feet and don't seem to get a very good flow out of this pump. The pump's in the sump right below the tank.

Previously I used Eheims (1260 on a 120 gallon) and when you turned on the pumps you could feel the flow of water. With this pump it seems like a weak flow of water.

It's a new tank, perhaps I should have checked the return pipe to see if there was anything in there blocking the flow.

This pump is rated at 300 gallons at around 6 feet. That should be more than enough. Any thoughts on this? I guess I could put the pump in a 5 gallon pail and see how fast it empties it driving 5 feet of height.

 

[tfrechette]

Using the existing barb with flex tubing to the bulkhead. Pretty sure the flex tube is 3/4 or maybe it's an 1".

 

[rvitko]

I don't know where you got the info that it could do 300 gallons at 6ft, it definitely cannot. Per the flow chart in the manual, a 1073.020 at 1.5 meters of head (4.9 ft) does .5 cubic meters an hour (132 gallons per hour). The pump is likely working properly, it is just way to small for this purpose, the 1073.040 does 396 gallons per hour at this same head pressure and is better suited. In general the 1073.020 is best for running small reactors and as a return on smaller set ups, the 1073.040 is generally the one to choose as a return pump.

 

[tfrechette]

Thanks for the info.