Question from my remodeling thread, that maby more people could see so i can get a general census.
What brand of Return pump, and what model should i get.
Its a 40g tank. 4-5 feet of head, i want to split the return so that it will dump water in from both sides of the tank. I also want to incorporate a manifold off the return pipe to run the 2 phosban reactors.
Any suggestions on what you guys have found that works well.
my personal fav’s r mag drives. but bang for the buck, a decent rio would do just fine on a smaller system like this.
Mag pumps are cheap, reliable, and can be used internally and externally which is a big plus IMO. The Quiteone pumps are similar but arent quite up to par quality wise but are a little cheaper. If you want to spend a little extra and get a REALLY nice, reliable, and quite pump the Panworld are some of the best. I have personally used and still use all of these pumps. I used a Mag5 for over 3 years and let it run dry more than once. The things actually has schorch marks on it and still works. I use a Quiteone 1200 as the return on my turtle tank. It had a lot of start/stop issues for a while, but has turned out to be a very reliable pump. Ive been using it for over a year in a very nasty muddy sump. I bought a panworld for my 265g return. These things are awesome. I cant say enough good things about them. Some ballpark numbers for you.
mag5 ~500gph ~$80
quiteone3000 ~780gph ~$65
panworld40px ~480gph ~$130
So those are the models i would need even if i split the return and added the manifold for the reactors… cause i have a mag7 now…
IMO, a Mag7 would be more than enough for a 40g. I used a Mag5 for two returns on my 75g for years with no problems.
Internal pumps I like MAG the best. If u do a split u might need all of that mag 7. I ended up using 2 pumps for 2 returns (one each) but that is just me?
;D
Hmm i dunno, it would be a 3 split… so im a just use the mag7, i can always throttle it down… and i will run it externally… or should i run it internally???..
im scared about drilling my tank… but i just got the ok from the father to go find another tank thats already drilled… but i think i might just drill mine, ill need a bigger skimmer, and a bigger light for another tank, but im upgrading to t-5 so now or n ever…
What is the size of your drain pipe? You need to figure out how much water will be able to drain out of your tank to your sump with out it overflowing. If it is just a bulk head in the back of the tank vs. an overflow box google how many gph can drain out of the size bulk head.
There is a head lose calc here if you would like to figure out what size pump will push X amount of water.
[quote=“Gordonious, post:8, topic:2386”]
… how many gph can drain out of the size bulk head. [/quote]
And then take 50% of that number to compensate for gunk and other critters who will find the overflow enticing
It will be a hole in the tank with a little elbow pvc, and a strainer. 1" drain… read somewhere thats like 600gph. But i couldn’t find confirmation online… cant do head loss till i decide on pump…
does anyone know if you can add a restriction valve to the mag pumps?
I have heard of people doing it, after the pump shoots out the water…
You only live once right, so i think im going to get the panworld 40x… How do you run externally, do you have a pipe connected to a bulkhead at the bottom of the tank?
I think someone was selling one locally. Chris_Barb maybe?
yeah, but im pretty sure paul determined it was a bit big for his 75. run a manifold, and make sure u got somewhere to pump the extra volume u r certainly NOT gonna need outta this thing…
Do you think splitting it and having it come back to the sump would work… my only concern with mag is how to install it outta sump
just dont place it in the sump 
I like to run them in the sump, utilize that heat in the winter.
You can run a ‘manifold’ that will run eveyrthing you need to run then have the end of it go back into the sump. Best to install gate valves on everything to fine tune. From what i’ve heard/read/experienced MAGs don’t like to be throttled back too much so i would def return back into the sump or have the extra flow up top if your overflows can handle it.
if you already have a MAG7 i would use that. In sump or out of sump doesnt matter. One frees up room in the sump, the other frees up room in your stand. Pumps will heat the water either way so i wouldnt base your decision on that too much. They can be a little noiser in sump unless you can find a way to silence them(suction cups, suspend it, etc). Out of sump a piece of styrofoam under the pump has worked for me.
As far as dialing them back, most manufactures wont suggest it. The only pump i know for SURE that you can is the REEFLO pumps which are actually more efficient if you dial them back. However, IMO, there is very little difference between head pressure and dialing the pump back with a ballvalve. Back pressure is back pressure as far as your pump is concerned. If your pump is designed to pump X gallons at X feet, then reducing X feet by 25% and using a ballvalve to compensate by reducing X gallons by 25% is the exact same. Or at least by my logic anyway but i could be wrong. Ive never had issues throttling back pumps. I think picking the right pump for your application is the best way to go so there is no need to T the return or throttle it back, but either way would work fine IMO.
i wanted to T the return so it is shooting in from opposite corners… so if the pump has a 1/2" intake i have to run a 1/2" pipe too it, right?. What about cavitation.
i was referring to an additional T to compensate for backpressure associated with a too-large pump.
to be honest, i had to look up what you even meant by cavitation, and still dont really know how it would apply to a pump on this scale.
yes, its a good idea to match the size of the input and output pumping if possible.