Pump Me Up!

[Mikey B]

Hi folks. New Guy here again with another question for my Calgary friends.
((Thanks for the great responses on my other questions.))

My tank is ready Friday and my stand is being delivered Saturday....among the million things I still need, I really need a pump.

Tank is a 120G with an overflow at one end that has one 3 inch hole for outflow and two 1.5 inch holes for inflows. A 50G sump/trickle filter will go in the stand.

The plan is to slowly build this baby into a nice little reef tank with a few fish. From what you guys have taught me so far, I know lots of flow is required.

A skimmer will probably be added later (separate pump).
I will be using some powerheads for more flow once landscaping is done.

How many GPH should I look for and what pump would you recommend to handle the flow back to the tank thru the two lines? The tank will be in the living room and the quieter the better.

Thank you again!

Mike

[mr_alberta]

Hi,

I think that I would go for a smaller return pump (say Iwaki 55RLT 1140GPH @ 0' Headpressure) and use a couple of Tunze streams (basically really big powerheads).

These pumps aren't cheap, so I'd try to get them used. The nice thing about the Tunze pumps is that they are energy efficient and move a ton of water. The bad thing is that they are physically huge and are expensive especially if you add all the gizmos like wavemakers, night sensors, etc.

If you find that you still don't have enough oomph, the Iwaki is a nice pressure rated pump so you could hook up a couple of "eductors" or "penductors" to them to increase the flow. Here is a very good thread on eductors: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=372881

Hope that helps. If you have any more questions, just ask.

Opps, I didn't see you wanted a quiet pump. If that is the case, I would go with a CSL T3 or T4 pump (now known as Posiden). They are ultra quiet pumps since the don't have a fan to cool the motor. However, they do put heat into the water as that is how they are cooled. A T3 is pressure rated whereas a T4 is not.

[danny zubot]

I agree, Using a moderate return pump should be adequate. I have 1000gph for my return in my 54 gallon tank and sure its good flow but the 2.5 inch overflow is way to loud. I would go with additional power heads in the tank for flow in addition to a pressure rated pump for your return.