Best pump for the job??
 

Hey Guys I have been doing some reading on rtn pumps and am a little confused as what one to get. I know its been discused before but just wondering if views have changed since. I will be having my sump in the basement and have to rtn the water between 9-12ft from basement straight up. Im not looking for tons of flow as I have mp40s for that but want something thats good,reliable and cheap to run. Tank size will be around the 200 gal mark I hope. Thanks in advance for the replies..

I don't think you're going to get high pressure and low wattage. That simply does not exist to my knowledge. But an Iwaki or Panworld would do the job for you.

In terms of reliability, low watts and quietness Eheim is the best, but with that much head you will need a heavy duty external pump like Iwaki. And it will suck some hydro juice that's for sure.

+ 1 for both above posts....

Or a "Mak4" pump... added to the list above. All are very similar and equivalent.

Cheers,

Chris

i'm running the reeflo hammerhead hybrid and love it. tons of flow to run reactors and your return, reasonable watts and pretty quiet. plus they last a long time and the service is great

Are any of these pumps internal? Thanks

Eheim pumps can be internal or external. All of the others mentioned so far are external only.

I personally use a Mag18... Good Price, quiet and reliable. They say it can be ran internal or external. Mine is internal.

Most LFS carry this series, so even if you have issues, replacement parts or new units should be easy to access.

If you were to go this route I would go with a mag 24 over the mag 18.

Head Height Mag 24 (in feet) Gallons per Hour
0' 2175
1' 1910
3' 1710
5' 1630
7' 1345
10' 1100
15' 720
18' shutoff

Head Height Mag 18 (in feet) Gallons per Hour
0' 1500
1' 1325
3' 1200
5' 1100
7' 1050
10' 875
15' 575
16.85' shutoff

Placing the sump as high as possible will reduce the need for a larger pump, however maintanence can become a problem if the sump is placed too high. If you're looking for new ideas you could check out my recent build where I stacked multiple sumps with the main circulation pump at the top and a secondary pump at the base. I used a RD 6.5 at the top and a AquaBee 3000 at the base, combined I'm using less than 70watts with a DT return of about 800gph. Also both pumps make zero noise, are internal and generate very little heat.