quietest return pump

[lastlight]

my dart gold is pretty quiet. In the next room I only notice it if I'm listening for it.

[mark]

compared to Barracuda even a regular Dart is near silent (have both).

[golf nut]

2700 sounds like a lot of water for a sump return, why so much?

[Parker]

I have three darts on my tank and they each put out various levels of noise, but for the most part they are pretty quiet.

[sphelps]

Red Dragon 10 m3 fits your requirements, not sure about your budget though. I'm running a 6.5 and I can't even tell it's on unless I place my hand on it. It runs very cool and has very little vibration. The new gens now have anti lime bypasses and titanium shafts so be sure not to get old stock if you go for it.

I haven't seen the gold dart in action yet but every other reeflo pump was noisy in my books.

[Canadian]

Originally Posted by Parker

I have three darts on my tank and they each put out various levels of noise, but for the most part they are pretty quiet.

Obviously there are different schools of though on this but I don't see the point in running a return pump at a rate greater than what your skimmer can accommodate. It would be a complete waste of hydro. I'd run the smallest return pump you can to meet your head loss needs to keep up with your skimmer and only use propeller pumps for flow in the display and even one in the sump to keep detritus from collecting.

[sphelps]

Originally Posted by Canadian

Obviously there are different schools of though on this but I don't see the point in running a return pump at a rate greater than what your skimmer can accommodate. It would be a complete waste of hydro. I'd run the smallest return pump you can to meet your head loss needs to keep up with your skimmer and only use propeller pumps for flow in the display and even one in the sump to keep detritus from collecting.

A good point but I see more to a sump than a skimmer. A higher return increases tank flow and reduces the demand for supplemental in tank flow, a big plus in my books. Also more flow increases surface tension and reduces scum build up in the display, it will also keep things suspended longer and filter more out of the display sending it to the sump quicker. Sumps can also hold mechanical filtration like socks and floss and chemical like carbon. These can benefit from higher flow. Finally things like heaters and pumps will work better with an increased convective heat transfer effect.

You don't have to run high flow but there are certainly benefits to it.

[Parker]

Originally Posted by Canadian

Obviously there are different schools of though on this but I don't see the point in running a return pump at a rate greater than what your skimmer can accommodate. It would be a complete waste of hydro. I'd run the smallest return pump you can to meet your head loss needs to keep up with your skimmer and only use propeller pumps for flow in the display and even one in the sump to keep detritus from collecting.

Originally Posted by sphelps

A good point but I see more to a sump than a skimmer. A higher return increases tank flow and reduces the demand for supplemental in tank flow, a big plus in my books. Also more flow increases surface tension and reduces scum build up in the display, it will also keep things suspended longer and filter more out of the display sending it to the sump quicker. Sumps can also hold mechanical filtration like socks and floss and chemical like carbon. These can benefit from higher flow. Finally things like heaters and pumps will work better with an increased convective heat transfer effect.

You don't have to run high flow but there are certainly benefits to it.

My number one reason for running a large return pump is I have enough flow from one pump to drive my entire mechanical system sans skimmer from one pump. My dart supplies my carbon and phosphate reactors, calc reactor, UV filter, fuge and tank return. Also, if your running your skimmer passively in your sump ( your return isn't plumbed directly into the skimmer ) your not skimming the entire contents of water flowing through that chamber, I don't think how fast or slow the water is flowing past the skimmer makes much of a difference. The skimmer still processes the same amount of water.

My second reason for running two additional darts is astetics. If I can avoid seeing mechanical devices in my display tank it's worth the extra noise, electrical costs and plumbing cost to me. As you mentioned people have different schools of thought.

[Canadian]

Originally Posted by sphelps

A good point but I see more to a sump than a skimmer. A higher return increases tank flow and reduces the demand for supplemental in tank flow, a big plus in my books. Also more flow increases surface tension and reduces scum build up in the display, it will also keep things suspended longer and filter more out of the display sending it to the sump quicker. Sumps can also hold mechanical filtration like socks and floss and chemical like carbon. These can benefit from higher flow. Finally things like heaters and pumps will work better with an increased convective heat transfer effect.

You don't have to run high flow but there are certainly benefits to it.

Again, a matter of personal preference but running a retun pump to provide circulation in the display tends to be woefully inefficient with respect to the amount of energy used and subsequently dumped back into the tank or atmosphere in the form of heat.

[golf nut]

Originally Posted by Canadian

Obviously there are different schools of though on this but I don't see the point in running a return pump at a rate greater than what your skimmer can accommodate. It would be a complete waste of hydro. I'd run the smallest return pump you can to meet your head loss needs to keep up with your skimmer and only use propeller pumps for flow in the display and even one in the sump to keep detritus from collecting.

Perfect

At least somebody understands what is required for a sump return.

If you ask a reputable skimmer mfg they will tell you to use a sump pump of the same value as the skimmers capacity, ie if you purchase a skimmer for a 400 gallon system it performs at its best at 400 gph passing across it, any more and its performance will be depleted. The 10 times turnover rate isn't correct if the tank is skimmed properly.