Basement Sumps

[Reef Pilot]

I have my sump room in the basement under the stairs, so pretty tight quarters. I actually run two display tanks (100g upstairs, and 135g on the other side of the wall) now from the same sump (still ample capacity for power outages). I also have a refugium/QT (out of view on the left) in there, that I can convert to another sump if I want. It can be connected to my main sump with an external overflow. I have all the necessary drain and water supply (incl RODI feed line) plumbing down there too, as well as all my dosing stuff.

In the sump, I have a Vertex In-280 skimmer, Vertex UF-20 bio pellet reactor, DIY ATO, and a single Sedra KSP-20000 (2000gph) return pump that runs both tanks, with T offs for my bio pellet reactor, chiller (1/3 hp Artica), and external GFO/Carbon reactors. I do not use any heaters, and tank temps are constant at 79 F.

I like it, because all the noise is out of the way, and less chance of any disasters upstairs to ruin hardwood and carpets.

[reefme]

Hi Reef Pilot,

How good is this Sedra KSP-20000 pump?

[Reef Pilot]

Originally Posted by reefme

Hi Reef Pilot,

How good is this Sedra KSP-20000 pump?

It's great! I used to have a Mag 18 (1800 gph) to push the return flow to the upstairs tank, and that's all it could do (not a lot of flow either), so had to have other pumps for the rest of the equipment. When I added my downstairs tank, I got this Sedra, thinking of using it for the upstairs tank to get more flow, and use the Mag 18 for the other stuff.

But it had so much flow and head pressure, thought I would try put some T's off for the other stuff. Much to my surprise it runs all the other stuff with flow to spare (throttled with ball valves) without any loss of flow to the upstairs tank. Hard to believe it is only rated at 2000 gph. Absolutely no comparison to the Mag 18.

[reefme]

What size hose do you run it upstairs? 3/4 or 1"?

[Reef Pilot]

Originally Posted by reefme

What size hose do you run it upstairs? 3/4 or 1"?

I run 3/4 to the upstairs tank, even though the Sedra pump output is 1". But that's what I had with the Mag 18, and didn't want to change it. The upstairs return line also goes through a UV light (turned off for now), so that doesn't help.

[reefme]

JL having this on sale for $128.00 (backordered). I think I should order two of this.

[Reef Pilot]

Originally Posted by reefme

JL having this on sale for $128.00 (backordered). I think I should order two of this.

Yup, that is a darn good price for a pump like that.

[Reef Pilot]

Originally Posted by reefme

JL having this on sale for $128.00 (backordered). I think I should order two of this.

Just so you know, they also make a Sedra KSP 30000 pump (3000 gph). Not sure if J&L sells it, but you might want to ask them, in case you want more power. They don't always list everything they carry.

[reefgirl189]

What kind of return pump(s) do you guys need to use to get through the head pressure of 12+ feet?

I called a very well known vendor and was told that the Sedra 20000 can't handle 12 ft of head.

[Reef Pilot]

Originally Posted by reefgirl189

What kind of return pump(s) do you guys need to use to get through the head pressure of 12+ feet?

I called a very well known vendor and was told that the Sedra 20000 can't handle 12 ft of head.

Well, I am pumping 12' right now with mine from my downstairs sump to my upstairs tank, and it has plenty of flow, plus it runs my downstairs tank and a bunch of other stuff as I described in my previous post. Like I said, it has a way more flow and pressure than my old Mag 18.

The Sedra box it came in specifies 23' max head and uses 200 watts. I notice this is different than some of the specs I have read on the internet. Maybe this is a newer model that has been upgraded.

To contrast, here are the Mag pump specs. Note that you have to go all the way up to a Mag 36 to get 23' of head. The Mag 18 and 24 stop at 20'.
http://www.marinedepot.com/Danner_Ma...WPSBTO-vi.html