Inline Pump for Closed Loop UV

[Mikeltee]

I am looking for a pump that can pull from about 4" below. I have this Jeabo 2000 but it needs primed first before it will pull. The goal is 250gph so if it requires something stronger to get going, I'll need to be able to program it to slow down once it gets going. Does anyone have any recommendations?

I suppose that I could mount this pump underneath the aquarium so that it always has water it, but I'd rather just mount it from above.

 

[MarineandReef Jaron]

There are no self-priming pumps I am aware of that are this small. Most self-priming pumps are large pumps designed to work with Pools or Ponds. I would just use union valves before and after the pump so you can easily remove it and keep it primed.

 

[Mikeltee]

There are no self-priming pumps I am aware of that are this small. Most self-priming pumps are large pumps designed to work with Pools or Ponds. I would just use union valves before and after the pump so you can easily remove it and keep it primed.

How would a valve keep it primed? Let's say I had a power outage or when I turn it off for a water change?

 

[BeanAnimal]

The union suggestion was to simply make it easier to break the plumbing and pour in prime water.

In theory once primed, if there are no leaks and the intake and discharge are both submerged in the same pool of water, then the loop is closed and will not drain. In practice air bubbles and other issue may make this unreliable.

A check valve is typically used to keep prime in a situation like this.

It will fail 100% of the time without regular maintenance and even then, given the foreign matter that will enter and grow, it will be a hassle.

That and most have some type of non-reef-safe metal in them one way or the other.

There are some creative tricks like a reverse trap that may hold enough water even after a siphon break to allow prime... but that too is a lot of messing around.

A small power submerged and tapped into the intake may also be enough of a partial prime to allow startup. This also may or may not require a small reverse trap on the intake of the volute.

I would skip all of the hassle and just mount the pump where it will stay primed or place it in the sump, etc.

 

[MarineandReef Jaron]

I would keep the UV below the tank and run it like a canister filter.

Basically, if you have a true union before the pump and after the UV then you can unplug everything, close the valves, remove the union, and service the unit. When you are done you just reconnect everything, open the valves, and plug everything back in.

 

[Mikeltee]

I ended up hooking the pump to a UPS. It's only 15w and we never have outages. In case we do, I have the UV set to turn off if there is a power outage as well as notify me with this line of code:
If Power Apex Off 999 Then OFF

The pump slides down off of the mount so it's super easy to remove and dunk underwater if I need to prime it. There are some microbubbles being introduced so I plan to epoxy everything up good and tight.

 

[coreytrv]

I am looking for a pump that can pull from about 4" below. I have this Jeabo 2000 but it needs primed first before it will pull. The goal is 250gph so if it requires something stronger to get going, I'll need to be able to program it to slow down once it gets going. Does anyone have any recommendations?

I suppose that I could mount this pump underneath the aquarium so that it always has water it, but I'd rather just mount it from above.

I have a similar need, tall tank with only access from above in the attic. I need the pump about 12-24" above the water line....this will be part of a closed loop solely for circulation.

What about getting a small self priming pump, and hooking that up in series with a standard centrifugal workhorse pump. Both DC controllable pumps, where the self priming merely fills the plumbing lines, then shuts off?

 

[Mikeltee]

I have a similar need, tall tank with only access from above in the attic. I need the pump about 12-24" above the water line....this will be part of a closed loop solely for circulation.

What about getting a small self priming pump, and hooking that up in series with a standard centrifugal workhorse pump. Both DC controllable pumps, where the self priming merely fills the plumbing lines, then shuts off?

I'm curious why you want to do this? Why not use wave makers like the rest of us? Anyways...

How big is your tank? They make large self priming pumps. Mine was temporary to address dinos but what I ended up with was a solid solution and it never had an issue.

You could attempt to do a U-shaped install in the attic so that it is always primed even if you turned it off. Implement a 45 to prime and then cap it off. You could also use a temp pump to prime it inside the display. Once the U shape was full of water, it should be good. Im not sure how high the U would be. Im sure there is an algorithm, but im more of a guess and check kind of engineer. Let me draw you an illustration:

 

[coreytrv]

I'm curious why you want to do this? Why not use wave makers like the rest of us? Anyways...

How big is your tank? They make large self priming pumps. Mine was temporary to address dinos but what I ended up with was a solid solution and it never had an issue.

You could attempt to do a U-shaped install in the attic so that it is always primed even if you turned it off. Implement a 45 to prime and then cap it off. You could also use a temp pump to prime it inside the display. Once the U shape was full of water, it should be good. Im not sure how high the U would be. Im sure there is an algorithm, but im more of a guess and check kind of engineer. Let me draw you an illustration:

Thanks, that's an interesting concept I hadn't thought about- a fill port basically.

Tank is 500 gallons.

I did find a self priming pump, but the flow isn't as high as I'd like, est max of 3600 GPH. It's a marine grade Berkeley self-priming pump from Pentair.

Berkeley Self-Priming Pumps

These Berkeley BPD Series Pumps feature lightweight, corrosion-resistant construction in a self-priming design.

pentairaes.com

The reason I can't use wave makers, is because the glass on my aquarium is too thick for the magnet (1-3/4"), and the tank is inaccessible from 5 sides (4 sides plus the bottom). So I'm limited to suction-cup style power heads, or a plumbed closed loop.

 

[Mikeltee]

Thanks, that's an interesting concept I hadn't thought about- a fill port basically.

Tank is 500 gallons.

I did find a self priming pump, but the flow isn't as high as I'd like, est max of 3600 GPH. It's a marine grade Berkeley self-priming pump from Pentair.

Berkeley Self-Priming Pumps

These Berkeley BPD Series Pumps feature lightweight, corrosion-resistant construction in a self-priming design.

pentairaes.com

The reason I can't use wave makers, is because the glass on my aquarium is too thick for the magnet (1-3/4"), and the tank is inaccessible from 5 sides (4 sides plus the bottom). So I'm limited to suction-cup style power heads, or a plumbed closed loop.

How about sea swirls in each corner with mp60s attached to the bottom with available 3d printed brackets? I've seen that in a 300gal.

 

[coreytrv]

How about sea swirls in each corner with mp60s attached to the bottom with available 3d printed brackets? I've seen that in a 300gal.

MP60's require the motor be outside the tank. I have 5 inaccessible sides of this tank, (only access is from top) and the glass thickness exceeds what MP60 requires. It's almost 2" thick glass.

 

[MarineandReef Jaron]

I would look into Tunze Streams with SeaSweeps.