180 gallon return pump

[Deezill]

Hello R2R,
Question for you all. What size return pump should I be trying to get for a 180-gallon tank? Tank size is 72x24x24. I want to I have to have a lot of water running thru the sump.
The sump will be located directly under the tank and the plumbing will only have to run 4-5 feet from sump to tank. How many gph should I target? My last question is
I have BRS carbon and gfo dual reactor, UV both require separate pumps. I am also going to add a calcium reactor down the road. Does it make sense to have a manifold coming off the main return pump or should the manifold be on a second pump? Let me know. Thanks.

 

[EricGRIT09]

I have a 180 myself and just last week needed to replace my return pump. I ultimately went with a Fluval SP4 and that seems to have plenty of flow - if anything probably a bit too much through the sump so I've dialed it back. I go up ~6 feet and over 5 feet. Very quiet pump.

Personally I run a herbie-type setup where I have a siphon running and I dial that in very closely, so I opt to run separate pumps for my media reactors for ease of use on the return section. For the media reactors I'm use Sicce (1.5?) pumps and I've been very happy there, but obviously for the media reactors quality isn't necessarily as important as the return so you will have tons of options. One medium-sized pump, multiple smaller pumps, etc.

 

[BestMomEver]

Recently bought an Octo pump and love it!

 

[Deezill]

I am thinking of going with the Ecotech vortech from BRS.More than likely I will add my manifold for my dual gfo carbon reactor, UV and calcium. I should still have enough flow

Vectra M2 DC Return Pump (2000 GPH)

Note: Legacy Vectra pumps will require a firmware update after purchase to work with Mobius. Firmware Update Instructions Here The World's Smartest Return Pump with Improved Thermals With some of the most advanced pump technology on the market, today Ecotech has stepped it up another notch...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

 

[Borg]

Ecotech l1

 

[PYRU]

I went fluval sp4

 

[Deezill]

Recently bought an Octo pump and love it!

I have the Reef Octopus Varios 6 its a great pump on my 150 but I have to turn it down to like 1 or 2 otherwise its to much for my 150. I like Ecotech because Im moving on from my AI hydra 52 HD and going to the Radions. Everything from the lights to wavemakers and return can be controlled thru reeflink or whatever the hub is called.

 

[Deezill]

Ecotech l1

@Borg Ecotech S1 has only 1400 gph. Think that would be ok with a manifold?

 

[Mastiffsrule]

Eheim 1262 on my 180. In service 10 years. Cleaned it maybe 4 or 5 times. Quiet. Not sure if it would be enough if using a manifold though

 

[Borg]

For a few dollars more get the ecotech m1

 

[BestMomEver]

Eheim 1262 on my 180. In service 10 years. Cleaned it maybe 4 or 5 times. Quiet. Not sure if it would be enough if using a manifold though

I’ve had Ehiem pumps too. The return pump on my 60 cube was an Ehiem. They won’t die... ever. I’ve also had Ehiem power heads. If one of my high tech power heads decides to act up, I know I can count on the Ehiem. They’re nearly indestructible.

 

[Softhammer]

I use 2 Eheim 1262. Set em and forget em. One has a tap off to my Ca reactor as well. Not a massive amount of flow but ultra reliable.

 

[Pntbll687]

Hello R2R,
Question for you all. What size return pump should I be trying to get for a 180-gallon tank? Tank size is 72x24x24. I want to I have to have a lot of water running thru the sump.
The sump will be located directly under the tank and the plumbing will only have to run 4-5 feet from sump to tank. How many gph should I target? My last question is
I have BRS carbon and gfo dual reactor, UV both require separate pumps. I am also going to add a calcium reactor down the road. Does it make sense to have a manifold coming off the main return pump or should the manifold be on a second pump? Let me know. Thanks.

What size is the return plumbing? That will help choose a return pump. You can get a high GPH pump, but it can't pump more water than the plumbing can handle. I've used both mag drives and the current usa eflux pumps with success.

I like the magdrives because you plug them in and that's it. Clean them once a year and you're good.
DC pumps are great for controllability and are generally on the quieter side. You can also dial in the gph to your liking.

As for having the manifold off the main return, you can do it that way with no issues. You may want to think about what if you have to do maintenance on the pump, will the reactors be ok to sit static until you're done? I ran bio pellets and had it on a separate pump because you don't want them to sit with no flow.

 

[PYRU]

I’ve had Ehiem pumps too. The return pump on my 60 cube was an Ehiem. They won’t die... ever. I’ve also had Ehiem power heads. If one of my high tech power heads decides to act up, I know I can count on the Ehiem. They’re nearly indestructible.

Wow didn't know they made powerheads. I'm debating grabbing an 1100 for a workhorse.

I agree eheim is good stuff. You'll need 2 to run what you want though unless they have an over 1200gph I don't know about

 

[PYRU]

I have a quiet one 5k that I had on my old 180 and it's been ultra reliable. I think I've had it in service 10yrs and its been cleaned 2-3x.

Flow wise I like to run 5-10x tank volume. I use a simple berlin sump with a good skimmer then I use to run pellets etc but switched to refugiums. The quiet one ran the extra feeds with ease, but the fluval was way more powerful when I tested it. Hope that helps

 

[Dragon52]

I have a Vectra M1 on my 185gl with the same distance as you. I would go with the recommended size of plumbing for it. I run mine below 50% so I think you could add a manifold for other stuff. Make sure you do the Calibration on the pump. It tells you how in the instructions & you can find it on YouTube.

 

[Blue Spot Octopus]

Fluval SP4 would be my vote. I had mine on a 120 I pulled it, too much flow, It could drown a fish in the sump. I am going to use it on a 275 tank.

 

[BestMomEver]

Wow didn't know they made powerheads. I'm debating grabbing an 1100 for a workhorse.

I agree eheim is good stuff. You'll need 2 to run what you want though unless they have an over 1200gph I don't know about

Yea.... they do . Our LFS carries a lot of Ehiem but not much else. Their power heads are great. The only things I don’t like is that they aren’t variable speed and don’t have a lot of adjustability. Then again, neither do the MP pumps. But, I rarely clean mine and they’ve kept on going!

 

[ZaneTer]

I may get shot for suggesting this but I personally run a Jebao DC14000 since it first came out. I also have a 180g.
It’s cheap, quiet and reliable.
I could buy two for the price of a competitor and keep one as a spare.
The speed control is excellent

 

[smartwater101]

Save a ton of money and get something like a Jebao 20000. Controllable, quiet, DC pump.