2 Red Dragon return or 1 Abyzz

[MjOB]

For a ~360 gallon mixed (8'x30"x30") with 125 gallon sump, for my return pump(s), would I be better off going with two Red Dragon 3 100 watt (3100 GPH), or one Abyzz A200 (4,440GPH)? Both are DC. Would like minimal noise which I believe both deliver.

I'm thinking the Red Dragon 3 for the redundancy aspect in case / when 1 does fail. But I've heard fantastic things about Abyzz. Curious if anyone has further insight / recommendations?

 

[SPR1968]

I have the Abyzz A200 and a spare, and they are completely silent, you cant hear a thing. You only know its working because the sump isnt full!

They are expensive but you get a 10 year warranty and they have excellent customer service. They sent me a video on how to clean it! lol

 

[Richmond]

I use the A200 and without a doubt, the best pump I've ever used. Won't use anything else.

 

[Snoopy 67]

Just read yesterday about a fellow that has replaced 5 controllers for his Red Dragon.
SO --- Abyzz gets my nod.

 

[C_AWOL]

If you're going to run a manifold I would opt for 2 Red Dragons tbh. Can't really go wrong with either pump and I really like my Red dragons so far. Just make sure you run surge protectors to protect the controller from any damage (for either pump)

 

[BZOFIQ]

Abyzz is great. If you want two get A100s or save up and buy another A200 later (perhaps used)

I am a strong believer in having two pumps. On my new 270G build, I'm installing A200 along with Varios-6 that can be run straight from a bank of batteries in case of a power outage. I actually have A200 and A100 sitting for it but they can't be run from a battery so I had to compromise somewhere, hence the RO Varios in the equation.

 

[BZOFIQ]

They sent me a video on how to clean it! lol

Care to share?

 

[MjOB]

Abyzz is great. If you want two get A100s or save up and buy another A200 later (perhaps used)

I am a strong believer in having two pumps. On my new 270G build, I'm installing A200 along with Varios-6 that can be run straight from a bank of batteries in case of a power outage. I actually have A200 and A100 sitting for it but they can't be run from a battery so I had to compromise somewhere, hence the RO Varios in the equation.

Can you expand on why you can't use the A200 with batteries? Is it due to the loss you get from the DC -> AC conversion? But the Varios-6 is also DC, right?

 

[ksed]

That’s because the Abyzz 200 is not low voltage. Only the Abyzz 100 is low voltage 12V

 

[BZOFIQ]

Can you expand on why you can't use the A200 with batteries? Is it due to the loss you get from the DC -> AC conversion? But the Varios-6 is also DC, right?

Yes, so the APC UPS units are very inefficient in upconverting from 24V DC to 120V AC. Abyzz only allows you to plug its controller to an AC outlet.

By contrast. I can connect all my Tunzes and Varios-6 pump to a 24V bank of batteries where when power is lost from the power supply, it is automagically switched to said batteries.

That said, I've always used multiple APC units on all pumps but have come to find out that DC pumps will last waaaaaaaay longer powered directly from a battery. I hope to extend few hours I currently get with APCs to possibly a day or two.

This should all be completed around October on the new built (waiting for modular marine's custom overflow at the moment) so perhaps then I'd be able to share more details.

 

[BZOFIQ]

That’s because the Abyzz 200 is not low voltage. Only the Abyzz 100 is low voltage 12V

Yeah, but its useless for my purposes because you cant connect the controller to a 12V power supply, only to the mains at 120-240V

 

[malacoda]

Just read yesterday about a fellow that has replaced 5 controllers for his Red Dragon.
SO --- Abyzz gets my nod.

Was he running them straight off of an standard outlet or a simple-surge protected power strip? Even very small surges ... such as what may be encountered simply from turning off a power strip during tank maintenance ... can cause damage to DC controllers.

Now, if it turns out he was running them off of a good UPS (e.g. sine wave) power supply and still had 5 controllers fail, then that would be a super big red flag...

If you're going to run a manifold I would opt for 2 Red Dragons tbh. Can't really go wrong with either pump and I really like my Red dragons so far. Just make sure you run surge protectors to protect the controller from any damage (for either pump)

+1 High-end DC pumps such as RDs really should be run off a UPS power supply to shield the controllers from surges.