jasonrusso
2500 Club Member
Because people think that after 3 months, they got a good pump.
Best return pumps in the industry: Who gets your vote?
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Jebao sine wave pumps are built very well. I'm talking about the DSP series not the other lesser pumps they make. I personally don't feel that it is worth it to pay for an abyizz or red dragon sure they are nice pumps but pricing is ridiculous.
I run multiple Jebao Sine Wave pumps on my system and if my pump goes bad I can buy 10 for the cost of a Red Dragon. Spend the money on lights.
Get the DCP not the DCT... DCP is a sine wave pump with a real controller like the expensive DC pumps.
tehmadreefer
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Yea, but there are most cost effective options that will last way longer though and dont need 3 backups lol
IMO it is funny how Ecotech barely made the most popular vote. < 2% more. Jebao was Only 3% lower . WoW , the beat could only beat jebao by 3%. So Funny. IMO I do think ecotech is an excellent pump, just does not meet the standards that the cost implies. IMO PS: I do like this Poll. Many unexpected results thou. Very Interesting.
AcanthurusRex
Well-Known Member
DC motor controllers are a commodity item nowadays. Other than a few such as Red Dragon and Abyzz most of the DC pumps are made in China. Ecotech, Reef Octopus, and Neptune did not design their pumps. They spec'd what they wanted and had a contract manufacturer did the design and manufacture. They may all be made by Jebao.
I picked up a Jeboa dcp-3500 for the sump and it appears as well built as the Cor20 and Vectra M1 but lacking colored plastic and fancy controller. Completely quiet. If it is properly heatsinked the controller will be fine. They all use really cheap power supplies; the Neptunes power supply already failed and I replaced it with one from Digikey.
I may not buy another Vectra, Varios or Neptune because it looks more like marketing than engineering. I do however appreciate the info the Neptune provides.
My vote for best goes to Red Dragon, German-made for 2x the price of the Chinese and one half that of an Abyzz.
I picked up a Jeboa dcp-3500 for the sump and it appears as well built as the Cor20 and Vectra M1 but lacking colored plastic and fancy controller. Completely quiet. If it is properly heatsinked the controller will be fine. They all use really cheap power supplies; the Neptunes power supply already failed and I replaced it with one from Digikey.
I may not buy another Vectra, Varios or Neptune because it looks more like marketing than engineering. I do however appreciate the info the Neptune provides.
My vote for best goes to Red Dragon, German-made for 2x the price of the Chinese and one half that of an Abyzz.
You obviously haven't experienced there flagship pump DCP series.
I don't need backups and I've been reefing for a long time. If you want to crap on the other jebao pumps then go ahead. Even the expensive pumps have problems.
Like this... I have a $2700 skimmer but I'm okay with a $250 return pump. Spend the money where it needs it. The skimmer has a ecotech Vectra L2 quitedrive running the recirc and venturi but I'm feeding the skimmer with a DCP 15,000 sine wave pump which I will add runs ver consistently.
Kyl
And how does it feel like, to wake up in the sun
The warranty is no longer than pumps that cost 4-5x as much. Something to think about, why aren't these "premium" vendors offering more than 1 year on their "high end" DC pumps?
I think this industry has been taken over by all the marketing and blind brand loyalty, to the point that we're all paying premium price for "Designed in the US, made in China", where you're paying 4x for a name and slightly better QC. I say that as it sure isn't for the extras, these premium brands can't even include an intake guard in some cases.
Again, if component selection is so much more robust, why only a 1 year warranty that's no better than a "knock off" Chinese brand? Why are these premium brands not standing behind their products for a longer term in an official, for everyone, warranty capacity?
Sleepydoc
Valuable Member
This x100. even if your spare is a 'cheap Jaebao,' a cheap pump that runs is better than an expensive one that doesn't. The return pump is one of the most critical pieces of equipment in your tank. As an example, the power supply on my COR20 burned out on me this week. I have a Varios6 as a backup that I can easily swap out, so other than the 30 minutes I spent trying to figure out why I was getting a 'volt' error it wasn't a big deal. (I took the power supply apart and it appears that one of the switching MOSFETs burned out. Its design is such that I can't replace it, so I have a new power brick on order.
'Good' is a very subjective term. Do you mean cheap? reliable? quiet? Powerful? Efficient? Beyond that, how much is each attribute worth? If you had to choose between one pump that had an average lifespan of 3 years and another that had a lifespan of 10 years but the second one was 5 times the price, which would be the 'better' pump?
I've seen virtually no good comparisons of pumps, just a whole lot of anecdotal information. It's hard to piece together a picture of reliability based on stories from the internet - There are orders of magnitude more Sicce and Magdrive pumps around, so even if they have a lower failure rate, statistically you're going to see more stories about them than the Red Dragon pumps.
jon99
Community Member
I would suggest going less expensive (if money is an issue) BUT running TWO return pumps. It’s the heart of the entire system. If it goes out (and no matter which one you choose it eventually will) all life support equipment down in the sump (heaters, filters, protein skimmer, etc) are useless. I would much rather have 2 descent pumps than one great one.
Dr. Dendrostein
Marine fish monthly
Price of electricity to run a pump or pumps is still peanuts, compared to running our central air conditioners at home or business location. What I do like about dc pumps is you can throttle back discharge flow. But you can't complain when your still running 20+ year old Eheim pumps, and no issues yet. They take a lick in, keep on ticking. Hahaha
tehmadreefer
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You're right I use danner mags and havent bought a return pump since 2010. lol
I do use jebao powerhead though.
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vanpire
Valuable Member
I don't understand why controllers are necessary for return pumps. Just buy the right pump size and be done with it. Personally, I have an Eheim pump. It is 10+ years old, and I bought it used. I bought back-up eheims people sold used just in case my return pump breaks, but they are collecting dust. I clean the return pump once a year. It is quiet and cheaper than many other brands. It is just not as sexy as other pumps.
What else do you need? How often does someone need to control their return pump?
Once I paid an extra $100 for a refrigerator with doors that I can open on either the left or right side, but I never used the left side except the first day I bought it. That's what I think of when I think of the controllable pumps.
What else do you need? How often does someone need to control their return pump?
Once I paid an extra $100 for a refrigerator with doors that I can open on either the left or right side, but I never used the left side except the first day I bought it. That's what I think of when I think of the controllable pumps.
Houstoner
Active Member
I'm actually looking at buying the red dragon eco 5 for a red sea 250. However some forums say that it isn't made in house and has been outsourced. Makes me a bit cautious, anyone else know anything about the eco 5?
Red Dragon 5 ECO Pump 25 Watt (1056 GPH)
Powerful, reliable, and incredibly quiet. Red Dragon pumps set a standard that few can compete with. Red Dragon produces high performance aquarium pumps for closed loop or return pump applications. They have earned a repuation for being some of the quietest, most powerful, and most solidly...
www.bulkreefsupply.com
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I have never seen an AC pump just crap out and stop working! It will typically be a bearing issue and the grinding sound will start out and months later get loud enough that you just cannot take it anymore and you swap it out for the spare and get new bearings put in the orginal. On the flip side I see lots of stories of DC pumps just stopping. If its like any of my other equipment it always happens late at night or when I am on vacation ;Meh . That's just not something I am willing to risk for a small savings in power consumption.
willieboy240
Active Member
The best ac pump for the money is a old school eheim 1262. They never fail. Although I’m trying out the new Jebao dcq 10000. Or something like that. Never had a dc pump before. But I still have my old workhorse. Just Incase.
I agree with buying good equipment and parts for anything you do. If 1K is the same as a high end frag I would love to see your tank
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