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- Aug 8, 2015
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I wonder how many people here have actually used a CL? There is no head loss on a CL - they are closed systems. There is friction and pipe loss. I cannot believe that people are suggesting DC pumps. DC pumps are a joke on a CL unless they are powerful like a Abyzz. They only move the advertised water with no restrictions whatsoever and they slow down significantly with any type of back pressure. There is no way around this.
Suggesting DC pumps for a CL (there are a few at $1000+ price point) is almost as ridiculous as suggesting DC pumps for 30 foot head applications - you are going to end up with a AmpMaster (or the like) or else you will be unhappy, just like high head people end up with Iwaki or PanWorld or else they are unhappy.
I used to use spa flex for CLs to cut down on friction and elbows and stuff. Don't forget your unions near the pump so that you can take it out if you ever need to. Eductors can provide lots of flow if you have a strong pump - they are amazingly effective if you have velocity out of the nozzle. If you want 4 outlets and don't have the flow to keep the velocity strong, then look at an Ocean's Motion 4 way.
If you don't want to pay for a strong AC pump, then get some gyres and in-tank pumps and save yourself some trouble.
If you really want to go crazy, buy the wetside from MRC or Dolphin, and order a 3 phase motor block and hook it up to a VFD....you can make as large a controllable pump as you want. You can get NEMA rated VFDs that are industrial quality and most have 0-10v inputs for control to hook up to aquarium controllers...some of the nice ones are sine wave VFDs, so you can probably make them quieter than standard motors...none of them are quiet though...I think that is the primary reason for suggesting a DC pump...I have never used an OceansMotions, but back in the day I remember hearing people having issues with them binding up when they got some buildup in them...