Dual returns on 40 breeder display - which AC pumps

[DesktopReefer]

Still slowly planning out my budget 40 breeder with a 20 long sump. By my very crude planning, I think I’ll have 5 feet of head pressure on one pump (4 vertical feet plus a 90 degree turn). The other pump will probably have slightly more with a 45 degree turn, the same vertical 4 feet, and the same 90 degree turn but some extra pipe to go from the end of the sump to the center of the display.

I’m thinking of Sicce Syncra Silents. Based on the head pressure diagram, it seems that the 2.0 can handle up to 6.9 feet of head pressure and at about 5 feet of head pressure, we’re looking at 200ish gph which would be about 5 times turnover for each pump.



Thoughts on two 2.0 Sicce Silents on a 40 gallon breeder display without any ball or gate valves on the return lines

 

[blaxsun]

I would get a Sicce SDC 3.0 DC WiFi pump and run both return outlets off the single pump. What the extra the DC pump costs you vs. a pair of AC pumps you'll offset in electrical savings the first year.

 

[DesktopReefer]

I would get a Sicce SDC 3.0 DC WiFi pump and run both return outlets off the single pump. What the extra the DC pump costs you vs. a pair of AC pumps you'll offset in electrical savings the first year.

I was more thinking of it as redundancy by having 2 separate returns.

 

[DCR]

Depending on the return line sizing and type, I think you are likely to have more than 1 ft of frictional loss, but with two pumps running you should still meet your 5X target with the two 2.0"s. I would recommend a 3/4" return on each.

 

[DesktopReefer]

Depending on the return line sizing and type, I think you are likely to have more than 1 ft of frictional loss, but with two pumps running you should still meet your 5X target with the two 2.0"s. I would recommend a 3/4" return on each.

Thanks. Yes I’m planning to run a short run of silicone tubing out of the pumps and then hard plumb the rest with 3/4” PVC. I was getting my head pressure loss estimates from this BRS article.

 

[DCR]

The problem is there other items like barb fittings (sudden contraction), exit losses and other pipe roughness that are not accounted for in these simple approaches. You should be OK with what you are planning to do.

 

[DesktopReefer]

The problem is there other items like barb fittings (sudden contraction), exit losses and other pipe roughness that are not accounted for in these simple approaches. You should be OK with what you are planning to do.

Makes sense. I was always more of a mechanics engineer. It got too complicated when things started moving in fluids and dynamics.