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Like you in would afraid of leak and my Varios 4 has been running like a champ. I pull it out every 6 months or so for a good cleaning but it is a silent as the day I got it.Never had the need for an external (would love to HAVE to have one with big tank and sump in basement) but an external would scare me. With my luck that would be the part that leaked and made a big enough mess that my wife would shut it down. Not so much the pump leaking just the DA that did the plumbing to it. For now I’ll stick with the Varios 2 that is an absolute machine. The last 3 years I have managed to have to replace everything due to wear and tare except the varios. I even have a brand new back up in the box that I have had for a year just waiting for the old one to die. Very impressed with these returns. I run it at 3/4, 24/7 unless I am doing a water change.
Panworld 200PS for basement sump return. My backup is the same model pump on my skimmer.When setting up a new system one of the biggest decisions is what pump to run as your return pump which is the heartbeat of the system. Normally we talk about the make and model of the pump but today let's talk about why type of pump, external or internal!
I have an internal. When I got the tank there was this no-name in the tank and it kept ceasing. I just put in a SICCE 7.0 and I'm loving the control.When setting up a new system one of the biggest decisions is what pump to run as your return pump which is the heartbeat of the system. Normally we talk about the make and model of the pump but today let's talk about why type of pump, external or internal!
1. Is your return pump an external or internal pump?
2. Why did you choose external or internal?
image via @geo
I have also used the reefflo, actuLly have a hammer head sitting in my pile of equipment. They are good but do spring leaks at the seals.I had an external Reeflo Hammerhead pump on my 220 when my sump was in the basement. I needed something that would flow 20-30 feet of angled head pressure upwards from the basement. Now, I'm using the same sump on my 340 but they're ten feet a part. It's probably overkill. I had to put a manifold on and redirect the flow to other devices. So, I now run a cannister filter (25 micron) and ATS scrubber off my return pump with virtually no flow loss (in fact might be too much flow to the display). So, I just used the same pump instead of starting over. I bought a second of the same pump for my water change / mixing station. It's way over kill but no powerheads needed to mix salt water now.
Plus I have a backup if the main one dies with the same threading, size pipes, etc. The only issue with the Reeflo pumps is that where the pipe threads into the pump even with thread sealant and thread tape, etc, the outlet leaks. I put a half a bottle of liquid thread sealer on and around my return pump and so far, in two years of running, no additional leaks than from the first few days it ran.
That said, the pump has run for two years without being cleaned or dismantled with no loss of flow. How many can say that about an internal return pump that constantly builds up calcium and degrades due to being submersed in our adverse salt water conditions? I expect at least another 10 years out of the external pump. I turn it off once a month for maintenance on the tank or to glue corals down, it's never failed me.
Wouldn’t that be the same thing.I assume you meant internal/external as configuration not submersible/dry .
When setting up a new system one of the biggest decisions is what pump to run as your return pump which is the heartbeat of the system. Normally we talk about the make and model of the pump but today let's talk about why type of pump, external or internal!
1. Is your return pump an external or internal pump?
2. Why did you choose external or internal?
image via @geo
External all the way if you have the space. They last longer, don't transfer as much heat to the water, cost less, are far less likely to leach metals into the water, and are less likely to electrocute you since the cord isn't in the water. Most of my return pumps are internal/submersible because of space constraints, but I wish they were all external/dry!
which model do you use?Internal only for me. The idea of an external pump or skimmer is just terifying. If it were to start leaking I'd much rather it leek into the sump than on my floor. Plus I don't like the idea of drilling through my sump in order to install a pump. Instead, I upsized my sump to accommodate plenty of room for pumps. Only pump I've had fail on me was a Mag 9. Now I'm all DC pumps and loving how quiet they are.
I personally also prefer the look of everything being in the sump. Keeps it all together.
Related to the question, I have no idea how anyone puts in an external skimmer. With as many times as my skimmer cup overflows, I'd be flooding my floors monthly. At least a return is totally closed and would only make a mess if it leaked.