My Shallow Dream Build 60" × 30" × 17"

[jsvand5]

Oh I dunno, hopefully everything gets sorted out with your build soon!

My return pump is my latest dilemma, I was dead set on a Reeflo Yellowtail which would have been perfect. But I've read more into the seal issue they have and having to replace a $75-100 Seal every year and a half has really turned me off on them. So kindof back to square one, DC pumps I'd need atleast an Abyzz A200 or a Royal Exclusive Speedy 230W neither of which are really what I wanna spend on a pump, A200 $2600 and the Speedy is $2000 +$300 if I want the controller adapter. Iwaki might be the ticket and they are around $800-1000 which is definitely better. I dunno, definitely something I need to throw some more thought into.



Hey Scott (Is this the evil Scott? There are a lot of Scott's kicking around here ) Welcome to the journey! I'm loving the shallow tank too, I'll love it even more when it's finally wet. So far it's looking like end of March, I have 2 weeks of vacation in March so I hopefully can spend the time and get some serious work done. The sump is certainly a dream sump, it's awesome to see it all come together from a very poorly designed image in my head to what it is now.



Maybe.....

I just can’t fathom spending that much on a return pump. Especially a DC one. I’ll stick with my cheap Jebao returns for less than 10% the price that seem to last me just as long any other DC pump. Just seems like that $$ could be better used elsewhere in the project.

 

[JoshH]

I just can’t fathom spending that much on a return pump. Especially a DC one. I’ll stick with my cheap Jebao returns for less than 10% the price that seem to last me just as long any other DC pump. Just seems like that $$ could be better used elsewhere in the project.

I agree it's a hard pill to swallow. And I have no issue with Jebaos I'm just not sure they have the backbone to deal with the 17' of head height I'm dealing with that's all. I know a few people that have been running them for a few years with no issues... just not sure if they can really handle my setup long term.

 

[jsvand5]

I agree it's a hard pill to swallow. And I have no issue with Jebaos I'm just not sure they have the backbone to deal with the 17' of head height I'm dealing with that's all. I know a few people that have been running them for a few years with no issues... just not sure if they can really handle my setup long term that's all.

You may be right. I think the strongest one runs just under 5500gph. Not sure how much head loss you’d get. I’d probably stick with AC if you are really looking for many years of problem free reliability.

 

[ScottB]

I agree it's a hard pill to swallow. And I have no issue with Jebaos I'm just not sure they have the backbone to deal with the 17' of head height I'm dealing with that's all. I know a few people that have been running them for a few years with no issues... just not sure if they can really handle my setup long term that's all.

Yeah 17' is gonna take some torque. I have a pond pump running 18' but it is only for WCs so no big deal.

 

[Katrina71]

I agree most tanks can use a Jebao just fine, but yours might require more. Longevity is a major concern in your system given the demands.

 

[JoshH]

You may be right. I think the strongest one runs just under 5500gph. Not sure how much head loss you’d get. I’d probably stick with AC if you are really looking for many years of problem free reliability.

I might go with the Iwaki, maybe even a Panworld, I'll have to dig around some more. And 5500 GPH would probably be somewhat close... the RD 230W pumps out 6500 GPH and I think rounds out to 1100ish at 17 ft

 

[JoshH]

I agree most tanks can use a Jebao just fine, but yours might require more. Longevity is a major concern in your system given the demands.

Longevity is definitely a major concern in my mind and it is weighing greatly over my decision.

 

[ScottB]

I might go with the Iwaki, maybe even a Panworld, I'll have to dig around some more. And 5500 GPH would probably be somewhat close... the RD 230W pumps out 6500 GPH and I think rounds out to 1100ish at 17 ft

My LFS runs many Japanese Iwaki. Nine years later without a scrub they are starting to get loud. Might be time to clean them. Plug this into your maintenance reminders.

 

[JoshH]

Yeah 17' is gonna take some torque. I have a pond pump running 18' but it is only for WCs so no big deal.

My LFS runs many Japanese Iwaki. Nine years later without a scrub they are starting to get loud. Might be time to clean them. Plug this into your maintenance reminders.

Yeah it's the continuous running that causes the issues long term... and I've heard great things about them as well. It will probably be the route I go after a little more digging

 

[Katrina71]

Iwaki stock is down 54%. I smell a sale...

 

[JoshH]

Iwaki stock is down 54%. I smell a sale...

Good to know I'll have to keep an eye out

 

[cmaxwell39]

I agree it's a hard pill to swallow. And I have no issue with Jebaos I'm just not sure they have the backbone to deal with the 17' of head height I'm dealing with that's all. I know a few people that have been running them for a few years with no issues... just not sure if they can really handle my setup long term.

Return pumps for basement sumps are about the only disadvantage of having your fishroom on the lower level. Have you looked at the sicce SDC 9.0? At 16’ of head it still claims to deliver over 1000 gph if I remember there chart correctly. And 5 year warranty. That is the pump I decided to try out on my new build that will have a basement sump.

 

[JoshH]

Return pumps for basement sumps are about the only disadvantage of having your fishroom on the lower level. Have you looked at the sicce SDC 9.0? At 16’ of head it still claims to deliver over 1000 gph if I remember there chart correctly. And 5 year warranty. That is the pump I decided to try out on my new build that will have a basement sump.

It was actually the original front runner on the list, my concern lies where DC pumps in that price range tend to grossly overestimate there flow charts. Learned that with the Reef Octopus Varios pumps and Coralvues response.

 

[rishma]

Hi, been reading along. Good stuff.

re: return pump, what is driving your GPH goals? I know you have 17’ of head but your total water volume will be less than 200 gallons, right? I’d be shooting for around 600 gallons per hour to the tank. A more modest pump might suit your needs.

Cheers

 

[JoshH]

Hi, been reading along. Good stuff.

re: return pump, what is driving your GPH goals? I know you have 17’ of head but your total water volume will be less than 200 gallons, right? I’d be shooting for around 600 gallons per hour to the tank. A more modest pump might suit your needs.

Cheers

The difficulty here is I would like around 5-600 GPH through the whole filtration system (Both mechanical and fuge), but the way the sump is setup the main siphon is split between the mechanical filtration and the Refugium... so in order to get that kind of flow through each section I need a total flow of 1000-1200 GPH.

I could run the Refugium off of my manifold that is fed by a pump in the skimmer chamber which would cut down on the total flow needed by the main return. Lots of things still to figure out. Just not entirely sure that's exactly what I want

 

[justingraham]

Little giant pumps are very nice option as well

 

[JoshH]

Little giant pumps are very nice option as well

Thanks for the suggestion I'll look into those as well

 

[crusso1993]

Cannot recall if you have looked into this or if they are even available aboot up ner der, eh. But, if so, MRC makes some very, very good equipment with totally solid customer service.

Check the link, buddy...

Pumps | MRC America

www.mrcamerica.com

 

[JoshH]

Cannot recall if you have looked into this or if they are even available aboot up ner der, eh. But, if so, MRC makes some very, very good equipment with totally solid customer service.

Check the link, buddy...

Pumps | MRC America

www.mrcamerica.com

I have looked at the MRC pumps, the two they offer I think are a bit oversized for what I need. I could choke them off with a valve but I'm not sure I want to be doing that.

They look to be rebranded Reeflo pumps with a mark up as well so not sold on that aspect either. They do ship to Canada which is nice and I have heard great things about there customer service. And they happen to have a 5 year warranty, I wonder if that covers the seals as well...

 

[crusso1993]

I have looked at the MRC pumps, the two they offer I think are a bit oversized for what I need. I could choke them off with a valve but I'm not sure I want to be doing that.

They look to be rebranded Reeflo pumps with a mark up as well so not sold on that aspect either. They do ship to Canada which is nice and I have heard great things about there customer service.

I hear ya on the look being rebranded Reeflo pumps but have a tough time thinking MRC would take another pump and simply rebrand it. A phone call or email to Raj asking specific questions might be the answer. I was thinking the LP-4200 might suit your needs well. Perhaps another question for Raj.