Opinions needed on running Eheim 1262 externally.

biggE3415 · Apr 17, 2014

Long story short. Tank is 180g, stand is solid acrylic with only 27" inside height. I'm running a reef octopus sro 3000 Skimmer. I have very little room for sumps so getting the return pump out of the way would be beneficial. I just don't know how much flow it would reduce and if I have to worry about the housing leaking in the future.

AZDesertRat · Apr 17, 2014

The Eheim will operate the same internally or externally but will transmit more noise externally. How do you plan to plumb it? Is your sump drilled for a pump suction line? Preferrably you want the suction bulkhead one size larger than the pumps suction size and you will need room for a ball or gate valve and a union, or tru union ball valve to isolate the pump for maintenance. If you don't have sufficient room for the valve on the suction then get a PVC plug which can be installed on the inside of the bulkhead when you need to unscrew the union to pull the pump for cleaning. You also want to keep the pump suction in a straight line with the sump if possible to reduce fittings and suction head losses. It oftenends up taking up a lot of valuable real estate in the stand versus submerging it in the sump.

mfinn · Apr 17, 2014

I used a 1262 externally on my 240 and it was very quiet.
I will be using a new 1262 externally on my new 233.
Great pump IMO.
Never had problems with leaks.

biggE3415 · Apr 17, 2014

Well what my plan is to run a split system. Skimmer and bubble trap in one sump and a refugium in the other I will end up drilling both and using a t into the return pump. I would over size the lines coming from sumps probably a 1 1/2" line from each sump then down to a 1" to return pump. The problem with this stand is the internal height. A 40b is 16" high that only gives me 11"of clearance to get Skimmer out if i ever need to.