Quiet ATO Pump?

[Variant]

With money well spent on buying quiet equipment (return pump, flow, overflow, skimmer, etc.) I want to make sure I get a good quiet pump for my ATO setup.

My ATO reservoir will be remote, away from the display and sump. With that said, a Tunze ATO system won't work too well for me. So far my options seem to be...

1. GHL Maxi Doser (I run a Profilux)
2. GHL Doser 2.1 (I have a spare pump head)
3. Avast Peristaltic Pump
4. Avast Diaphragm Pump
5. Liter Meter III Standalone Pump

So a few things will obviously contribute to how annoying the ATO will be (1) the noise of the pump and (2) how long the noise is sustained. That said, flow rate is just as important as the pump noise level.

• The quietest of the five option seems to be the Avast Peristaltic Pump, but with a 20ml/min flow rate, the pump will likely burn its motor quickly and will likely breakdown at some point.
• The Avast Diaphragm Pump is probably not an option given how loud it can be.
• The Liter Meter and Maxi Doser have the nest highest flow rate but are also loud but maybe not as loud as the diaphragm pump?
• Liter Meter seems to be slightly quieter than the Maxi without compromising too much on flow rate?

I'm leaning towards the Liter Meter, does anyone have any other thoughts on this? My brain hurts from thinking too hard about this...

 

[ryeguyy84]

I used the avast diaphragm pump and it was too loud, then I went to the avast peristaltic pump and it was waaaay to slow to the point it would just run all day. Then I bought the litermeter peristaltic pump and it's perfect. I think it's 120ml/min and it pulls water up 10 feet then over 5. I have mine sitting on a silicone pad in the stand and it's dead silent. There's a slight clicking if I open the stand door but other than that I don't know it's there.

 

[Variant]

I used the avast diaphragm pump and it was too loud, then I went to the avast peristaltic pump and it was waaaay to slow to the point it would just run all day. Then I bought the litermeter peristaltic pump and it's perfect. I think it's 120ml/min and it pulls water up 10 feet then over 5. I have mine sitting on a silicone pad in the stand and it's dead silent. There's a slight clicking if I open the stand door but other than that I don't know it's there.

So between the Avast and LM3, LM3 has the right balance of noise and flow rate..

Then now, it becomes a question of LM3 vs either of the GHL dosers.

 

[Water Dog]

I thought the Basic Litermeter stand-alone pump runs at 50 ml/min... am I wrong?

 

[Variant]

I thought the Basic Litermeter stand-alone pump runs at 50 ml/min... am I wrong?

I am not sure. Sent an email to customer support to find out. Does anyone have direct experience to answer this here?

 

[Variant]

@Water Dog I heard back from SpectraPure and they confirmed that the LM3-MPM, which is the basic stand alone pump is set to run at "full speed", which will range between 175-215ml/min. I told the Rep that the product description asks users to measure flow rate using an example flow rate of 50ml/min. The Rep responded that the 50ml/min example is purely for illustrative purposes but that the actual flow rate is 175-215ml/min and probably towards the higher end.

Also heard back from GHL and was advised against using a GHL Doser 2.1 to push more than 1 gallon per day. So I guess it's between the Maxi and LM3!

 

[ryeguyy84]

LM3 all the way