Return Pump Turnover

[JonH]

I know for sizing return pump with a sump the ideal turnover is 3-5X display volume. What is the standard for a larger AIO? I have a 65G AIO with a pair of 400 GPH return pumps, and am considering going with a single smaller pump around 500 GPH. Will this improve skimmer performance? I also have 3 wavemakers with very high flow (over 6,000 GPH combined) so flow is not an issue in the tank.

 

[Subsea]

Who decides ideal & standard? Depends on your tank details; particularly your livestock bioload and your nutrient management.

Don’t know the details of your protein skimmer? Consider getting in touch with manufacture and get their recommendation.

 

[JonH]

I was just curious what people do for AIO's. With a sump I think you inherently get more dwell time for the skimmer, but in an AIO the water moves through the system faster. I have always had sumps, so this is trial and error with the AIO set up.

 

[Lavey29]

I was just curious what people do for AIO's. With a sump I think you inherently get more dwell time for the skimmer, but in an AIO the water moves through the system faster. I have always had sumps, so this is trial and error with the AIO set up.

I think you still need to set your return flow so you are getting 3x to 5x turnover to allow your AIO media dwell time to filter. Overall flow in the tank should be 20x to 40x GPH which includes your return flow and your wave pump flow combined. As stated above though rock scape and corals in the tank can dictate what flow works best. I have an SPS dominant mixed reef but run low flow in my 65g tank. My MP40s only run at 25% during the day.