Swimming Pool Pump

[Puggz]

Has anyone considered using a swimming pool pump for their return pump? Programmable and Variable speed units are quite common and many of us have 'salt water' pools so they should be using materials that don't corrode.

 

[Seansea]

Would work but im thinkin most pool pumps are overkill unless you have a massive tank

 

[Ocellaris123]

They are used in public aquariums

 

[143MPCo]

Has anyone considered using a swimming pool pump for their return pump? Programmable and Variable speed units are quite common and many of us have 'salt water' pools so they should be using materials that don't corrode.

Hey buddy, love the creative thinking on hacking a swimming pool pump for return duty—those variable speed programmable units are flow monsters, and with saltwater pools being so common, they’re built not to corrode in brine. But before plumbing one in, here’s a friendly heads-up on why it might not be the slam dunk for reef tanks, mostly since recreational saltwater pools aren’t the same beast as our delicate reef setups.

Pool pumps are geared for blasting hundreds or thousands of GPM to churn massive volumes, which could turn your display into a coral blender or create dead spots unless you seriously throttle and replumb everything—reef returns thrive on precise GPH tuning, not tsunami surges. Pool “saltwater” usually runs chlorinators turning NaCl into chlorine at 3000-4000ppm with algaecides, stabilizers, and pH buffers that’d wreck reef life, while true 35ppt full-spectrum reef salinity hits seals, gaskets, and impellers way harder long-term, leading to leaks or seizures faster than aquaria-specific gear. They’re also not made for constant sump submersion, so dry-run risks, priming hiccups, or cavitation in tight reef plumbing could fry the impeller quick, and they’ll hum like a lawnmower while dumping excess heat into your water, plus they’re inefficient on head pressure for long runs or reactors compared to optimized DC pumps like Vectras or Danners.

Might save cash upfront for a giant lagoon build with mods, but for everyday reefs, it could mean plumbing headaches and repairs down the road. What’s your tank size and flow targets—could spark some better tweaks! Anyone made this work smooth?

 

[Cervial]

Hi! I have installed multiple "pool pumps" on aquariums. Several over 1000 gallons. I also used to build pools before becoming a professional Aquarist.

I personally would not recommend a straight up pool pump from the likes of Jandy, Pentair, or Hayward unless it has a saltwater seal kit installed. If it's not one of the big three I wouldn't even think about it!

Even then I would recommend using Pentair Aquatic Ecosystems. It's the brand that public aquariums use and it is fully rated for seawater and not just a salt pool. A pool has a salinity of 3.5ppt. Our aquariums are 35ppt. Haha

Another options is Reeflo pumps. They are essentially the exact same as Pentair's pool cleaner booster pumps but are once again rated for full seawater.

Another concern is heat. You'll certainly need a chiller if you're not running one! The wattage on such pumps is way up there, but if you need to move a lot of water the only aquarium pump that can compete is the Abyzz.

Last thing is controllers—these pumps are a higher amperage than any controller on the market can handle. You'll need some kind of relay if you want to control it remotely. If you have any specific questions then ask away!