What Size Pump?

[deutchriffer]

Hi, I have been going back and forth on some plans for my external refugium, settled on one that is 7.9” x 20.5” x 17.8” so roughly ~10.5 gallons.

I have an AXIS20 pump running at 100% that feeds my filtration from my main sump to my filter media section (make shift Frankenstein on an Elos Sump where protein skimmer used to feed this section)

I was thinking that I could Tee off the AXIS20 and feed the external figure through 16mm hose and return it back into the filtration section along with running off the tee into the filtration section.

However not sure if I’m better off upgrading to an AXIS40 and running it at a lower %

Or is the AXIS20 enough? And/or is there a point in tee’ing the pump if I’m returning the fuge overflow back to that same section I am currently feeding

Photos may help to understand a bit more, you’ll see the output hose feeding the front 3 baffles of my sump, it’s not pictured but the right-front chamber looks identical to the left-front in that it’s filled with marine pure.

Max Flow Rates
AXIS20 - 185gph
AXIS40 - 400gph

 

[Jasongtr]

No answer really other than running a pump at 100% doesnt sound ideal

 

[deutchriffer]

Ahh my deltec skimmer head friend from what you’re saying I guess I could run the AXIS40 @ 50% and achieve the same result and less strain on the pump, wondering if I pump 90gph to the external fuge, if that means the drain of that fuge back to the filtration section would also equate to ~90gph after head height and losses, or if it would be significantly less?

 

[SteveMM62Reef]

Could you Tee off the drain, and let gravity do the work for you?

 

[deutchriffer]

I could, but I already run the AXIS20 in my sump because of the weird Elos design for more info on how it was meant to work see the pic below, given I’m running the deltec 400i and it doesn’t have an output like the Elos PS200 had, note in my sump the middle section was for the skimmer output, they were all made slightly different throughout the years