Which Vectra - 750 XXL?

[VJM 21]

I’m trying to decide between an L2 or an M2 as a return pump for a 750xxl build. Red Sea recommends 1850 gph. The M2 maxes out at 2000, while the L2 maxes out at 3100, which would seem to be overkill. The pump would be plumbed internally and will not be used to feed any manifolds, reactors, etc (at least not right away). The only thing that would create any additional head pressure would be the random flow generator upgrades from VCA (2 x 3/4”). I don’t know how much additional head pressure they actually create, if any.

The other issue here is that the Red Sea return line is 25mm (slightly less than 1”). The M2 output is 1,” while the L2 output is 1.25.” How much would that reduction impact the pump and flow rate on the L2?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[Pete_the_Puma]

If you want 1850GPH of actual flow I would go with the L2.

I have an L1 on my Reefer 650 Peninsula and am happy with the flow (although I have not directly measured it). It runs in constant mode at 80%.

A pump rated at 2000GPH will produce much less than 1850GPH once you add 3-4 feet of head and some plumbing.

 

[VJM 21]

If you want 1850GPH of actual flow I would go with the L2.

I have an L1 on my Reefer 650 Peninsula and am happy with the flow (although I have not directly measured it). It runs in constant mode at 80%.

A pump rated at 2000GPH will produce much less than 1850GPH once you add 3-4 feet of head and some plumbing.

Thanks for the response. It sounds like you’d have to run the M2 at max power...even then it might not be enough.

 

[Pete_the_Puma]

Thanks for the response. It sounds like you’d have to run the M2 at max power...even then it might not be enough.

Even at 100% with any amount of head you would get much less than 1850:

See flow diagram above, at 5ft of head you get 1400GPH ish

 

[VJM 21]

Even at 100% with any amount of head you would get much less than 1850:

See flow diagram above, at 5ft of head you get 1400GPH ish

Thanks again, Pete. Looks like I’ll be going with the L2.

I love the look of the 650 peninsula, but the setup of my living room wouldn’t really work. Planning to check out your build thread for ideas, nonetheless. Any regrets with the Red Sea system?

 

[VJM 21]

Sorry, just saw that it’s Pierre, not Pete, lol.

 

[Pete_the_Puma]

Sorry, just saw that it’s Pierre, not Pete, lol.

It's all good lol. Pete in English, Pierre in French. You can also call me Pedro if you want haha.

No regrets with the Red Sea so far, everything fits and works perfectly although tank has only been up for 1.5-2 months. I would recommend upgrading to a "real" Auto-top of solution (I highly recommend the Tunze osmolator) as opposed to the "float switch" top off that comes standard with RedSea sump, I have read numerous reports of that one failing.

Otherwise 10/10 so far!

 

[VJM 21]

It's all good lol. Pete in English, Pierre in French. You can also call me Pedro if you want haha.

No regrets with the Red Sea so far, everything fits and works perfectly although tank has only been up for 1.5-2 months. I would recommend upgrading to a "real" Auto-top of solution (I highly recommend the Tunze osmolator) as opposed to the "float switch" top off that comes standard with RedSea sump, I have read numerous reports of that one failing.

Otherwise 10/10 so far!

Glad to hear that! I’ll look into the osmolator as well.

Jamie

 

[highendofthelow]

We looked at the Vectra for the 750XXL but we had heard of reliability issues, shafts rusting etc. With having AI hydra and Gyres, the extra requirement in regards to having the reef link as well as all the other controllers was another factor (The XR15 is standalone at the moment- it was never planned as a long term solution for the sump).

I agree with Pete_the_Puma in regards to the top off- it really is pants. The float switch is certainly not reliable enough to leave it long term, and to be honest the reservoir is not the best of size for the tank. We have used the Tunze Osmolator (well older versions!) on previous systems and generally rock solid. We have been considering the Apex ATK for this eventually as it is a standalone product and like the 3 levels of protection.... just not got round to it yet!

 

[VJM 21]

Definitively going with the Osmolator if I can fit it into the budget. I’m hoping that Ecotech has eliminated the overheating issues with the new generation of the vectra. Their support here is top notch, at least in my experience, so I trust that they’ll make it right if there are problems.

Thanks again for your advice!

 

[Blue Spot Octopus]

https://www.marinedepot.com/Fluval_Sea_SP4_Aquarium_Water_Pump_1822_GPH-HG14337-FIWPSBTO-vi.html If budget is a concern get the SP4 and buy the Tunze probably for the same money as the Vectra pump.

 

[VJM 21]

Good point

 

[Reefmx]

I have read that the red Sea 750 xxl only allow less than 600 gph from the return tubing. This is from the 3/4 outlet restriction. Measured with Apex flow

So why buy a bigger pump?

I believe Red Sea recommend 1850gph for all the water movement. To this add the gph from your wave pumps.

 

[VJM 21]

I have read that the red Sea 750 xxl only allow less than 600 gph from the return tubing. This is from the 3/4 outlet. Measured with Apex flow

So why buy a bigger pump?

I believe Red Sea recommend 1850gph for all the water movement. Add the water movement from the wave generators.

Another user (“Cancun,” maybe) bought an undersized DC return pump for a 750 xxl. It had to be replaced with a more powerful one in less than a year. That’s an expensive mistake. The L2 can be calibrated to fit the needs of your system. I did that, and I haven’t had any problems with the pump being too powerful.

 

[Saltyanimals]

I have read that the red Sea 750 xxl only allow less than 600 gph from the return tubing. This is from the 3/4 outlet restriction. Measured with Apex flow

So why buy a bigger pump?

I believe Red Sea recommend 1850gph for all the water movement. To this add the gph from your wave pumps.

That's interesting what you said about 600 gph as the max due to the 3/4 return plumbing restriction. That's assuming zero stops between the pump and the return jets into DT. Once you plumb in anything (manifold, tees, etc) you'll get a significant less GPH per the pump manufacture's GPH curve.

Net net? Get a bigger pump to allow it to run less hard = less heat = longer life. The bigger pump will allow it to feed manifolds and other devices, but the actual OUTPUT into the DT is still limited to 600 gph??? ?

I'm currently running an M2 and it's basically at 100% feeding a manifold including UV + CaRX on 2 separate manifold gate valves. While I haven't actually measured DT output GPH, I feel it's underpowered based on the flow going through the UV. Gate valves wide open into the UV and estimated measure (manually bucket filling + stopwatch) about 200gph. No matter what I do, I can't get it much higher than this which I suspect is because of the max of the M2. I feel there's generally slow flow through the sump given all the loss going through the manifold. Debating to upgrade to L2 since I'm maxed out on the M2 and still haven't brought my biopellet + media reactor which I plan to connect in a series on the 3rd manifold head.