Closed loop pump selection

[SRWoodcock]

Newbee trying to figure out what size and manufacturer of pump to use for a closed loop.

My tank is a 120G. I would put the CL pump below the tank in the stand.

Return plumbing to the tank from the CL pump will be 1" and then split out to two 1/2 seaswirls and 1 3/4 inch sea swirl.

feed line to the CL pump will be a 1" with strainer from about mid level in the tank.

I figure at least 300 to 500 GPH of flow loss from fittings and approx 3 feet of head.

Based on that, I am thinking an 1800 to 2000 GPH pump with 1" in and 1" out threaded fittings.

Energy efficienct and reliability are great to have.

Quite will be a must to maintain happy wife.

What pump would you suggest?

 

[Dalbery]

Look into reeflo pumps. They are super quiet and reliable. I use the dart and it is a great pump. Depending how you plumb it I expect you'll be losing more flow than you think. You are going to be branching 3 ways. There's a lot of resistance in those "Y's" and "T's" With a lot of the Reeflo pumps you can put in a gate valve and reduce your flow if neccesary. I'd say look at a Reeflo dart. Choking a dart back actually helps it's lifespan.

 

[fishoutofwater]

i use a reeflo hammerhead on my 150 reef. 2x2" drains and feeds 8 x 3/4" returns thru an ocean motion 8 way valve. super quiet and i cannot hear it run. my coralife 1740 pump is the noise maker. def go with a reeflo pump.

 

[TotalVapor]

Why not use a mag 24 or 36 and place it in the tank below / behind the rocks. So long as you have a strainer on it you should not have an issue. Run a pipe straight up the back and into your tee for the sea swirls.

I have a hammer head and you do not want the noise from a reeflo pump under your tank. Any external pump will be noisy.

Very easy to do and keep your electric bill down. We did it on non-reef ready tanks and it worked for years with no issues. Never had to worry about a bulk head leaking either.

 

[Dalbery]

I don't know about your hammerhead, something may have been wrong with it. I've never heard a loud reeflo. Any external pump will be noisy=wrong. Do a search for reeflo pumps. Check out the reviews.

Why not a mag? simple answer=heat. They do introduce a lot more heat than a traditonal pump that is seperate from the motor connected with a shaft. I think the reeflo dart at max head/pressure runs like 158 watts.

 

[fishoutofwater]

Why not use a mag 24 or 36 and place it in the tank below / behind the rocks. So long as you have a strainer on it you should not have an issue. Run a pipe straight up the back and into your tee for the sea swirls.

I have a hammer head and you do not want the noise from a reeflo pump under your tank. Any external pump will be noisy.

Very easy to do and keep your electric bill down. We did it on non-reef ready tanks and it worked for years with no issues. Never had to worry about a bulk head leaking either.

yea. might want to check yours out. mine runs so quiet that i had to touch it to see if it was running. I have never heard of a reeflo running loud unless theres something going bad or something in it.

 

[Myteemouse]

I have a 125 and I run a REEFLO dart and I love it
running 18 months now flawlessly .
When I first pluged it in I had to look in the tank to see if it was working it was so quiet..
I run 2x 1 1/2" inlets and 4x 3/4" out..
LOVE IT
good flow and quiet. no leaks.

 

[SpecialTang]

It is not NOSIY but you can hear it and the vibration from any pump will cause noise.
I love my closed loop system and so do my corals. I would not change it for the world

I actually have more heat issues now that I switch to a closed loop / penductors in my tank than the mag return pump and power heads I used to have.

A hammerhead might be a little much for his 120 though might want to look at a dart instead.

 

[fishoutofwater]

i still think somethings wrong. I myself have mine in my stand in my living room but it also is sitting on some foam to PREVENT vibration. but if installed correctly and level it still should not be loud. not saying its installed wrong I am just saying.

 

[tgfrench]

Go with at least 1 1/2" inlet the more the better. Once you get water in it, its a pain to find out you need more supply

 

[thatguy559]

if you use a mag pump they get super hot. i use a mag 18 to mix salt water in a 32g brute and the temp is at 90*

 

[DonW]

With a 120 I'd go with larger plumbing and the larger hammerhead. Even with the larger pump you won't have even close to "to much flow" maybe not enough depending on the outlets and rock work.

Don

 

[TotalVapor]

i still think somethings wrong. I myself have mine in my stand in my living room but it also is sitting on some foam to PREVENT vibration. but if installed correctly and level it still should not be loud. not saying its installed wrong I am just saying.

Every external pump I have ever used had some sort of noise. Even if it is a simple hum it is a noise. I seriously doubt my closed loop pumps are install wrong since they were installed by Chris himself. The entire system was designed and engineered by some of the best in this business.

I took the same logic / install and helped specialtang with his install. If he had questions he called Paul, Chris or myself and made sure his was install correctly.


Hammer head on a 120 would be great so long as you have the right plumbing. I would suggest pushing the water up rather then down, look at what the successful reefs are doing or have done like Steve Weast or Tyree. Read everyone's logs and see if you can find where they made a change to their system and why. Educate yourself and learn from everyone else s mistakes. It will save you a ton of time and money.

 

[DonW]

Every external pump I have ever used had some sort of noise. Even if it is a simple hum it is a noise. I seriously doubt my closed loop pumps are install wrong since they were installed by Chris himself. The entire system was designed and engineered by some of the best in this business.

I took the same logic / install and helped specialtang with his install. If he had questions he called Paul, Chris or myself and made sure his was install correctly.

The more head pressure the more noise just that simple. Some pumps make more noise than others, some are barely audible. Heat will tell you if there is a problem.

Don

 

[fishoutofwater]

Every external pump I have ever used had some sort of noise. Even if it is a simple hum it is a noise. I seriously doubt my closed loop pumps are install wrong since they were installed by Chris himself. The entire system was designed and engineered by some of the best in this business.

I took the same logic / install and helped specialtang with his install. If he had questions he called Paul, Chris or myself and made sure his was install correctly.


Hammer head on a 120 would be great so long as you have the right plumbing. I would suggest pushing the water up rather then down, look at what the successful reefs are doing or have done like Steve Weast or Tyree. Read everyone's logs and see if you can find where they made a change to their system and why. Educate yourself and learn from everyone else s mistakes. It will save you a ton of time and money.

I am not trying to start a pissing match. Just stating experience since I have been doing this for 15 plus years. like I stated before and so has others the reeflo pumps I have had have all be super quiet.

 

[roscoe]

Go reeflo or go home. I am running a hammerhead although it isn't super quiet but the most quiet out of all external pumps I have seen and heard. Oh yeah stay far away from Dolphin pumps unless you want a wet floor. I would never use a mag 24 or even worse 36. Those things produce wayyyy to much heat.

 

[TotalVapor]

I am not trying to start a pissing match.

Well then quit replying and let other people state their experience. Just because someone might have had a different experience then you does not mean they are right and you are wrong.

It is only their experience and their opinion, quit taking it so personal and move on.

If you have a super quiet pump then great I am glad you have found all the right variables for you to have it in your living room.


In my personal experience with Hammer Heads by Reeflo they hum and they have a slight sound in the back of them from the fan. They are great pumps, quieter than most for the amount of water they move but I personally would not want that noise in my living room. Every tank my husband and I set up over the last god knows how many years we have always houses external pumps in a fish room or under a staircase.

 

[fishoutofwater]

wow. really. ok. drama....