Are Ecotech Marine Powerheads worth it?

Thanks for the advice....I'm not quite sure what to make of it because I have no tank or equipment yet so I don't know what kind of pump I want or need to power the equipment. I mostly looked into the reeflo because it has a good warranty and very good reviews and I was mistaken, but I thought it was 6-10x you total water volume of gph. Grim explained it is you sump volume of water that you multiply.

 

Your numbers do not add up. The Snapper does 2600 gph at 0 ft. It does 1500 gph at 4 ft. Then the other pumps are pressure rated pumps and put out much more pressure that what you comparing to. the Pan world has a cutoff about 40 ft where yours has a cutoff of 11'. Big difference.

You can't just compare pumps like that and claim an efficiency. You have to compare apples to apples. Most pumps out there, compared to comparable pumps, do around the same thing. Look at a Mag and a Eheim. The Mag is always talked about as some great heat producer and a Ehiem is some model of efficiency... yet it only draws 15-20 watts less. Yes it is more efficient, and that is 15-20 watts not added to the tank and removed by a chiller, but it is not a huge difference.

I completely understand the OP said he was not looking at returns now... but you did make the same mistake as most...looking at some total flow picture and using a return pump to get there. The return you first mentioned was over half and a lot at that, not a good strategy.

So why it matters is you get absolutely zero benefit from moving water through a sump. It is not a filter, it is not a aerator, it does nothing. Moving water costs power, so what it is doing is wasting power and adding heat. And then you have to pump it against the biggest loss of all... gravity... to get it back to the tank.

A sump is only a glass box that is pointless. What is in the box is what is important. Skimmer, fuge, media reactor, biopellets. All you need to do is supply those components and nothing more. Further more... some things can be run in-line. If they can be, then running them in line will save flow over running individually off a manifold.

So.... over all, yes, using a pump that uses less power for your application is good. Using one pump over several will save power because there is some loss you can't recover in each. If heat is a problem, using a external pump "may" help some. It can be the difference between needing a heater and not, or needing a chiller or not. Depends.... but I can easily wipe out all those savings by moving twice the water I need to. Moving the least water for what I need in conjunction with the considerations above will yield the best results.

 

5 times system volume is a good place to shoot for. With a properly sized sump, Grims number will be close to the same. In the end the "number" does not matter. what matters is that you are supplying your sump with what it needs and calling it good. After that, then you have to look at what flow your tank needs and I never add in return pump flow. I just look at that as free, and I use my return flow to turn over the tank.

I put mine down the back and it would flow out my rocks and keep them clean. Any number of other ways would work... I just tried to return my water away from what was going to the sump so it would circulate in the tank and carry waste to the sump to be filtered.

Then I would look at what my inhabitants needed from there.

You have plenty of time and this is when you start figuring this stuff out... not when you have animals in your tank and don't knw why they do not look happy. there are some good quality pumps out there and Darts are a good quality pump. You will be able to find what you need used or new.

I would not really have a problem buying anything quality used. A ReefLo/ Iwaki / Panworld / Ehiem / Bubble Blaster... are all good pumps. Get what you need to fit the bill. I have bought Vortech used and would not hesitate to do it again. Except they sell and hold their value so it usually isn't a screaming deal unless they are old. But, the one year warranted is transferable so you are still covered.

Having patience and taking advantage of deals when they com around will always save you a lot of money.

 

Thanks a lot for all the info. I was wondering if you could use a pump like any one of those mentioned and only use it for flow?

 

You are comparing a pressure rated pump to a non-pressure rated pump.. You aren't going to get near 2600 gallons per hour at even 5 foot of head. It's a great pump for closed loops, but with an open loop where there is a lot more pressure to pump against.. You quickly lose flow.



You are closer to 140 watts to get 1400 gph. And I guarantee that once you put it in your plumbing the power draw will be higher and the GPH will be less. And it cost $300 for the dart as opposed to $100 for the likes of a powerblaster or less for a magdrive.

 

Ya, you mean using a return pump for tank flow right?

 

Yeah, it's called a closed loop. But once again, vortech will be cheaper, more flexible, less power draw, and produce less heat. It will also give you more flow patterns, and keep you from the risk of cracking your tank when you are drilling it for a CL.

(I just did all this math when working on details for a 300dd that I was planning.)

 

Yep that's what I meant. So it's called a closed loop....

 

I'm running a closed loop on my 75 gallon because I already had the equipment for it. If I were to purchase 2 MP40's instead, it would cost me more (now) than running the 2 MP10's I have and running a closed loop (on sea swirls). Closed loops are great for LARGE tanks, but inefficient on smaller tanks. And I would consider a 210 a small(er) tank in the scheme of things. You can easily create random chaotic flow using Vortechs, or other powerheads and save $$$ down the road on electricity and heat issues.

 

I almost didn't start this thread because I thought it could be a waste, but it has proven to be the best one I've made yet. Thanks everyone!