Purchased overflow, which return pump?

Also, (surprisingly) BRS has the Mag9.5 a bit over priced at $125.

Foster Smith Aquatics has a Mag 9.5 for $90!

Pond & Fountain Pumps: Pondmaster Mag-Drive Pumps

 

Which column are you reading?

 

well sounds like teh mag 9.5 is the way to go from Dr foster and smith. Dissapointing since my eshopps overflow is arriving next week and i ordered it from them lol. I didnt want to make a hasty decision on a pump.

Checkout this craigslist find. I got it for $10. The baffles are kind of weird and I might not be able to get a refugium in there. The only problem is for some reason the previous owner tried sealing a bulkhead hole with 2 pieces of plastic and something definately not silicone. Honestly resembles super glue. This part leaked and thats why the craigslist owner sold it so cheap. However I have already removed one side of the plastic. Once I get the other off, I think the next part is to sand it so its a clean surface and figure out a way to plug that hole. Check it out and let me know what ya think. I really also need to remove that other external bulkhead.

 

Anthos the mag 9.5 is perfect for your config which is almost like mine except that I didn't split my return. I have a 750 gpm overflow and the mag 9.5 at 5' head will give 750gph without the need to throttle down. Good choice. My flow is running seemlesy without any issues

 

I have had two Quiet Ones go up in flames, literally!
The first was a 4000 and it always ran very hot, so hot I could not comfortably lay my hand on it, until one day I smelled smoke and it was on fire.
The second was a 2000 on my calcium reactor. One day I opened the stand to add water to the sump and got squirted in the face. I started investigating and found a hile in the side of the pump body with not only water but the windings of the pump coming out. It was also electrifying the tank and the inhabitants were not happy.

One is a fluke, two means they are junk. Not to mention the yare far from quiet, rune extremely hot, draw a lot more power than advertised and do not pump as much as advertsied.

Mags do run hot and draw a lot more power per gallon pumped than Eheims or Ocean Runners plus get very noisy. Hundreds of reviewers cannot be wrong. Do your research and don't shop by initial cost alone, look at it as a long term investment and get something better.

 

mags seem to have very dependable reviews. I am wondering how I should plug this hole in the sump though? Any thoughts?

 

What reviews ar you reading?
Look at all the many many reef forums and they do not fare well.
7 or 8 years ago I did a thorough review of pumps when I was part of Team RC on Reef Central. I was very precise in the way I tested using a Kill A Watt meter, a 1" water flow meter, gate valves, a 0-10 psi pressure gauge and several vessels for the water plus my swimming pool.
I tested Ehem, Mag, Ocean Runner, Via Aqua, Rio, Rio Hyperflo, Quiet One and a few others.
The results varied a lot and the Mag never came out on top in any category, in fact it was in the bottom 3. The Ocean Runner came out on top as far as gallons pumped per watt consumed, heat generation, noise produced and truth in advertising as in how close it was to factory claims. Eheim was a very very close second. The Rio Hyperflo was third if I remember right but soon after the testing the magnet swelled up so bad it would not turn on the ceramic shaft.

Quiet One was the worst by far and generated unbelievable heat plus had restart problems from the day I took it out of the box. Mag was not far behind.


You can probably still find the test results if you can search RC.

 

I appreciate the advice. But Eheim is out of the question. Ridiculously expensive. I wont get a Quiet One either. I will check out a Rio Hyperflo.

Looks like the best fit out of Rio for my setup would be:

http://www.marinedepot.com/Taam_Rio...-TAAM_Via_Aqua-TA3551-FIWPSBTO-TA3563-vi.html

I am reading that these pumps are very loud though.

 

The initial price of the Eheim of Ocean Runner is higher because they are a higher quality pump. The ywill more than pay for the difference over time due to being more efficient. Think about it, they run 24/7/365 so a few watts or in some case 10-20 watts adds up quickly. I have cut my power consumption by 40% in my home due to better pumps, combining pump functions so fewer pumps and LED lighting. That $50-$75 a month power savings pays for a lot of new toys.

 

I agree that the Eheim is a great quality pump, I want one just because they are so quiet, but I think you are exaggerating the potential savings here... it wouldn't add up that quickly.

At $0.12 KWH, running 24/7:

Mag 950 monthly cost (93 W, ~$90) = $8.15
Eheim 1262 monthly cost (80 W, !) = $7.01

The price difference is about $185 - $90 = $95.

It would take 83 months to recover the initial purchase cost of the Eheim.