Which submersible pump?

I'm looking for a submersible return pump for a 125g reef tank with two corner overflows and wanted some advice on which one should I purchase. I also don't need insane amounts of flow, the minimum will do. I also want to mention that I have the retun line split and it will be also pushing water through one or two phosban reactors.

So does anyone have reccomendations for a pump that will pump enough water through my tank and reactors without the need to be throttled? I really like the mag drives, and was thinking of getting the mag 12 but I have been using a mag 7 for a few years now and the ceramic shaft seems to attract a lot of kalkwasser deposits to the point were it seized up on me twice. Maybe pumps with a steel shaft would be more maintenace free? Thanks for any help.

 

I just switched from a mag9.5 to a Rlss dc5000. It was a little less than twice the price, but it is a much nicer pump. It is quieter, controllable, uses less power, and can move more water if needed. It is a new product, so reliability is unknown.

Mag drives are reliable pumps, but if you can afford to spend the extra money, a really nice return pump is always a good place to spend it! Pumps like water blasters, Eheims, etc all have great reputations.

 

That Rlss dc5000 looks like a sweet little pump! It's only 50 bucks more then the mag 12 but 1320GPH instead of 1200 and 40 watts instead of 110. How is it working out for you so far? I may seriously consider picking one up.

 

I have always been a big fan of Ocean Runner and Eheim pumps. My own testing show them to be just about identical in performance including GPD, power consumption or watts per gallon pumped, head capabilities, low heat production and most of all very quiet. I tested them against Rio Hyperflo, Via Aqua, several models or sizes of Mag, Quiet Ones and all others I could beg borrow or steal at the time and they came out on top by far. That was 8 years ago but none of those pumps has changed in that time.

Last week I ordered an Octopus WaterBlaster HY-5000 but with the storms in Louisiana shipment was delayed. It should be here end of day tomorrow and I can't wait to try it out. This is a newer more efficient design and should be just the ticket although on the expensive side initially.

 

I like the mag pumps for the money, and reliability. I like the ehiem pumps cause they look alot nicer to me.

all in all I would go with the lowest power consumption which will equal less heat. I would also look for one that is just a little bigger than your overflow can put in the sump again not much, mabey 50-100 GPH more. Look for one that has some good reviews on it as well no sense in getting it if it tears up in less than 10 days.

on a side note I would try to stay away from any type of metal in a saltwater tank, all metal rusts It really dosent matter what type of metal it is.

HTH

 

Don't go by manufacturers claims on power consumption, GPD and shutoff head or maximum head. I found most use inflated numbers for maximum height and GPD and under state the wattage. Try to find real world, first hand information from places like this.
I was surprised with the Eheim and Ocean Runners, both had lower wattage than they published and could pump against greater head. I think I posted all my results on Reef Central years ago before getting the boot.

 

Thanks for the help everyone. I just picked up a sicce syncra 5.0 which I read was basically the same thing as a Tunze and pumps 1321gph. It was $95 on amazon and a big reason why I bought it is because the shaft is fixed and the prop/magnet doesn't spin on it which was the number one failure for me with the mag pumps.

On another note, does anyone have experience with return pumps in the basement? My top off container is in the basement and I need a pump that would actually have enough pressure to make it upstairs and through my kalk reactor.

 

I also have a Sicce 5 on my 180 and have it dialed back a bit. I am very happy with it. You got a screaming deal for $99.

 

Personally, I have had good experience with Rio pumps. I have used Rio pumps on two tanks, and IME they have been quiet, reliable, and cheaper than many other competing brands. I may also note that, although I should, I never clean them.. Still quiet. Still reliable.

 

It has only been running for 2 weeks, so it's hard to give a review... no problems yet! It is definitely made of higher grade materials, runs cooler, and is a lot quiet compared to Mag pumps.

It isn't "dead silent", you can hear it from about 2 feet away in my quiet home. I think my MP10 is louder.

I usually put pumps on top of a silicone trivet to reduce noise, however the rubber feet on the DC5000 are so good that the trivet doesn't even make a difference! I thought that was cool.