Return pump brand insight for new 220
 

Looking for return pump for my new 220 gallon!


Had to be:

- extremely quiet
- reliable
- effiecent
- variable settings would be nice

Any suggestions or insight?

I've been using a Reeflo Dart for around 8 years that I purchased used. They're pretty good except that occasionally the shaft seal begins to leak and needs to be replaced. I had to replace mine about 6 years ago. They are rated up to 3600 gph at 0 head, I'm probably getting a little over 2000 gph out of mine. If you were thinking of something larger/smaller it would be worth mentioning.

Pretty confident a dart or reeflo of any kind wouldnt fall under the category of "extremely quiet" lol. Though they are extremely reliable and high flow pumps.

Look into the Fluval SP series.

I would look into the new DC pumps, controllable and use a lot less power to flow. Cost more up front but in the end are a lot cheaper when total costs.

I just purchased 2 of the Jabeo DCS Series pumps for my two setups. I haven't hooked them up yet but they have great reviews, energy efficient, quiet and not expensive.

DC pumps also work well with the icecap battery backup systems, main reason I purchased them.

The Jebao DCS 12000 Silent Pump moves over 3000 gallons per hour and uses a maximum of 80 watts. For under $200 Canadian can't be beat. You can buy a backup for that price.

Some non DC pumps require up to 200 watts to move that much water. Do the math in power savings because a pump is running 24/7. Extra wattage also equals extra heat transfer.

Geez how quiet do you need a pump to be? Tank in the bedroom? My Hammerhead and Dart compared to the fridges, freezers, furnace, fans, washer, dryer and dishwasher don't even land in the top 5 for noice producing sources in our house and most of our stuff is less than 10 years old.

I'll second the DC Jebao pumps, but go with the latest version. I have a DCP8000 (newest series) running on my current tank and it's a beast, completely silent no vibrations or hmm nothing.

I used sicce syncra 5 in my last 210 build this year. Dead silent. $265 at j&l

I get that you may love them. I do to. However if you actually look at the list of wants he posted, the reeflo's would literally only fill one of those needs. Reliability. Sorry, but they are not quiet, efficient or have variable settings.

- extremely quiet
- reliable
- effiecent
- variable settings would be nice

Agreed. I run this pump on my FOWLR and it is dead silent, puts out a ton of controllable flow and for the price you cant beat it. Ive had mine running for two years, no issues.

DC technology is getting pretty awesome. So if you feel like you want to spend some extra money to buy an ecotec M1 or L1, reef octopus, or even the new neptune pump, theres a lot of options out there. But for most brands you pay the price. Thats why I keep going for the Jebao/jecod pumps. I could literally buy 2 or 3 of them for the price of the big guys pumps.

I currently run Sicce pumps on my systems.

They are quiet, cheap, reasonably good with power consumption.

The reason I purchased the Jabeo's is because they integrate with the Ice Cap Battery backup, they are controllable and use a fraction of the power consumption.

I will use the Sicce's as backups in case a pump fails.

If budget was not an option I would have went with an Ecotech Vectra used an ecotech battery back up and run it off a Ecotech Reeflink. I would have been able to control the pump with my phone anywhere in the world. How cool would that be. I would also have purchased the MP40's for water moment and used ecotech lighting and had complete control with my phone.

Since you didn't post a budget, I'll go all in and say the Abyzz will be top choice with a 10 year warranty. I'm assuming you do not want to spend over $2000 on a return pump though, so I digress...

For DC, I vote for the Ecotech Vectra. Provided you're not wanting to run a UV sterilizer on your return line, or a manifold, or any type of reactor. The Vectra doesn't handle pressure well, so it's best used in straight-run situations. These are handy if you want wireless control and connectivity with Ecotech or Neptune products. This pump will be over $600. Reliable? Not sure, they haven't been out for long.

For AC pump, I also vote for Sicce for the size range required. They are adjustable in the sense that there is a built-in valve on the intake basket to control flow. The pump itself is not controllable. These pumps are silent and reliable.

Assuming your sump will hold around 30 gallons of water which will offset the displacement of the rock in the tank, assuming you're going to have about 5 feet of head pressure, assuming it will be a dedicated return line (no manifolds, reactors, etc), then I would suggest the Sicce Synchra 5.0. The 5.0 will barely have you covered though, you'll probably be looking at about 4x turnover through the sump with that pump wide open. That would be my preference - I don't like choking pumps back. The next step up is the 10.0 and that's going to give you close to 10x flow through the sump wide open which is much more than I would want so it would need to be choked back, plus the 10.0 has a bit of a hum - it's a pretty big pump. There's a 50% price jump between the two as well if that's a consideration. This pump will be under $300.

Agree to disagree. Opinions are like A-holes; everyone's got one. On my +300gal system the Reeflos are quieter than the skimmer, cooling fan and exhaust fan so the amount of sound they produce is negligible.

Reeflo Dart 3600gph Maximum Wattage: 105w/0.8 amps
Jebao DCS 12000 MAX 3000 gallons per hour at 80W?

Do tell me more about how super efficient these DC pumps are! LMFAO

These DC pumps have only been popular in the aquarium industry for a few short years. One of my reeflos has been running for over a decade. I bought it used, for $100. I won't put my trust and the lives of my captives in a tech that hasn't stood the test of time.

Shaft driven external equals no heat transfer.

Under tank sump?
I'd go with a DC.

I'm setting up a display with remote sump and the DC just won't cut it.

Probably overkill, I'm going with a Reeflo hammerhead gold.

I have found the Dc pumps quite but a little less reliable. But it's a trade off because of the controllability aspect. I also find the impellor replacement is cheaper on the Dc I own for some reason .

I just had my waveline 6000 conk out recently. The pump may still be good but the power supply or controller is pooched. Bought when they were new.. 5 years are so.. prety sure these turned into the jaboo pumps. But the replacement price? Nice and cheap. Probably gonna buy a second for backup though.

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Black knife, I run waveline pumps and I was able to order other power supplies when mine pooched off of a Chinese electronic site. It was something like $15 free shipping. I just wired it up and she was good to go again. I just ordered a power supply that matched the specs. Dx.com is the site. You can order a $0.99 item on there and it’s still free shipping. I always have a backup pump, so I installed a my backup pump and waited for my new power supply to come in and tested it and now I still have a backup.

Not familiar with external pumps , but definitely avoid dc pump... you going to replace in a couple of years


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One more thing to note...

What type of drain are you going to be using? Any of the siphon-style drains that utilize a gate valve (Herbie, Bean Animal, etc) perform better with an AC pump rather than DC since the output on DC has a tendency to vary slightly during the day which messes up the adjustment of the water level. You will get a consistent output from an AC pump. Some people don't seem to experience this issue - I've seen it myself, a lot. I no longer use DC pumps for returns on siphon-style drains.

+1
Explained very well, had same issues with controllable pumps


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Thanks
 

Guys thanks for the ton of responses

This forum is awesome.

It almost looks like AC pumps are outdated and most companies are not putting money into them anymore.

DC could be a risk but I think I may be leaning towards that side of the fence.

Jabeo, ecotech, reef octopus, and the new core look pretty great.

I wouldn't say AC is outdated;
More like tested old technology.

While the tech may not change, it still has its place.
For example I need an AC return pump because DC cannot handle the pressure of my system.

And that's a blanket statement, there might be a DC option for me but if I recall correctly, that option would also cost thousands more.

once again I had a dc pump die in my freshwater . granted its a cheapy but I have had a marineland AC in my salt for 5 years no issues at all. hell I barely clean it

Had a Dart as a CL pump so directly below tank. Quiet but far from silent, still okay for the living room with the TV on.

I still have a brand new, unused Blueline T4 kicking around for sale. Never ran it but everything I read on it said really quiet.

Abyzz... set it and forget it :)

Soooooo expensive... what about the new DC Sunpole return pumps?

Nah, it's just about consumers wanting something new and fancy. I don't buy into new and fancy. I like tried and true. I have no use for a controllable return pump (or skimmer pump). I'm all for controllable powerheads though - my Tunzes are all 5-10 years old.

All the European brands are still putting out good quality AC pumps - Eheim, Tunze, Sicce. :)