MitchM tank build

[mr.wilson]

Originally Posted by lastlight

Oh I didn't know that. So you can buy these pumps without controllers. Also nice to know.

The pump comes with a power supply with alarms for power or water shortage. There is a rheostat to manually set the pump output/RPM.

The cool thing about brushless DC pumps is they use less energy at lower RPMs. When you turn the 420 watt pump down to 65% capacity, it only uses 94 watts. A cycle of 35% for 10 seconds and a pulse of 65% for 2 seconds uses much less energy and gives the same net flow (without waves).

I tested a DC pump out of The Netherlands recently. It;s half the price and almost half the electricity, but the magnet on the pump stated to show rust pitting after three months use.

There are a few companies working on brushless DC pumps. Wait 6-12 months and you will see them replacing Iwaki and Sequence etc. For now, the price puts them out of reach for most.