return pump for my system

[Delphinus]

I think for to run skimmers, heaters, etc. in your sump you only need about 5-7x turnover per hour for the sump. So for 96g + 20g (estimating water vol for sump) - 10% (for live rock etc.) you'd want probably about 104*6 (we'll just say "6" times turnover since that's the average of 5 and 7) = ~625 gals/hour at about 5' head (guesstimating the average head pressure for a sump return line).

Playing around with RC's head loss calculator and assuming 3 90 degree elbows, 2 45's for good measure, 1" piping, 5' vertical and 0.1 horizontal, I get 684 gallons per hour out of a Mag9. A Mag7 gave me 401 gallons per hour. So ... all said and done I think if I was looking for a submersible pump for that setup, I'd look at a Mag9.

RC's head loss calculator: http://reefcentral.com/calc/hlc2.php

Unfortunately they don't list all pumps, just a lot of common ones.

Another submersible you can look at is the Rio Hyperflow, I have one on my 30x30x20 cube, it seems to do the trick pretty well. I forget which model now. The 26HF I think?

[mark]

good pump summary http://www.reefs.org/library/pumps/

[Neil]

right on- thanks guys- i have been tinkering with rc's head loss calc and was wondering on size and perhaps some first hand exp of pumps. Good stuff to know

[fkshiu]

Consider the Eheim 1260 or 1262.

Here's their headloss chart:

http://www.marinedepot.com/aquarium_...nformation.asp

More $$$ than Mags but the Eheims use a less electricity, produce a lot less heat and can be run internally or externally. Plus they are dead silent and have a bullet-proof reputation.