Return pump died o the joys of reefing..

[neoh]

not sure what you mean by placing it directly in the tank and the waves messing it up. If you're just dumping water for an ATO into your DT, it doesn't matter. Just as long as it's not submerged under water without a check valve or a siphon break.

The GFO and carbon should be fine. I would rinse it off. Depending on how long it's been in the reactor, maybe it wouldn't hurt to change it anyways?

When you're dealing with large tanks, it's always best to have a spare of everything available! I've got spare returns, pumps, heaters, lights, tanks, reactors, filters, skimmers, even damage control premixed saltwater, and a drum of rodi water.

Because hey, these guys are not only our hobby, our pride and joy, but we also need to protect our investment! Have a backup plan in place. Write it down as if it were an emergency manual. Because most of the time it's not if it happens, it's when it happens.

Good luck!