Pump suggestions

[Madmak]

Home Depot or Lowes has flexible tubing for a decent price, well worth the money to save all that effort.

I did 50G water changes for a while with buckets that I hauled upstairs to dump, then filled with NSW, then pumped slowly back in to the DT, not fun.

This is what I do now:
http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=87648

[Mike-fish]

I use a 1/2 submersible sump pump from Home Depot to transfer water it's also my tank move pump. I just have to run a fresh water flush through it after as it doesn't fare well to continuous saltwater exposure.

[aquatechy]

Plumb two Mag's in series (one feeding into another), either 7 or 9.5. Same speed, usually 1.5 - 1.8x more pressure. (and don't plumb ANY aquarium pump in parallel ever, they're not designed for that)

In case you don't believe me:

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/pu...ial-d_636.html

On the other hand, if you want good quality pumps, go for Reeflo Pumps. Reeflo also recommends doing the same thing if you need more pressure. A bit fancy for your use, but reliable. Either way, make sure your plumbing fitting are solid, as higher pressure means even small holes may start dripping.

[sphelps]

Originally Posted by aquatechy

Plumb two Mag's in series (one feeding into another), either 7 or 9.5. Same speed, usually 1.5 - 1.8x more pressure. (and don't plumb ANY aquarium pump in parallel ever, they're not designed for that)

In case you don't believe me:

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/pu...ial-d_636.html

On the other hand, if you want good quality pumps, go for Reeflo Pumps. Reeflo also recommends doing the same thing if you need more pressure. A bit fancy for your use, but reliable. Either way, make sure your plumbing fitting are solid, as higher pressure means even small holes may start dripping.

Is that a typo or are you suggesting you can't plumb pumps in parallel?

[Aquattro]

It depends on how much water you're moving. A MAG 5 might pump it that high, but how fast? I do 50g changes using a MAG 12 on the same floor, and that makes me impatient.

[aquatechy]

Originally Posted by sphelps

Is that a typo or are you suggesting you can't plumb pumps in parallel?

I was suggesting that AQUARIUM pumps cannot be plumbed in parallel. I have spoken to Reeflo and Iwaki America about this for my previous pumps that I've owned from them, and both have told me that for pumps to run in parallel, they need to have been designed to do so and have to run off a single power source (Reeflo) or a single-phase power supply (Iwaki). Reeflo also stated that most manufacturers of aquarium pumps, themselves included, dont intend their pumps to be used in such a manner.

That being said, the guys over at Iwaki said that the consequence of running aquarium pumps in parallel is just more noise and wear-and-tear on the pump. The only reason I made the above statement is to ensure that someone who's never heard of the concept of pump-linking doesnt use it inappropriately. I appreciate quiet in my house, which is why I went to such lengths to do the research.

[Coralgurl]

Originally Posted by Madmak

Home Depot or Lowes has flexible tubing for a decent price, well worth the money to save all that effort.

I did 50G water changes for a while with buckets that I hauled upstairs to dump, then filled with NSW, then pumped slowly back in to the DT, not fun.

This is what I do now:
http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=87648

That's a sweet set up you have! Do you have 2 controllers on your system then, one for your wc and one for your tank? I have a controller on my 180 only.

I was thinking of having a switch by one tank to turn the pump on and off so I can do the water changes without help - someone watching the tank and someone to turn off in the basement.

I think finding some kind of better way for water changes would make them more consistent.