fosterspike August 8, 2009 Share August 8, 2009 i got a new pump and it fills my tank in less than a minute! do i need a new one, or will the fish be fine in a whirlpool? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 August 8, 2009 Share August 8, 2009 Details. What type of pump and size tank do you have? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fosterspike August 8, 2009 Author Share August 8, 2009 the tank is about 30 gallons and the pump is a rio 2500+ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate August 8, 2009 Share August 8, 2009 (edited) Its a little strong for a 30 gallon tank, but will still work. Are you running it in a sump? I would be more concerned about the drain line being able to keep up with the pump. Also, you will want to divert the flow to prevent sand storms. What else do you have in the tank other than fish..if you have no corals or anything that requires high flow I would recommend going with a lower rated pump. Fish only tanks really only need about 6x turnover. 30gallons + Sump volume x 6 = preferred gph. Edited August 8, 2009 by Nate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 August 8, 2009 Share August 8, 2009 Rio pumps frighten me. Too many meltdowns and problems from experience and from others' stories. In any case, how do you have it hooked up? Sump, return, circulation/powerhead... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fosterspike August 8, 2009 Author Share August 8, 2009 (edited) i am setting up a new system. right now i have a 90 gallon tank and a 50 gallon refugium/sump, but im adding this tank and another about 40 gallon sump. the water is going to drain from both tanks into the new sump, then through the refugium and the sump and then back up to the tanks for this tank im going to put 2 cuttlefish and maybe some soft corals. Edited August 8, 2009 by fosterspike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fosterspike August 8, 2009 Author Share August 8, 2009 actually its more like 20 gallons... it hexagonal so i had to find a gallon calculator... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John August 8, 2009 Share August 8, 2009 I am running a 30 gallon/10 gallon sump with a Rio 2800 SS (rated at 782 GPH) and the flow is strong, but with having two bulkheads for drainage and a nice return flow deflector I have no dead water zones nor need a powerhead in the tank, which gives a nice clean look. I use a filter sock in the sump and have a Remora AquaC skimmer powered by a Maxijet 1200 (rated at ~300 GPH). Thus, the tank turns ~19 times an hour using mechanical filtration and ~8 times through the skimmer... Looks like the Rio 2500 is rated for 748 GPH, so 30 gallons + 10 gallon sump (guess) = 748 GPH / 40 Gallons = 18.7 Gallon turnover per hour... I am new to the hobby, so I am not going to say I have great experience with this setup nor am I going to bless your setup, but thought I would share my configuration with you to see that it can be done. My buddy ran this very setup for 4 years with success, so now it's my turn; 3 months and still working. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fosterspike August 8, 2009 Author Share August 8, 2009 btw my overflow is rated for 75 gallon tank... my system will have about 200 or so gallons in it when im done. i dont think there will be a problem with water volume and circulation, i just want to know if its too much for the cuttles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate August 8, 2009 Share August 8, 2009 So what you are saying is you will have two display tanks sharing one sump? And the two displays are a 90 and a 20 hex? And your problem is that the rio pump is pumping too much water to the 20 hex? How are you running the drain line from the 20 hex? Are you drilling it or using a hang on overflow? If your drain/drains aren't sufficient enough you will have a flood. I would say that that pump is too strong for a 20 gallon, especially if all you have in it are a few fish and softies. You could also "T" off the return line coming from the rio and add a ball valve/gate valve to release some of the pressure and cut back on the gph. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fosterspike August 8, 2009 Author Share August 8, 2009 So what you are saying is you will have two display tanks sharing one sump? And the two displays are a 90 and a 20 hex? And your problem is that the rio pump is pumping too much water to the 20 hex? How are you running the drain line from the 20 hex? Are you drilling it or using a hang on overflow? If your drain/drains aren't sufficient enough you will have a flood. I would say that that pump is too strong for a 20 gallon, especially if all you have in it are a few fish and softies. You could also "T" off the return line coming from the rio and add a ball valve/gate valve to release some of the pressure and cut back on the gph. yea thats pretty much it. i have an overflow box rated for 75 gallons, so i dont expect flooding. also they are sharing two sumps, which they both go through. the problem with "T"ing it off is that i used tubing instead of piping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate August 8, 2009 Share August 8, 2009 OK, overflows are not rated for a certain sized tank...they are rated for gph..so what is your overflow really rated for? And using tubing for return lines will still allow you to insert a valve...You will just need to use something like this: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fosterspike August 8, 2009 Author Share August 8, 2009 it doesnt say on the site... http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/237621/product.web Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fosterspike August 8, 2009 Author Share August 8, 2009 ok it 300 gph... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate August 8, 2009 Share August 8, 2009 Yeah, you will definitely need to change something...your pump is returning 748 gph and your drain can only handle 300 gph. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fosterspike August 8, 2009 Author Share August 8, 2009 ok i see that but how? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate August 8, 2009 Share August 8, 2009 Either get another pump or add "T" and keep cutting back the pressure until the pump is pumping as fast as the drain is draining. I would just look for a pump that is rated for around 250gph, to be on the safe side, and get a powerhead like a maxi-jet if you want more flow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefmontalvo August 8, 2009 Share August 8, 2009 I would put a ball valve on the output side of the pump to slow that water down. OR you can just get a smaller pump rated at half the gph of the current RIO in the tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami August 8, 2009 Share August 8, 2009 (edited) Using a ball valve to dial back the flow is reasonable. Your Rio pump, if purchased new, probably came with a small ball valve adapter that fits on the output. If not, you can use a couple of threaded barbs and a threaded ball valve that you can find at Lowe's and that should do the trick. Also, when I ran a Rio for a return (when I started out and for 15 months thereafter), I made sure that I kept a spare on hand because I'd read so much about them failing. Today, I use the same pumps for mixing up my change water and for other utility reasons. I've had them for two years now and none of the three have ever given me problems. Of course, I made sure that I opened, inspected and cleaned them about every 3 months when I had them in heavy service. If you go to a smaller pump, be sure you account for head pressure and friction losses, otherwise you're likely to find that you have only a trickle being delivered to your new tank. Edited August 8, 2009 by Origami2547 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dschflier August 8, 2009 Share August 8, 2009 I agree with using a ball valve to control flow. I always prefer having a slightly bigger pump throttled back then one that is not strong enough. I also agree having a second pump on hand is generally a very good idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fosterspike August 9, 2009 Author Share August 9, 2009 i think ill keep the same pump and just "T" it off because im hoping on setting up another tank in the future if these ever go right... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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