dmatt56 February 21, 2011 Share February 21, 2011 Hello Everyone, I picked up my new 180G aquarium this weekend! The 90G tank has been moved to the 180! Whew - what a weekend. Anyway, the return pump that came with the tank appears to be WAY too powerful. The tank has dual 1" drains and dual 3/4" returns. The water level is not remaining constant because the drains catchup to the pump. I'm scared of an eventual overflow. I had a Mag 5 for my singe return 90G. What's recommended fro a 180G aquarium? Thanks, Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Ward February 21, 2011 Share February 21, 2011 What pump are you running on the 180 now? No matter what, you should have a ball valve installed on the outlet of the pump so that you can valve back the flow. That way you can't out-pump the overflows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmatt56 February 21, 2011 Author Share February 21, 2011 HI Brian, Great idea on the ball valve. Do I just install it after output on the pump and have it connect to the return line? I have the return line going to a 2 to send flow to both returns/drains. Will the reduced output cause the pump to build pressure? I'm exhausted tonight. I'm going to turn off the return over night to be safe. I'll let you know the pump type when I wake up tomorrow. Thanks, Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iangibby February 21, 2011 Share February 21, 2011 I run a mag18 on my 180 dual OF. You might be able to get away with a mag24 if you wanted some more flow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami February 21, 2011 Share February 21, 2011 What kind of pump do you have now? When you say that you're drains "catch up" are they siphoning (and making a sucking sound when they do catch up)? Is there air trapped inside the drain lines that might be slowing the return flow down? I have a Dart on my 180 as the system return pump, but I split the flow into several parts (only 2 of 5 go to the 180 display), so it's not an apples-to-apples situation. I recommend that you select your return pump for energy efficiency. Since it's running 24 hours per day, an inefficient pump can cost you more money (in operational costs) than a well selected, energy efficient pump that might be a little more expensive at the start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sportzfish February 21, 2011 Share February 21, 2011 What pump are you running on the 180 now? No matter what, you should have a ball valve installed on the outlet of the pump so that you can valve back the flow. That way you can't out-pump the overflows. I thought I heard that it wasn't a good idea to install the valve right off the output since the backpressure would negatively affect the pump. I have an eheim 1260 installed with a T on the output that has a ball valve to adjust the amount that dumps back into the sump, but otherwise unrestricts flow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmatt56 February 21, 2011 Author Share February 21, 2011 Hmm..... Where should the durso overflows be in relation to the water level? Perhaps I don't have the adjustable return pipes low enough in the water. The pump is labeled "Utility Pump 8c99 Model 12b" Is it a Mag12? Are there better options? Thanks, Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami February 21, 2011 Share February 21, 2011 I thought I heard that it wasn't a good idea to install the valve right off the output since the backpressure would negatively affect the pump. I have an eheim 1260 installed with a T on the output that has a ball valve to adjust the amount that dumps back into the sump, but otherwise unrestricts flow. Dialing back the output side of a pump is normally not a problem if it's done within reason. Closing it off can be, as it allows the heat to build up in the pump rather than cooling it off with the water flowing through it. Some pumps actually consume less power with less flow (this is the case with a lot of Sequence Reeflo pumps). Putting a valve on the intake side of a pump can result in cavitation and subsequent pump damage. Hmm..... Where should the durso overflows be in relation to the water level? Perhaps I don't have the adjustable return pipes low enough in the water. The pump is labeled "Utility Pump 8c99 Model 12b" Is it a Mag12? Are there better options? Thanks, Matt This link (http://www.michiganreefers.com/forums/selling-forums/13351-main-pump-mag-12-equivalent-fs.html) seems to indicate that it's a Mag-12. For my durso's, the water level comes up about half- to 3/4 of the way up the horizontal arm of the durso. If the air vent on top is clogged with salt, or if the air vent is somehow restricted, the water level will oscillate up and down as siphoning occurs. Once I clear the air vent, everything stabilizes. The opening of my durso is 2 or 3 inches below the water level in the tank. That helps suppress the noise coming from the waterfall inside the overflow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khalid February 21, 2011 Share February 21, 2011 I run a reeflo Dart on mine but I have my tank drilled with 2X2 inch overflows. I also run my skimmer and will be running the reactors on the dart as well. Not sure if I am going to be running the return to the frag tank, once that is set up, on the dart as well. The ball valve idea is great that way you can adjust the flow as needed and if you decide to run other items on the same pump it won't affect the return flow to the main display. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beatle February 21, 2011 Share February 21, 2011 The relatively new Water Blaster pumps are very efficient, quiet, and are backed with a pretty nice warranty. They're not cheap, but good pumps never are. There's really no need for a ridiculous return pump, IMO, unless you're running multiple systems, or you're running other equipment via a manifold. If you're looking for something tried and true and don't plan to run a manifold, an Eheim 1262 is a great choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami February 21, 2011 Share February 21, 2011 The relatively new Water Blaster pumps are very efficient, quiet, and are backed with a pretty nice warranty. They're not cheap, but good pumps never are. There's really no need for a ridiculous return pump, IMO, unless you're running multiple systems, or you're running other equipment via a manifold. If you're looking for something tried and true and don't plan to run a manifold, an Eheim 1262 is a great choice. Here's a quick comparison of some of these pumps at 5-feet of head pressure (used just as a reference for comparison purposes) in order of decreasing efficiency: Reeflo Snapper (External pump): 6813 liters per hour for 100W (68.13 liters per Watt) Reeflo Dart (External pump): 10340 liters per hour for 154W (67.14 liters per Watt) Reef Octopus Water Blaster HY-10000(submersible): 7573 liters per hour for 130W (58.25 liters per Watt) Reef Octopus Water Blaster HY-5000 (submersible): 3109 liters per hour for 60W (51.82 liters per Watt) Eheim 1262 (submersible): 2650 liters per hour for 80W (33.13 liters per Watt Depending upon the setup, each pump has its strengths. I've not used the Water Blaster's (so I don't know about how quiet, or reliable they are) but have used Reeflo's and Eheim's products. Both are very nice, reliable, and quiet pumps. If you were going for a submersible pump, a couple of Eheim 1262's would be very quiet. Again, but would cost you more than any of the other pumps to run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmatt56 February 22, 2011 Author Share February 22, 2011 Well, I think I over reacted last night. The Mag 12 has been running all days and all is well. The one adjustible durso was too high and I was exhausted. The ATO is now connected and everything seems to be working fine - the water line is staying consistent. Also, The water was above my sump baffles last night. The "swooshing" sound is from having both return lines under the water level. I may raise them above the water line to remove the sound. Is there a better way of mounting the 2 one inch lines than with sump sock mounts attached to the aquarium? Thanks, Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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