Closed Loop 1 Pump or 2?

[cpeguero]

Planning a new 250-350 gallon “L” shaped tank. Basement sump with Hammerhead for return should provide 300gph. Planning a closed loop with 6 outlets throughout the tank.

 

Should I get just 1 big DC pump or split the outlets between 2 pumps? Have a line on a good deal for an RD 3 150, but not sure if having better control on different outlets would be better.

 

 

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[bues0022]

Do you plan on having a spare pump? Putting costs aside, I'd rather go with two slightly smaller pumps than one large. I'm thinking about redundancies and the inevitable when something breaks. When the closed loop pump eventually dies, or if you need to take it offline for service, having two pumps will allow you to at least keep a little bit of water movement going. Having a single pump will mean you're basically down all flow (besides return) until you get it back up again. 

[cpeguero]

Fair point. Will probably do the 2 smaller pumps. Plus, when one does fail, will be cheaper to replace than a singel larger pump.


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[treesprite]

Using two smaller ones rather than a single bigger one, will also spread out the suction, so critters aren't as likely to get sucked against the intakes.