Pump Opinions wanted!

[MizTanks]

Danner Mag-Drive Supreme Water Pump (http://www.marinedepot.com/Danner_Mag_Drive_Supreme_3_350_GPH_Water_Pump_Up_t o_500_Gallons_Per_Hour_Submersible_Aquarium_Pumps-Danner_Mfg.-DN1119-FIWPSBUF-DN1121-vi.html)

[Poseidon]

Bullet proof, dependable, consistent. Pros.

Run hot, high power draw. Cons.

[Sir Patrick]

Couldnt have said it better myself Mike.

I will add- I use them. In my opinion, the pros are worth the cons.

[MizTanks]

Well I was just looking at the Mag 3 again :) I really like it. Should I be concerned though about excessive heat? Especially for my size tank. Oh and I'd be looking at almost 335gph return. Would that be to much flow in the DT and what about velocity through the sump/fuge?

[Tom@HaslettMI]

Bullet proof, dependable, consistent. Pros.

Run hot, high power draw. Cons.

I completely agree. I'll add a pro and a con from my experience... you decide which is which! Reasonably priced and noisy.

Over the years I have run a mag 18, Eheim 1250, and a TUNZE (don't recall the model# but know it's model that is discontinued). Of the three I would rank the mag the lowest. In addition to the cons previously mentioned I had to replace the impeller on the mag, which was not cheap. The Eheim and TUNZE were both quiet and dependable.

I'm currently running the TUNZE. I would buy an Eheim in a heart beat though.

Tom

[MizTanks]

Ok now I'm liking this one better. Great reviews. Sadly BRS is outta stock. Was trying to get everything from one place :)
Eheim Compact+ Pump (http://www.marinedepot.com/Eheim_Compact+_Pump_Aquarium_Powerheads_Compact_Pu mps-Eheim-EH11036-FIPHCP-vi.html)

[binford4000]

nice pump but ouch !!! for a little more you could get a water blaster,better then all the above mentioned.

[AZDesertRat]

I agree on the Water Blaster or even one of the new Jebao DC variable speed pumps.

Mags are dependable but their design has not changed in at least 30 years and probably more like 50 years. Newer pumps have much more computer aided design and hydraulic testing so are more efficient which is important when you consider the hours you will put on a return pump 24/7/365. A little more $$ spent up front will more than return itself over the life of the pump in power savings alone.

[MizTanks]

Ah I don't think so guys-lol. $149 for my size pump! Nope! No way can I afford that! Thanks though :)

[AZDesertRat]

More efficient. Look at 10-20 watts or more power savings over the 5-10 years the pump will last. It adds up. You wil also find companies like Water Blaster and Eheim are very conservative with their figures so you could probably step down one size pump and still get the same or more flow and much much less heat generation so no fighting summer tank temperatures with fans or chillers. There is a lot to it.

[jimsflies]

Jamie... I would suggest you run some of the electrical costs using the calculator here:
http://www.captivereefs.com/forum/electrical-cost-calculator.html

You're going to see a bump in your electrical bill with this upgrade. The 50 gallon I had with two Eheims 1262's (return and closed loop), one halide, and four T5's cost me about $45 per month to operate. This is one of the main reasons I like the all in one style systems with the sump in a back chamber...saving four feet of pumping head definitely helps with conserving electricity.

[AZDesertRat]

About 3 years ago I got on an energy conservation kick. What started it was looking at my summer electrical bills. This link is a little old and I really need to update it as I have done further modifications to reduce bills even further without really changing our lifestyles significantly. The savings we have realized have been tremendous and I still get the Kill A Watt meters out every so often and test some new device or to look at run time power accumulation on timed devices like lights or wavemakers.
ENERGY CONSERVATION- What have you done and did it work? (http://www.azreefs.com/forums/showthread.php?3852-ENERGY-CONSERVATION-What-have-you-done-and-did-it-work&highlight=power+conservation)

[MizTanks]

Jamie... I would suggest you run some of the electrical costs using the calculator here:
http://www.captivereefs.com/forum/electrical-cost-calculator.html

You're going to see a bump in your electrical bill with this upgrade. The 50 gallon I had with two Eheims 1262's (return and closed loop), one halide, and four T5's cost me about $45 per month to operate. This is one of the main reasons I like the all in one style systems with the sump in a back chamber...saving four feet of pumping head definitely helps with conserving electricity.

Only extra on this tank will be the return pump. I'll be using LED's on timer so that's a plus versus T5's right? No reactors. 1 MP10, 1 100w heater, same skimmer and that's it. Oh and I don't pay for water :) Using this chart I'm looking at $11.20 a month.

[jimsflies]

Sure it does...just put in the wattage of your LEDs and how many hours a day you are running them. If you have separate white/blues break add them on the lines for actinic and full spectrum.

[MizTanks]

Sure it does...just put in the wattage of your LEDs and how many hours a day you are running them. If you have separate white/blues break add them on the lines for actinic and full spectrum.

I did it :) and got $11.20 a month to run my tank.

[jimsflies]

Current tank or new tank?

[MizTanks]

Current tank or new tank?

Current is $7.36 a month, new tank is the $11.20 I'll be using more watts on the new for lights & return pump. But no more yearly bulb replacement at $80 a year. Which is about $6.70 a month. Say I get a return pump at 28-35w. It pretty much balances out. Even $11-$13 a month isn't bad, ya think?

[jimsflies]

which pump did you use in the calcs?

Also the default value of $0.12 per kWh is not very accurate. In Michigan the average is close to $0.15.

[MizTanks]

which pump did you use in the calcs?

Also the default value of $0.12 per kWh is not very accurate. In Michigan the average is close to $0.15.

Ok using the Eheim at 35w
LED FS at 77w 8hrs not sure if ramping makes a difference but they will be set to do so.
LED Blue at 77w 12hrs
Skimmer at 9w 24/7
Mp10 at 10w 24/7
Heater at 100w

Jim my biggest electric bill in 5yrs comes from this year, at $64. From the furnace running so much I'm sure. Otherwise my electric averages between $35-$45 a month for the last 4yrs.

[jimsflies]

How much turnover (times per hour) are you hoping to have from your return?

[MizTanks]

How much turnover (times per hour) are you hoping to have from your return?

Heck I don't know-lol. I don't know how to do that math. I would like at least 250gph. I don't even know what's best. Is there a special number I should be shooting for?

[binford4000]

Jamie,this has to be diving you nuts !! The mag does get warm but not as bad as an external in comparison. I recommended the mag because honestly the mag pump does have it down sides but they are and have been for a longtime the best bang for the buck for people with restricted or limited budgets. Look at it this way,if it warms up your water that's less your heater will run.lol the impeller replacement is only 25-30$$ that's cheap compared to say my red dragon. (+200.00) or even the water blaster which is almost a 100$ bill

[MizTanks]

Nuts isn't the word. I was supposed to pick up my tank yesterday at 4:30 as was arranged. Called to confirm and Brian says he's not available at that time. So I say ok, how about tomorrow (now today) same time? He says, "sure works for me".
Today I call him to confirm, no answer. I text , no reply. I text again at 5:00, no reply. I call the LFS and he's off til Monday.
So you can all guess what I'm thinking and how I'm feeling :(
Oh and as I'm writing this my power has now been out for over an hour! And me with no batteries for my air pumps, ugh!

[jimsflies]

My money is going on you getting your tank back. Now go get some batteries.

[MizTanks]

Store's here close when electricity goes out don't ya know. Can't ring anything up-lol. My son has my Jeep and I'm 7mi from town :-/

[MizTanks]

Yahoo! Son picked up tanks this morning <sigh> of relief :)

[MizTanks]

Ok I've decided on the Danner Mag Drive pump but what GPH? 500 or 700? With the 500 I'm looking at about 300-350ghp with headloss. 700 about 450-500gph with headloss. I'll also be running an MP10 & a WP10 for flow. One or the other or both, depends.

[AZDesertRat]

I would do the 500. Less heat gain, lower wattage, and it will keep the veloocity in the sump manageable. You will have tons of turnover in the display with the two powerheads so return flows can me minimal so the sump functions well.

[MizTanks]

Exactly what I ordered last night :)