? for anyone running ampmaster or sequence pumps

[TroyPham]

i looking into upgrading my close loop pump. my tank is drilled with a 1" close loop return and i'm running a coralife turbo sea 1100p (same as blueline hd55 or panworld 1100p). The flow is good but not as much as i want for good sps growth. so i'm considering upgrading to a larger pump. i've read a few threads about the sequence pumps producing heat and the ampmaster pumps having leaky seals...

1. i'm thinking of running a sequence dart for the close loop with a 1.5" input and output.. do u think the 1" return from the tank will work. also looking a the ampmaster 3000.

2. has anyone with one of the 2 listed pumps had any problems with heat or leaks?

3. is there a better pump then to use then the ones listed as far as heat and watts used?

thanks

[captexas]

The problems with the Ampmaster pumps according to the manufacturer is if you don't use some kind of prefilter on the pumps intake sand and other debris will damage the seal and result in leaks. Some people have seals go bad in a day or two and others don't ever have problems so to me that means they are using cheap seals. Especially since instead of fixing the problem with all their pumps, they offer an upgraded "heavy-duty" seal for more money. Other than that, they are great pumps and very quiet. I ran an Ampmaster 2700 as my main return pump on my 75g tank for awhile (replaced seal once and new one eventually had issues).

I haven't heard of any heat issues on the Sequence pumps. All large pumps are going to get warm/hot to the touch, just a matter of if they transfer that heat to the water and therefore the tank.

As far as the closed loop drain line, I would say that 1in. is too small for these pumps. I'd hate to spend over $200 on a pump and damage it due to poor plumbing.

[TroyPham]

what other choices do i have?

[TroyPham]

anyone have a contact number for sequance?

[captexas]

Not sure what you need the phone number for, but the sequence website is www.mdminc.com

[Ram_Puppy]

as long as the RETURN is 1" I wouldn't think it to be a terrible issue, it is restricting the INTAKE that can be a problem.

But the pump can't interpret a 1 inch nozzle any differently than head pressure.

if you use a dart (I have 2 and love them) then go from the pump to the return as far as you can w/ 1.5" and only reduce to the 1" at the last moment.

[matt]

If you have a 1" drain bulkhead on the wall of your tank near the top, there is something you can do. Basically you run a 1.5" X 1" tee off the bulkhead; the 1" side going into the bulkhead from outside the tank, one of the 1.5" sides going down (drain line to pump input) and the other 1.5" side going up. To that side you attach some elbows so it goes up and over your tank, and down into the water. MAKE SURE you put a strainer on it, or you'll suck animals into your pump. Anyhow, when you start up the pump, you'll create a vacuum in that part of the plumbing which will draw water up and over and start the siphon. Viola; you now have a 1.5" drain, fed by the elbow and your 1" hole.

BTW, when you say return, what is normally meant is the pump output returning to the tank. If that's the 1" hole you're talking about (I don't think it is) you simply add a few 1" outlets from the pump to reduce the line friction. To get good flow from the sequence/ampmaster low wattage pumps, you really need to maintain the full size plumbing.

[TroyPham]

1" return to the input side of the pump.

i'm gonna contact sequence today and see that they think.

matt... the bulk head is drilled about 8" from the bottom of my tank.

are there any other pumps on the market, low watt, like the sequence/ampmaster?

[TroyPham]

ok.. after talking to some one a sequence this morning. I will be ok with the 1" in and out with the sequence dart. he ran a flow chart for me with a total of 12' of run with 1" and i should get about 1700gph with no more that 150wtt draw. just inline with what i'm looking for.

thats why i wanted there contact info. always best to get the info from the manufa.

thanks for all the info guys.