Pump Recommendation

[phippsj]

All-
I REALLY need to get a quieter pump. Right now I have a Coralife Turbo-Sea 1270 Aquarium Pump (http://www.marineandreef.com/Turbo_Sea_1270P_Aquarium_Pump_Coralife_p/res34004.htm)which pushes about 1200 gallon per hour on my 180G. My overflow can handle a lot more (it is the DART overflow from Glass Holes which can handle a Reeflow Dart pump which I believe is 3600 GPH), but I did use clear silicon tubing from home depot for return lines, so not sure what PSI those can handle.

I would like to maintain at least 1200 GPH (or go higher if I can) with a similar external pump, but one that is as SILENT as possible. If that means water cooled and a chiller needed, I am OK with that.

Does anybody have any good recommendations? At this moment I am actually thinking about the ReefFlo Dart Pump: http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem.aspx?idproduct=MM1124&child=MM1136

Thanks for any advice!
-jared

[akm]

Hey Jared first off what size sump do you have? Really you only want something like 3-5x turnover in the sump and to use powerheads or closed loops to provide the majority of the flow rate in the main tank. But if you don't want to buy expensive powerheads or can't drill then you can't do much but put a large pump on your return. A dart would be good, they're quiet and strong. There are also iwaki's and panworlds which are very good pumps but even though they are said to be quiet I've always found that they can be kind of loud. If you want an internal pump you should check out Eheims which are probably one of the best internal pumps you could use. But you're not going to get the same power as with an external. If you go this route I would suggest you use the extra cash to just buy a tunze or something. Hope this helps you a little.

[millerdog]

Jared I just joined the external pump club until now i have used in sump Mag pumps for my main flow and don't have any real complaints. With my new 180g tank I have an Iwaki 1173 doing about 1300 gph after head loss. The pump came with the tank and it makes a god awful noise from the internal motor. I've ended up making a little case under the tank out of the dense green foam you can get at fabric stores and with the stand doors closed you can't hear it.

[phippsj]

Hey Jared first off what size sump do you have? Really you only want something like 3-5x turnover in the sump and to use powerheads or closed loops to provide the majority of the flow rate in the main tank. But if you don't want to buy expensive powerheads or can't drill then you can't do much but put a large pump on your return. A dart would be good, they're quiet and strong. There are also iwaki's and panworlds which are very good pumps but even though they are said to be quiet I've always found that they can be kind of loud. If you want an internal pump you should check out Eheims which are probably one of the best internal pumps you could use. But you're not going to get the same power as with an external. If you go this route I would suggest you use the extra cash to just buy a tunze or something. Hope this helps you a little.

Great, thanks! The tank is 180G but my sump is only 30G. So you are saying that I only want 150 (30 x 5) gallons per hour through the sump, or 900 GPH (180 x 5)? I have been wanting to go to a large sump (a 90 gallon with a refugium in it, not sure if that changes anything).

Thanks!

[phippsj]

Jared I just joined the external pump club until now i have used in sump Mag pumps for my main flow and don't have any real complaints. With my new 180g tank I have an Iwaki 1173 doing about 1300 gph after head loss. The pump came with the tank and it makes a god awful noise from the internal motor. I've ended up making a little case under the tank out of the dense green foam you can get at fabric stores and with the stand doors closed you can't hear it.

Good idea! I was thinking about soundproofing the entire inside of the stand with the type of material used on recording studios. I like your idea MUCH better!

[sharkboy]

The dart puts out a bunch of flow!!! I used to have one on my 215 and I had a rather large sump and refugium and I even used it to push out water through chiller...still thought it was too much...I think these are great pumps for larger systems or for closed loop...eheims are great pumps as well...

[jay3]

I have two Iwwaki pumps. Not perfectly quiet, but I simply mounted them on a 1/2 inch piece of plywood,and then sat this on top of a foam garden kneeling pad. Now very quiet because isolated from stand.