si_sphinx Posted December 10, 2009 Report Share Posted December 10, 2009 I need a pump for a sump and tank setup Tank will be 720 litres (2.0m x 0.6m x 0.6m) Sump is 100 litres head height for pump will need to be 1.5m min sump will be fed via overflow pipes drilled into back of tank My question is... what size return pump (pond pump) will i need? i.e litres/hr What brands are good. I'm wanting to also have the pump run 2 or maybe 3 return inlets to create the needed current in the tank to keep the waste moving up to the overflow. So what size return pipes will i need that will suit the pump so i don't get any loss in water pressure from having too big pipe of too many outlets? Ive done heaps of research on sumps etc and got it all drawn down what I'm going to do but just a few final things i need to know so thought i would ask people that have these setups already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted December 10, 2009 Report Share Posted December 10, 2009 I need a pump for a sump and tank setup Tank will be 720 litres (2.0m x 0.6m x 0.6m) Sump is 100 litres head height for pump will need to be 1.5m min sump will be fed via overflow pipes drilled into back of tank My question is... what size return pump (pond pump) will i need? i.e litres/hr What brands are good. I'm wanting to also have the pump run 2 or maybe 3 return inlets to create the needed current in the tank to keep the waste moving up to the overflow. So what size return pipes will i need that will suit the pump so i don't get any loss in water pressure from having too big pipe of too many outlets? Ive done heaps of research on sumps etc and got it all drawn down what I'm going to do but just a few final things i need to know so thought i would ask people that have these setups already. I'd go with something like 1-2 Laguna PJ5000...Actually, I don't know if the still make them, but something in the 5000-6000 LPH range would work. I used one on my 300L marine, gave a good amount of current all around the tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suphew Posted December 10, 2009 Report Share Posted December 10, 2009 Is it fresh or salt water? It makes a difference to how much flow you want to run through the sump, and also a lot of the bigger pumps have metal parts (shafts, screws, etc) so can't be used in salt water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
si_sphinx Posted December 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2009 Yea i was thinking a 500L/h would do the job Is it fresh or salt water? It makes a difference to how much flow you want to run through the sump, and also a lot of the bigger pumps have metal parts (shafts, screws, etc) so can't be used in salt water. its going to be a frontosa tank so freshwater. i just want enough flow to keep a good downward current towards the bottom to stir up the waste. and with 2-3 outlets it may slow down the flow...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted December 10, 2009 Report Share Posted December 10, 2009 Yea i was thinking a 500L/h would do the job Was that a typo? I think even 5000L/h would be inadequate by the time you take the reduced flow from the 1.5m head. Depending on how heavily stocked the tank is you'd want 5-10 times turnover per hour IMO. As for the brand, you get what you pay for, spending a but more now might save you a lot in the long run. I'll be buying Ehiem pumps from now on... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted December 10, 2009 Report Share Posted December 10, 2009 Yea i was thinking a 500L/h would do the job You're short a 0. 500 l/h filter probably wouldn't even have enough head to pump any water at all into the tank. You'd want a minimum of about 5 times an hour turnover at the tank, which would be 3750. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
si_sphinx Posted December 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2009 :oops: whoops was sposed to be 5000L/h. 5000 i heaps over 5 x so should be ok. ill have a look around for one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suphew Posted December 11, 2009 Report Share Posted December 11, 2009 Depending on the pump you might only get half the 5000lph in flow by the time it gets to your tank. Good quality pumps will have a flow curve so you can work out the flow with the head added. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted December 13, 2009 Report Share Posted December 13, 2009 Good quality pumps will have a flow curve so you can work out the flow with the head added. Cheap pumps have them too, a quality pump will actually still pump what the manufacturer claims in 6 months time... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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