Best return?

[10g Reef]

I am soon buying a return pump for my 30g reef and am looking for 250-300 gph after head loss. I was going to buy a mag 5, but was recently suggested to get a Maxi-Jet utility pump. I know eheims are best but they are out of my price range. So, who wins in mag 5 vs. Marineland utility pump in terms of quality, noise level, and amount of heat put into system. I don't really care all that much about electricity usage, but noise and quality matter the most. It is in a busy room and needs to be quiet. Also I don't want to replace it so it needs to hold up. Lastly I don't run a chiller so it can't heat the water too much. Any experiences are welcome. Thanks. Also just found a new pump that I would also consider. The Eheim Compact+ 2000. Anyone know about these?

[d0lph1n]

I'm in a similar situation and I've been looking at the ocean runner pumps.

[10g Reef]

Ya, saw those too. I just need something in the 450-600 gph range that is quiet and wont fall apart.

[bensanders]

I'm really happy with my Eheim.

 

Sicce pumps are also very well built.

[d0lph1n]

Ya, saw those too. I just need something in the 450-600 gph range that is quiet and wont fall apart.

 

I would also consider the Tunze Silence 1073.008

[bensanders]

Are the Tunze adjustable like the Sicce?

 

I remember researching Eheim, Tunze, and Sicce. I know the Tunze pumps are pretty sweet too. I had trouble deciding between those three but ultimately went with the Eheim.

[d0lph1n]

Are the Tunze adjustable like the Sicce?

 

I remember researching Eheim, Tunze, and Sicce. I know the Tunze pumps are pretty sweet too. I had trouble deciding between those three but ultimately went with the Eheim.

 

On page 65 of the user manual, it says it's adjustable. The pump costs $35 and it should be made in germany.

[bensanders]

Awesome. I think adjustability is a pretty useful feature.

[acropora1981]

I have used the marineland utilties - I like them. They are quiet and seem quite reliable. Marineland often comes out with poor products (eg. LED's, stealth heaters) but their pumps are reliable, IMO.

[nibor]

Choosing a pump rated at double the flow you want is a risky way of compensating for head loss as some pump designs are much better suited to "lifting" water.

 

That Tunze is too small. It will give about 250lph at a metre of head, thats roughly 65gph.

 

If this is for pumping back from a sump:

 

What is the vertical distance from the water level in the sump return chamber to the water surface in the display?

 

Is the display drilled for a return or will it come up and over the back/side of the tank?

 

If the tank is drilled for a return, what size is the bulkhead?

 

Do you have a preference for the return pipe diameter and will it be split to two or more return nozzles?

 

That aside, my opinion: Eheim Utility > Tunze Silence > Eheim Compact+ > MaxiJet Utility Pumps although all are decent pumps.

 

Electricity usage and heat put into the system will be proportional with each other if the pump is submerged. If using the pump externally, a Mag by design will put the bulk of the heat it produces back into the water. Answer the plumbing questions and we can work out some flows and power consumption (and therefore heat) for a few pumps at different price points.

[d0lph1n]

That Tunze is too small. It will give about 250lph at a metre of head, thats roughly 65gph....

 

You are right. My bad.

1073.020 should be good for him.

1073.008 should be enough for my requirements.

 

That aside, my opinion: Eheim Utility > Tunze Silence > Eheim Compact+ > MaxiJet Utility Pumps although all are decent pumps.

 

On the Eheim site, their is a new pump naming convention. Which one is the Eheim Utility pump?

[nibor]

Typo, meant to say Universal (1250, 1260 etc...).

[jestep]

Just a personal opinion. If you can wait and save up, the eheims are probably worth it. They literally will last just about forever.

 

Otherwise, I do agree that marineland pumps are much better than some of their other products. Their Magnum filters are rock solid. For the price they may definitely be worth it.

[10g Reef]

I have decided against the mag. Now I am considering the Maxi-Jet utility, the Ocean Runner, or a tunze or sicce if I could find where to but one. I cant find any around here, and all the ones on the internet seem to have European plugs. On there website it just shows you them but you cant actually buy one. Anyone know?

[StaghornE]

I know I'm a cheapskate but Ive had a quietone pump in that range for about 2 years its about $30.00 and still running.

[10g Reef]

Choosing a pump rated at double the flow you want is a risky way of compensating for head loss as some pump designs are much better suited to "lifting" water.

 

That Tunze is too small. It will give about 250lph at a metre of head, thats roughly 65gph.

 

If this is for pumping back from a sump:

 

What is the vertical distance from the water level in the sump return chamber to the water surface in the display?

 

Is the display drilled for a return or will it come up and over the back/side of the tank?

 

If the tank is drilled for a return, what size is the bulkhead?

 

Do you have a preference for the return pipe diameter and will it be split to two or more return nozzles?

 

That aside, my opinion: Eheim Utility > Tunze Silence > Eheim Compact+ > MaxiJet Utility Pumps although all are decent pumps.

 

Electricity usage and heat put into the system will be proportional with each other if the pump is submerged. If using the pump externally, a Mag by design will put the bulk of the heat it produces back into the water. Answer the plumbing questions and we can work out some flows and power consumption (and therefore heat) for a few pumps at different price points.

 

 

Why is that risky? Don't most people use a larger pump because of head loss? This is for pumping back from a sump, but I havent decided if the return will be drilled or be going over the tank. The return will be 3/4" if it is drilled, and if it goes over it will either be 3/4" or 1/2" depending on the output nozzle of the pump. I am only doing one return most likely. The distance will be between 3 and 3.5 feet.

[acropora1981]

Just a personal opinion. If you can wait and save up, the eheims are probably worth it. They literally will last just about forever.

 

Otherwise, I do agree that marineland pumps are much better than some of their other products. Their Magnum filters are rock solid. For the price they may definitely be worth it.

 

LOL The magnum filters are absolute garbage, IMO. So are the newer marineland canisters. I refer to products like that as 'pre-landfill'. They were made to break, be thrown out, and re-purchased. Anyway...

 

The utility pumps work well; I use two on a restaurant build I did where there are saltwater tanks in each of the bathroom stalls connected on two sumps; one for the ladies, one for the mens

[10g Reef]

Okay, good. So I have oficially narrowed it down to 2 choices.... The Maxi-Jet Utility 1800 and the Ocean Runner 2500. The maxi jet would be cheaper because it is $63.00 with free shipping, and the ocean runner is $72.00 + shipping. It seems both have pretty good reviews. Anyone had experience with both?

[evilc66]

I've had two Ocean Runners fail on me when I started my larger system. Both were much bigger than you are looking at, but one was a return pump, and the other was for a closed loop. Both got replaced with Maxijet Utility pumps, and I've never looked back.

[disaster999]

my Maxijet Utility 4500 is a beast. quiet, compacted and full featured.

[10g Reef]

Ya definately going with the utility. Now I just have to decide if I should drill the tank and use the glass-holes 3/4" return kit, or if I should just go over the top with a directional U-tube.

[acropora1981]

Ya definately going with the utility. Now I just have to decide if I should drill the tank and use the glass-holes 3/4" return kit, or if I should just go over the top with a directional U-tube.

 

Drill Drill Drill. Hang-ons make me NERVOUS and they should make you nervous as well.

 

There is a cool new overflow system for small tanks called the X-Inout. Check it out.

[10g Reef]

Wow that thing is awesome. It's a little out of my price range though. So anyone have the glass-holes 3/4" return with an MJ utility?

[AZDesertRat]

I own 4 Ocean Runner pumps and all have been absolutely bulletproof. Quiet, very efficient and low heat gain. I used a Kill A Watt meter, thermometer, 1" flow meter, gauges and valves to test them against Eheims, Via Aqua, Mags, Rios and any other I could lay my hands on and all tests backed up my decisions.

 

They are very slightly more efficient than the Eheims but almost too close to call. When OR pumps were quite a bit cheaper new the decision was easy. Now that they are close to Eheim in price I could go either way.

 

As far as the others, the MJ Utility Pumps were not available yet nor were the Octopus pumps which appear to be identical to the OR but quite a bit cheaper. I have owned several Mags over the years including a couple 2s, a 5 a couple 7s and a 9.5 and all have been sold due to issues like heat, noise, vibration and higher than normal power consumption.

[javisaman]

I've got 2 OR 2500s as well. In general they seem reliable, but they require frequent cleaning. They have problems starting if there is calcium built up in the impeller area. So if you're like me that turns off pumps during feeding it might be an issue.