Rconde Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 So I've finally took the plunge and got a bigger tank... I was wondering what size sump and external pump I should use on a 120 with 2 over overflow/return boxes. I have a return pump but dont know if its big enough for a 120. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 Me personally, I'd go as big of a sump as your stand can hold. For the return pump, what do you currently have? I ran mine 125 gallon just fine with a Mag 9. Sent via Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+ludakris Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 Ive alway heard that you wanna turn your water over 10times per hour so thatd be atleast 1200gph. As far as a sump size id have to agree with TY. The bigger the better. Just allows more room for error imo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rconde Posted October 15, 2014 Author Share Posted October 15, 2014 The pump I'm thinking of using as a return is a Rio 3100 internal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lenver Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 I have two of those Rio 3100 pumps in my 150, one will not be enough, you will need two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rconde Posted October 15, 2014 Author Share Posted October 15, 2014 Well I was thinking of running an external intake pump. But would I be ok with just another pump like the one I already have? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 While it's nice to have two for backup purposes (one goes down, you still have one going), I prefer to only run one. It puts less heat into the system and I don't have to worry about replacing two impellers over time. An external pump is nice but they tend to be a little louder (water suprreses some of the noise) but you get the added benefit of less heat in your tank. If you do plan to run an external, you'll have to drill your sump and also plan for some space in the stand for it and associated tubing as well. Sent via Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rconde Posted October 15, 2014 Author Share Posted October 15, 2014 So if I run only one how does the water get back into the tank or out in into the sump? And will this rio 3100 be enough to run the tank by itself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 If it's the version that gets 900 gph, it will work but probably be on the lower end of gph I would run on that tank. It's purely your preference. You only need the return pump to pump the water up to the tank. Your piping/plumbing in conjuction with your overflow will employ gravity drainage to flow the water back into the sump. Think of it as a roundabout waterfall and probably not as pretty. Sent via Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted October 16, 2014 Share Posted October 16, 2014 What looks good to you. Sump/refugiums do not need high turnover rates and only a few times per hour is fine. If you like to see high flow in your tank I would go with quality propeller type power heads to maximize flow with minimal heat. To disagree with Ty, using two pumps does not dramaticly increase wattage and if the cost of two impellers is an issue, well . . . I can't find the current ratings for Rios but two Mag 5s pull only 8 watts more than one Mag 9 and have a combined flow at a preasure head of 5' only 15 gallons less than a Mag 9. Looking at Pan World external pumps two 40PX gives 800 gph at 90 watts and one 100PX gives 790 gph with 120 watts (website I looked at did not give a chart for pressure head so I'm assuming this is for 1 foot) so in this specific case two actually is cooler than one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted October 16, 2014 Share Posted October 16, 2014 What looks good to you. Sump/refugiums do not need high turnover rates and only a few times per hour is fine. If you like to see high flow in your tank I would go with quality propeller type power heads to maximize flow with minimal heat. To disagree with Ty, using two pumps does not dramaticly increase wattage and if the cost of two impellers is an issue, well . . . I can't find the current ratings for Rios but two Mag 5s pull only 8 watts more than one Mag 9 and have a combined flow at a preasure head of 5' only 15 gallons less than a Mag 9. Looking at Pan World external pumps two 40PX gives 800 gph at 90 watts and one 100PX gives 790 gph with 120 watts (website I looked at did not give a chart for pressure head so I'm assuming this is for 1 foot) so in this specific case two actually is cooler than one. I agree with Tim, the advantages of two pumps is nice to have for backup purposes. I only use one pump as a preference of having to only deal with one piece of equipment and less heat added to the tank (also less plumbing involved). I don't think I mentioned anything about more wattage usage in my previous post but that's nice to know that running two pumps doesn't increase the wattage that much more than one bigger pump. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rconde Posted October 16, 2014 Author Share Posted October 16, 2014 Ok thanks everyone for the input but I think Im going to build my own sump to be atleast 60G and just run the one Rio 3100 I have for now. But first I've got to build the stand! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rconde Posted October 22, 2014 Author Share Posted October 22, 2014 Just finished up the stand frame. Slowly but surely going to be up and running. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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