ESHOPPS Rs-75 Pump?

I have a 28 Gallon Bowfront Tank and just bought this sump to run underneath it. I am new to this and have no idea how big of a return pump i need. Does it depend on how many gph my overflow box will do? I will most likely be using a HOB overflow which i am still researching...

Hope someone can pouint me in the right direction!

 

Well, it does depend on your overflow box to some extent. You cannot have 1000gph if your overflow box can only handle 600gph for example. However, you want your return rate to match the max processing power of your skimmer. For example, if your skimmer does a max of 300gph, then you want to get as close to that as possible with your return, having around 300gph run through the sump. This maximizes your skimming ability.

If your not running a skimmer in sump, then its really just up to you. 3-5x the water volume per hour is usually the standard.

 

Thanks for the response. I wil be reunning a skimmer in the sump although im still looking at a good one to buy.. It's a smaller tank so i cant see buying one rated for a one hundred gallon tank.

As far as the return pump goes, if i do buy a bigger return than i need, is there any way to turn them down like slow the flow rate down? Any brands you would recomment looking at that arent exxtremely loud as the tank sits in my living room and my girlfreind wont be very happy with a super loud pump running all night long.

 

Sure, you can dial it back. There are two ways really, you can just stick a ball valve in and dial it back ~30% before you have long term ill effects on the pump life. Or you can put in a "T" with a ball valve on the NON return pump line.

To clarify it is like this..

Your plumbing comes out of the pump, goes into the "T" the vertical line continues and runs to the return in your display. The other side of the "T" has the ball valve and returns to the sump. With this ball valve you can adjust the amount of water allowed to return to the display without having any strain on the pump. If it is fully closed you will have 100% going to your display, if its half open, only 50% of the water returns to the display, 50% right back into the sump.

As for suggestions, I really like the Eheim pumps, also the Maxi Jet utility pumps have been a decent option for friends of mine, as theirs resides in the bedroom.

 

For a quiet return i would recommend the eheim compact plus 2000 it's adjustable and rated for 265-528 GPH and doesn't draw much power. I am running the compact+ 3000 and it's super quiet.

I dont know the exact head loss you would get with this pump in your set up but it has a wide range of adjustment you could dial it way back and still get plenty of turnover.

 

i have read a few other threads on here about eheim pumps, just had no idea of the size i would need so thank you for the suggestions.

As for plumbing, i guess a ball valve would be the simplest way to go although i was thinking of using flex pvc instead of the hard stuff and i dont know if a ball valve will still work with that type of pipe... i guess ill have to keep readin

On a side note, i think i will be going with an eshoppspf-300 hang on the back overflow which is 300gph max, the sump is rated up to a 75 gallon tank so i guess this would work and provide it with enough flow?

 

You can still use a ball valve with flex hose, you just need to order the right parts. They need to be barbed on both ends, and are available at Marine Depot.
http://www.marinedepot.com/Two_Litt...es-Two_Little_Fishies-TL9131-FIFTVLBV-vi.html

That overflow box would work, however, with an sump that size I would probably go for the next size up. The pump and overflow will fall into equilibrium even if the overflow is rated for significantly more flow. A pump that does 429 gph @ 4ft, will have a rate of 429gph through the overflow box, even if the box is rated for 600 or more. If you go low (the 300gph version) you cannot have a pump that does more than 300gph or you will be pumping more water into the tank than out of the tank.

I would rather go too big (within reason) than not be able to put a decent sized return pump on it. Trouble is, if you stay sub 300gph it is hard to find a pump that has a decent head height ability, and you want to keep it quiet which will narrow those choices down further.

 

wow, this just started to make a whole lot more sense to me lol. I will be looking into the size up so at least i have options when choosing a pump.

Does size of piping have anything to due with flow? 1/2in 3/4in 1in? Is there a standard that most people use or works for most people?

 

Yes. The smaller the pipe the less water can pass through it at any given moment. I don't believe there is really a "standard." It is really more just your choice on what you need. If you have a pump with a 3/4" output, there is little incentive to move to a 1" pipe. You won't gain more flow doing that, the only reason to do such a thing would be to match a input back into the DT.

 

will the pump's say somewhere how big of a pipe they fit, or are they all generally the same size?