HELP! Pulling my hair out, what's left of it

I am setting up a 125 gallon tank with 21 linear inches of overflow through a 1.5" bulkhead flowing into a 55 gallon sump\refugium. I need to get a return pump that will flow up and over the edge of the tank which is am little less than 6' of lift. I plan on adding powerheads to agitate the DT as needed but am looking for a pump that will be quiet first and foremost. Secondly I want to limit the amount of heat generated. I am looking for submerged only as I do not have the space for an external. I do not know if I should go with 1 large or 2 medium pumps, not sure about which brand or model?

I am looking for all and any suggestions based on personal experience only. I am at the point that I need to get it ordered by this weekend.

Tanks in advance!

Joe

 

Hey Joe,
For a return pump, I would recommend a Mag 9.5 or Mag 12 pump. They are great pumps and less expensive than an external one. As for what to put in your tank for agitation, I would recommend 2 Koralia 1400 pumps.. They can move some water.. And I know about these from personal experience, they have not let me down with over a years use on the Mag pump and I have used koralias for a year now too, just not the new model which I have yet to hear anything but good about

Here are some links..

Hydor Koralia Evolution Circulation Pump/Powerhead

Danner Mag-Drive Supreme Water Pump

 

I like Rio pumps. Mine has been running for years and they are dead silent. As for size, I would look for something between 800 and 1000 gph.

 

I have had numerous problems with Mags, having owned 4 of them in the past. They are heat generators, not very quiet and higher than average on power consumption.

Rio's have issues too especially the old models and the newer HF series.

I would recommend Ocean Runner or Eheim, both are very old established companies and build good products. In testing I found the OR3500 to be the best and the Eheim 1262 a very close second when it comes to power consumption, ability to pump against head, heat generation and noise. They are almost identical in all catagories as are the OR2500 and Eheim 1260.
I use the OR3500 for both my return and closed loop pumps and a OR2700 needlewheel on my skimmer and keep a spare 3500 around for other duties. I sold all of my Mags and scrapped the Rio HF since the manufacturer would not warranty the swollen impeller.