how much flow is too much?

so i just picked up my 150 today and i will be using a 55 as a sump and on the local fish forum there are 2 pumps up for sale, a $200 brand new reeflo snapper (2600 gph), and a $150 used reeflo dart (3600 gph)......would 3600 gph be way overkill? i was thinking i was going to go big on a return and make some kind of sprayer bar that would go just behind the rock work near the top of it is and have holes drilled to shoot water in all different directions and maybe use an mp10 on each end of the tank as well....would mp10s work if i had an oversized return setup like this or would i have to go with the 40s....its going to be a mixed reef

so first question is, is the reeflo dart to overkill for the tank, the price is pretty sweet

and second question is would there be enough flow with this kind of setup and mp10s?

 

well I think the mp40s would be a much better fit. the mp10's are just a little small and according to the website wont work on glass over a certain size although i have heard of people using them they just dont grip as well.

 

any input on the return? i need to work on that more before i figure out powerheads

 

right, I personally go with a lower flow for all my setups. I have no scientific reason for this other than the pumps are cheaper and for whatever reason i just prefer it. For example, my 40 breeder is running off of a mag7 thats way throttled back to maybe 30%.

Now i dont know anything about the two pumps you listed but i think i would go with the cheaper one and just throttle it back to where you are satisfied. I like the idea of the spray bar if you can find a way to make it actually work and look good in the tank.

 

i would say that 5-10 times turnover thru the sump is ideal..some say 3-5 times...you could put a eductor/penductor on the return nozzel and increase the tank flow by atleast 4x...thats the best of both worlds 1.slower flow thru the sump so your skimmer can process all the water/less microbubbles 2.lots of extra flow in the DT so you can use less powerheads

 

would you recommend maybe getting the dart and dialing it down from 3600 to a little above ~2000(about 10x total volume) its going to have probably 4-5' of vertical pvc plus 3-4' of horizontal plumbing plus a few 90 degree elbows and the sprayer bar so theres going to be bunch of head pressure working against it so itll probably be getting around 2800 gph roughly i would assume (i didnt fully calculate it out yet) so id just have to turn it down a little bit more for it to be at 2000 gph if that sounds right unless anyone has any objections to my logic?

 

I wouldn't go that high for the return. You don't usually want that much flow pumping through your sump, and with a tank as narrow as a 55, it's going to be pretty high velocity through it. Other things to consider are noise and efficiency. If your overflows can even handle that much, they are going to be louder with more flow. Lifting water is also much less efficient than using in-tank pumps for water movement. This loss of efficiency will add extra heat to the system as well as cost you more on the electric bill.

 

the sump will be plumbed into another room, there is a closet behind the wall i am putting the tank on so noise wont be a problem.....i was probably going to work the drains out to be a little quieter and also there will be a full canopy on the DT...as long as the volume isnt obnoxious i dont mind a little noise...i am probably going to put a coast to coast overflow with either 2 or 3 2" drains on it....the reasoning i was looking to get a little more oomph out of the return because i dont exactly have the money to buy 2 mp40s (atleast not for a while) so i was figuring higher flow on the return with a spray bar style out put for a lot of flow in different directions.....i already have one mp10 so i was thinking maybe i could pick up another 1 or 2 used and position one on each side at high power and if that wasnt enough maybe a 3rd one on the center of the back wall facing forward so any input on that? i was figuring about 10x total turnover if you account for the head loss and dial it down a bit more because the price is kind of right on the pump but i could just keep an eye out longer but you know how it is

 

alright so i am opening up to some options after searching CL for a while....i found a mag 24 in sump return (guy says to make an offer)...i see them selling for ~159.99 new so would you recommend an in sump pump instead of external and how much do you think is a good offer, then i found an iwaki 70rlt for $190....is this a good price and a good fit for the tank or should i work him down a bit.....im waiting on a few more responses to pump types from ads so ill ad more options as they come

 

i wouldnt get the mag,ive heard there very loud....the iwakis are good pumps so research that one..