Pump reccomendation?

I need a return pump but I'm not sure how many GPH I need? 90g DT 20g sump. Could I get a rough quesstimate on the size of pump I'll need? Looking for a submersible. About 4 feet from sump up to DT.

 

It really depends on your overflow size but popular choices are the Eheim 1260 or 1262, Ocean Runner 2500 or 3500, Mag 7 or 9.5 or my new favorite the WaterBlaster series of pumps which I switched to about a year ago and love.

You want to end up with 3 to 5x the volume of your display or say 300-500 GPH after head loss which is not only the elevation difference between the sump and display but also line losses and fitting restrictions, I would estimate it closer to 5-6 feet on average.

With a 20G sump you will probably want to stay on the lower side or the velocity through the sump, even with baffles, will be enough to carry micro bubbles back to the display and you will not have sufficient time for a protein skimmer or refugium to work well.

I have a 100G display and a 30G long sump with a WaterBlaster 5000 pump and its borderline too much flow. It replaced an OceanRunner 3500 which replaced a Quiet One 4000 which I would not recommend to my worst enemy, I had two of them literally catch fire and electrocute my tank. Always add a ball valve or gate valve to the pump discharge to throttle or regulate the flows slightly so you get a nice quiet overflow circuit. Its OK to slightly oversize the pump but don't go crazy unless you plan to upgrade tank size soon.

 

Mag Drive 12 is what I have for my 90G DT with a 40G breeder sump.

 

Way too much for a 20G sump though, the water would be whistling through the sump unless it were restricted drastically. The 9.5 is probably as big as they should go and thats pushing it quite a bit depending on the sump configuration and overflow size.

 

waveline DC5000

laguna max flo 1500 (askoll block)

 

Eheim 1260/2 or water blaster. don't even bother with the magdrive. I had one for quite some time and recently upgraded to the eheim 1262. much nicer pump, more flow, less wattage. But, the water blaster is awesome. great pump and very quiet.

AZ: you have a 5000 on your tank?? you must have it valved back? did the 3000 not meet your needs or just like to oversize? just curious, as the 3000 moves some serious water.

 

Yes I have the HY-5000 and no it is not valved back at all. 4.5' headloss and no other uses except to return to the display and overflows back to the sump via a single 1" Stockman standpipe which is about maxed out.