calcium reactor pump replacement

[Joel A]

so i have a no name reactor (well it's made by blueline aquatics) but looks IDENTICAL to the Myreefcreation reactors. Same thing as the gen 1 MRC CR1.

Anyways, they run a mag 2 standard, but mine had a leak in the volute, and the previous owner tried to fix it by applying silicone to the base off the volute. To make a long story short, when trying to remove the volute i craked the pump casing and i need a new pump.

Trying to figure out a few things before i do it though..

Does it have to be replaced with a mag 2, or would an ehiem pump work? I like ehiems way more, but they don't have anything all that similar to the mag 2.. the mag 2 is 250 gph, and the ehiem 1048 is 160 or something like that... is it a big deal if the ehiem pump doesn't move as much water as the mag does?

I also want to replace the feed pump on this thing.. it's currently being run by an old aquaclear powerhead... and i hate the damn thing. Any recommendations? i thought about going with another ehiem pump here too.. but don't know if i want to pay ehiem price for such a simple operation...

 

[Liam]

you could try an ocean runner

 

[marine mike]

I would definitely recommend the Eheim for the circulation pump as they are very reliable and great quality. Just get the model that is closest to what you had in the mag 2. I don't think you need that much pressure in there as I have a 1046(?) that circs mine and it works great. My cylinder is larger than yours I think, too.....I would say definitely not an eheim on the feed pump though, like you said not worth the cash. I use a minijet 606 and actually tone it down a bit with the adjustment and it is fine. A lot less than an eheim for sure on that end.....

 

[ReeferMedic]

I like Eheim pumps, never used an Ocean Runner, bit have heard nothing but good things about them. The flow doesn't have to be exact, but I'd try to get it closer the mag 2 than 160 gph. For the feed pump, if it's possible, ditch it and tee it off a return line.

 

[Joel A]

hmm the 1250 is 317 gph, that's a little bit closer....

i'll look into the ocean runners too though.

 

[ReeferMedic]

hmm the 1250 is 317 gph, that's a little bit closer....

i'll look into the ocean runners too though.

That would work. Add a ball valve after the pump if there isn't one already.

 

[Joel A]

looks like the smallest OR pump available is 625 gph, which is way over kill =/ .

Maybe i'll just do the Mag 2, i hear that mags1-5 are great pumps, it's just when you get over the 5 mark they start to suck (like my 9.5 return pump)

 

[Joel A]

That would work. Add a ball valve after the pump if there isn't one already.

which end you mean ? The soft tubing end that leads to the top of the reactor, or the hard plumbed end that pulls from where the feed pump puts the water?

 

[ReeferMedic]

which end you mean ? The soft tubing end that leads to the top of the reactor, or the hard plumbed end that pulls from where the feed pump puts the water?

Likle this, it just has to be on the output side of the pump.


http://www.reefermedic.com/modificationspage

 

[Joel A]

Likle this, it just has to be on the output side of the pump.


http://www.reefermedic.com/modificationspage

yeah, that's what i thought you meant.

For what it's worth though, i wonder if the mag 2 was to large to begin with?

When it hit the surface of the media, it caused a small portion of it to stir wildly and float all around the top of the reactor chamber.

I actually found a small piece of something stuck in the ball valve to control the effluent flow when i took it all apart.. which might have been why i was having such issues with the effluent.

Do you think the mag 2 was too big to begin with?

 

[gurumasta]

yeah, that's what i thought you meant.

For what it's worth though, i wonder if the mag 2 was to large to begin with?

When it hit the surface of the media, it caused a small portion of it to stir wildly and float all around the top of the reactor chamber.

I actually found a small piece of something stuck in the ball valve to control the effluent flow when i took it all apart.. which might have been why i was having such issues with the effluent.

Do you think the mag 2 was too big to begin with?

Probably not. Its common that some loose media stirs up in the top a bit. You def do want to make sure that no media is clogging anything though. I completely agree with Don on feeding the reactor off of your drain instead of pump feeding it.

 

[Joel A]

oh yeah, that's a good idea. I didn't even see Don's idea to use the return pump to feed it.

 

[gurumasta]

;

oh yeah, that's a good idea. I didn't even see Don's idea to use the return pump to feed it.

I meant to say off the return line, i wrote drain - my fault.

It's highly recommended because if your return pump fails for any reason then your reactor will stop being fed so it wont skyrocket the levels in your sump.

Plus, one less pump to worry about.