return pump size?

[jayinh]

hi guys, would you consider a mag 18 a good size return pump for my 125? it will be located in the sump under the tank so head will be low, also this will not flow thru the fuge area at this rate. i am not looking to use the return pump as my primary source of display water turnover( 2- mp40's for that)... should i skip this deal on a mag 18 or look for something smaller and less power hungry? thanks in advance. jay

 

[Bruno]

IMO I would look for something more efficent. That Mag is going to make draw alot of power and give off some heat. But to the answer to your question it wil be more than enough.

 

[Furnman]

I had a mag 18 in my basement for a 125, and it was more than I needed. Another point to consider is the reliability of Mag pumps which is not great. You may want to use the head loss calculator at RC to identify pumps that meet your turnover requirements.

 

[jayinh]

i will be looking for a pump that will get me going , then in about a year i will upgrade to one of the water blaster pumps that draw very little power. do you guys think a 9.5 is too small? i am trying to keep the cost down at this point and figured the mag pumps are cheap and always selling on here.

 

[jayman10134]

i will be looking for a pump that will get me going , then in about a year i will upgrade to one of the water blaster pumps that draw very little power. do you guys think a 9.5 is too small? i am trying to keep the cost down at this point and figured the mag pumps are cheap and always selling on here.

i would go with the 9.5 since you have two mp40s for water movement in the tank. it sounds like the sump will just be for a filter which i think 900 gallons an hour through a filter is pretty good.

 

[gweston]

I am setting up a 125 long with a mag18 for return. It will be far more than enough. I was thinking to plumb in a second 40 breeder into the sump/return and feed that too.

I intend to replace the Mag18 with something more efficient. I just happened to get one unused and on the cheap. I'll probably plumb it in externally to the sump and put quick disconnects in so I can swap it out with a better external pump later.

 

[dcforester1]

I have been running a Mag 9.5 for almost 2 yrs without any issues. I just replaced the shaft because I broke it. They do add alot of heat to the tank,the 18 seems alittle bit much. I have mine on two returns, and feeding my calcium reactor, and a BRS two stage reactor with bio pellets.


Good Luck Derek

 

[jayinh]

Derek thats pretty much what i want to do with my setup, no fuge, bio pellets and return.maybe i should look for a mag 12 for the mean time. i dont want to do an external pump tho.

 

[Blueflu1]

I run a mag 9.5 in my 90 and it seems to be a good amount of flow.

 

[jayinh]

I run a mag 9.5 in my 90 and it seems to be a good amount of flow.

yes i agree, when i had a 90 the 9.5 was perfect. i also used it for water movement and a fuge .