[t-rock]

hello all! this is my very first post and i wanted to ask a question.I wanted opinions on external pumps.Im slowly building my reef set-up and want to do it right the first time.The pump will be fed from a 28g DIY sump,pushed about 4 feet up to 90g tank with a check valve and a T to feed the right and left hand sides of tank.The pump will also serve as my main source of circulation.I do plan on dropping a pair of rio poweheads on timers in the tank too but thats getting off of the subject.Theres just so many different brands of pumps out there.Oh yea,i would like to only spend about $150 on the pump.Thanks everyone.

[Reefland]

Hi t-rock,


I think the only external pump I might try in that price range would be the GenX/Mak4, there is one available at 1200gph. Other good external pumps are going to run a lot more. Iwaki's are some of the best known and Sequence are gaining in popularity. Dolphins are also popular. These pumps are more than $200 though. That's not to say you shouldn't research them and ensure your spending your money right, a lot of times it's better to spend a bit more up front.

[The R/C Man]

Welcome t-rock!

I second Scott on the pump selections; if you are running extrnal anyway. I just purchased an Iwaki 55 to run my skimmer. They are supposed to be very quiet and reliable. My closed loop and return pumps will both be Sequence Reeflo Series pumps.

As for the internal power heads. Personally I would stay away from the Rio brand. They have been known to have problems. However, I have heard that the company has made some changes for the better.

If you tank is acrylic you may want to opt for a closed loop and eliminate your powerheads all together. That way you will eliminate power cords in the tank, reduce the amount of pumps required which may also reduce your electrical bill... Just a thought!

[CSeaSee]

How long should one expect a pump or powerhead to last? And what are the downfalls of the Rio brand?

[The R/C Man]

Hey!

I have heard of power heads lasting 10yrs or more with proper maintanence. I would assume that external pumps should last a while as well....

The rio pumps were known to leak (tar??) or whatever it is that they used internally. This would crash a tank. I have also heard of electrical current "leaking" into the water as well. Of course this could happen to any submersible pump which is why a recommend a closed loop.. Keeping 120v away from the salt water is a good thing...

[Reefland]

Several years ago the Rio's would fail and spill an "oily" substance into the tank causing big problems. I haven't heard of this happening in a long time so I don't know if they changed the pumps or if it's because a lot of people don't buy them any more; or at least you don't hear about a lot of people using them. They were gaining in popularity back then before the problems because they moved a decent amount of water and were inexpensive, now we know why.

[CSeaSee]

Could a closed loop be set up with both the intake and the return going over the back of the tank w/ elbow joints or u-tubes? (and a strainer) Would an Iwaki WMD20RLXT be a good choice for a std. 55-gallon?

[Reefland]

I tried that before and had a very hard time (and eventually admitted to defeat).
Noisy Closed Loop

[CSeaSee]

What a depressing story! It seemed to be focused on mag pumps. Would a different brand have better luck?

[Reefland]

Depressing it was! That's ok, the pump is being used for better purposes today, an MR-1 skimmer.

I'm not sure if it will be any different or not. Same concent, pipe hooked to an input and output. I sure don't mean for that post to kill hope because I know people have done it before. I simply wasn't successful at it.

[CSeaSee]

Thanks! The thread certainly gave me some ideas for troubleshooting. I think sometime in the next couple of months I'll give it a shot, probably with the Iwaki model. That should be fun- I have no experience with plumbing.

[Reefland]

1. Teflow Tape
2. PVC Glue

[t-rock]

wow,thanks for all of the responses.as for my $150 price range i certainly would pay more.it sounds like the japan motor iwakis pumps are pretty much the proven,no gamble,best bang for your buck,pump out there.before i buy i will research closed loop systems though.and as far as the rio pwr heads i mentioned i just have a couple of left overs from my old fish only tank.i dont think i would ever buy any brand new ones again.they dont seem to last very long before your ending up taking them apart just to get them restarted again from a pwr outage or whatever.thanks again everyone

[#99]

I have to agree,the mak4 by gen x is the biggest bang for your buck.Iwakis are great pumps,but expensive.I just went to a trade show and talked to rio(taam) and they are using epoxy in there pumps now.Less heat and wont leak.Why not run a submersable mag from the sump and use an external pump for the closed loop.
Just my 2 cents

[dougc]

When possible, I would always choose an external pump over a submersible. Submersibles dump a lot of heat into the water and it can be significant with higher capacity pumps.

My return pumps are GenX/Mak4s, which have been redesignated as PCX40, I think. The downside to external pumps is that they are noiser than submersibles. The Mak4 is fairly loud, not something that I would want in a family room. Mine are in the garage, so the noise is not an issue. As noisy as they are, the Little Giant pumps I used to run were noisier.