Recommended Return Pump for a 3/4" drain.

jwalker314 · 10/20/2010, 07:16 PM

what are some recommendations on return pumps for a 3/4" drain?

thanks in advance.

Sugar Magnolia · 10/20/2010, 08:25 PM

It will depend on your gph from the overflow/drain and your head loss.

scubasteve06 · 10/20/2010, 08:55 PM

Hmm, yes head loss and drain overflow are the deciding factors here as sugar magnolia said. With that said though a 1" drain supposedly handles 600 gph but I've found that it takes a 1 1/2" drain to acheive that rate. I'd go with a Mag 7 or 9.5, the 9.5 especiall if you are running tee's and elbows off the return for other equipment and or a fuge.

Edit: Oops for some reason when I was typing I was thinking 1" drain instead of the 3/4" you have I'd go with a Mag 7 or comparable to the Mag 7's 700 gph flow rate unless you have big amounts of head loss 5' or more and running lots of equipment off the return(carbon reactors, GFO, etc.)

jwalker314 · 10/20/2010, 08:58 PM

i am setting up a frag tank, the sump will be aprx 3 feet below the frag tank there will only be one (maybe two) outlets on the return pump. Frag tank is 23gallons, sump is 20 gallons. the frag tank is predrilled in the bottom with a 3/4 inch hole.

I will also have two k3's for flow in the tank

scubasteve06 · 10/20/2010, 08:59 PM

I'd say a Mag 5 then would be perfect for your needs!

jwalker314 · 10/20/2010, 09:00 PM

thats what i was thinking, i can also add a ball valve to throttle it back. I just dont want to go overboard on a pump or get something too small

Edit: i am also thinking of adding a T in the return for a small calcium reactor, which will be throttled back to a small trickle with a ball valve, so maybe a mag 7 would work.

i just dont want to pump out the water faster than it can drain, and usually i go bigger with bulk heads, but the tank is already drilled and i dont feel up to drilling a bigger hole.

scubasteve06 · 10/20/2010, 09:16 PM

I understand I didn't want to drill my tank 1) Because I already had it running and had no where to put my livestock and 2) well there really isn't another good reason lol but I understand. I'd say Mag 5 or 7 can't go wrong since your going to be running equipment with it also and will have a ball valve to dial it back. I'd go with the little bit bigger pump just for the extra use you could make of it and its not much more in price I don't think. When I was shopping for mine I remember the Mag 7's being around 70 bucks and the 5's were around 50 or 60 I can't remember. I was going to get a 7 but ended up getting a 9.5 and I am very happy I did so.

jwalker314 · 10/20/2010, 09:19 PM

I have a 9.5 already, except one day i woke up and the breaker had switched for my tank, it appears as the 9.5 is tripping breakers, im assuming the coil inside is bad.

scubasteve06 · 10/20/2010, 09:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jwalker314

I have a 9.5 already, except one day i woke up and the breaker had switched for my tank, it appears as the 9.5 is tripping breakers, im assuming the coil inside is bad.

That sucks, they are great pumps how long was yours in operation before it started to do this? I've had mine going for 3 months now, not long at all, but trouble free nonetheless....

jwalker314 · 10/20/2010, 09:35 PM

was bought used, was operational in my possession for 3 weeks. I've had a mag12 for my return pump on my tank running 24/7 for over a year now with no hiccups

scubasteve06 · 10/20/2010, 09:40 PM

They are quite the workhorse for an internal pump. I think they are the best that money can buy for an internal pump. I'd say other than maybe an Eheim there isn't anything better out there except a 1k Red Dragon, or a water-blaster. The water-blaster really hasn't been out but a year so we are starting to see if they will hold up to their 3 year warranty which from what I'm seeing they should. All the other pumps I mentioned are a lot more than a Mag and bang for the buck wise you can't go wrong with a Mag.

jwalker314 · 10/20/2010, 09:43 PM

my other option is i have a bremuda HOB skimmer that came with a mag 6 pump, i might be better off getting a different pump for the skimmer and using the mag for a return. Can't find the name of the skimmer, its not the rouge, older version.

scubasteve06 · 10/20/2010, 09:57 PM

That Mag 6 sounds perfect since I thought the Mag 5 was a great fit, but going with the Mag 7 would be best for future uses if you needed it. The Mag 6 naturally fits right in between!

10/20/2010, 07:16 PM	#1
jwalker314 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Landenberg, PA Posts: 421	Recommended Return Pump for a 3/4" drain. what are some recommendations on return pumps for a 3/4" drain? thanks in advance.

10/20/2010, 08:25 PM	#2
Sugar Magnolia Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Northern VA Posts: 17,691	It will depend on your gph from the overflow/drain and your head loss. __________________ Adrienne The only thing to fear is fear itself....and spiders.

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10/20/2010, 08:55 PM	#3
scubasteve06 Jeeper Reefer Join Date: May 2010 Location: Clemson, SC Posts: 1,171	Hmm, yes head loss and drain overflow are the deciding factors here as sugar magnolia said. With that said though a 1" drain supposedly handles 600 gph but I've found that it takes a 1 1/2" drain to acheive that rate. I'd go with a Mag 7 or 9.5, the 9.5 especiall if you are running tee's and elbows off the return for other equipment and or a fuge. Edit: Oops for some reason when I was typing I was thinking 1" drain instead of the 3/4" you have I'd go with a Mag 7 or comparable to the Mag 7's 700 gph flow rate unless you have big amounts of head loss 5' or more and running lots of equipment off the return(carbon reactors, GFO, etc.)

10/20/2010, 08:58 PM	#4
jwalker314 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Landenberg, PA Posts: 421	i am setting up a frag tank, the sump will be aprx 3 feet below the frag tank there will only be one (maybe two) outlets on the return pump. Frag tank is 23gallons, sump is 20 gallons. the frag tank is predrilled in the bottom with a 3/4 inch hole. I will also have two k3's for flow in the tank

10/20/2010, 08:59 PM	#5
scubasteve06 Jeeper Reefer Join Date: May 2010 Location: Clemson, SC Posts: 1,171	I'd say a Mag 5 then would be perfect for your needs!

10/20/2010, 09:00 PM	#6
jwalker314 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Landenberg, PA Posts: 421	thats what i was thinking, i can also add a ball valve to throttle it back. I just dont want to go overboard on a pump or get something too small Edit: i am also thinking of adding a T in the return for a small calcium reactor, which will be throttled back to a small trickle with a ball valve, so maybe a mag 7 would work. i just dont want to pump out the water faster than it can drain, and usually i go bigger with bulk heads, but the tank is already drilled and i dont feel up to drilling a bigger hole.

10/20/2010, 09:16 PM	#7
scubasteve06 Jeeper Reefer Join Date: May 2010 Location: Clemson, SC Posts: 1,171	I understand I didn't want to drill my tank 1) Because I already had it running and had no where to put my livestock and 2) well there really isn't another good reason lol but I understand. I'd say Mag 5 or 7 can't go wrong since your going to be running equipment with it also and will have a ball valve to dial it back. I'd go with the little bit bigger pump just for the extra use you could make of it and its not much more in price I don't think. When I was shopping for mine I remember the Mag 7's being around 70 bucks and the 5's were around 50 or 60 I can't remember. I was going to get a 7 but ended up getting a 9.5 and I am very happy I did so.

10/20/2010, 09:19 PM	#8
jwalker314 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Landenberg, PA Posts: 421	I have a 9.5 already, except one day i woke up and the breaker had switched for my tank, it appears as the 9.5 is tripping breakers, im assuming the coil inside is bad.

10/20/2010, 09:35 PM	#10
jwalker314 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Landenberg, PA Posts: 421	was bought used, was operational in my possession for 3 weeks. I've had a mag12 for my return pump on my tank running 24/7 for over a year now with no hiccups

10/20/2010, 09:40 PM	#11
scubasteve06 Jeeper Reefer Join Date: May 2010 Location: Clemson, SC Posts: 1,171	They are quite the workhorse for an internal pump. I think they are the best that money can buy for an internal pump. I'd say other than maybe an Eheim there isn't anything better out there except a 1k Red Dragon, or a water-blaster. The water-blaster really hasn't been out but a year so we are starting to see if they will hold up to their 3 year warranty which from what I'm seeing they should. All the other pumps I mentioned are a lot more than a Mag and bang for the buck wise you can't go wrong with a Mag.

10/20/2010, 09:43 PM	#12
jwalker314 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Landenberg, PA Posts: 421	my other option is i have a bremuda HOB skimmer that came with a mag 6 pump, i might be better off getting a different pump for the skimmer and using the mag for a return. Can't find the name of the skimmer, its not the rouge, older version.

10/20/2010, 09:57 PM	#13
scubasteve06 Jeeper Reefer Join Date: May 2010 Location: Clemson, SC Posts: 1,171	That Mag 6 sounds perfect since I thought the Mag 5 was a great fit, but going with the Mag 7 would be best for future uses if you needed it. The Mag 6 naturally fits right in between!