return pump and skimmer

[DaveCass]

Hi everyone.

I have a 38gallon tank with a 20 gallon sump. my return pump is a maxijet 1200 that i had layin around and my protein skimmer is an odyssea ps75 which isnt the greatest but its an improvement from the seaclone 100 i used to have.

I plan i buying a new return pump this weekend. i hear most people like to have a 10x turn over per hr. which means i would need 400gph after head loss or would this be to much. can someone recommend me a decent pump. i have some live rock and plan on eventually adding coral.

Also i am thinking of upgrading my skimmer to an Aquac ecv120 or 180. they are pretty costly but from what ive seen they are worth it. would this be a good addition to my tank.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[DaveCass]

bump

[ken6217]

Dave,
The maxi jet definitely is not good enough due to head pressure.

I think you should post in the Lighting and equipment forum separately for a return pump and then "a good skimmer for 38 gallon tank and 20 gallons in the sump".

Ken

[worm5406]

I have the 1200 and I only use it for small lifts.

I was trying to use it to go ground level to my tank when I was orig filling it. The back pressure on it made the fill non-existant. I finally found that if I took the hose out of the tank it increased by double...

I got a Quiet One Pro Aquarium Pump 6000 for a 5 foot lift for my 180g

[downbeach]

I would take a look at a Danner Mag 5 for your return, and use the MJ1200 for added circulation in your tank. As far as the skimmer is concerned, there are a few good units to consider, but are you going to go with an in-sump style, or an external. An in-sump would probably be the easiest, if you have room for it, so the footprint of the unit, and the amount of head space you have may come into play here.

This might be a consideration:
http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/reef-o...n-skimmer.html

[sponger0]

Ok I missed the part about other equipment.

For returns, Id try to go for something other than mag drives. They are loud and draw heat. I would look at eheim or sicce pumps. Youll be much happier and they arent that bad on cost. Your turnover rate, which is determined by your return pump, should be 4-5x your tank volume.

The circulation in your display tank itself should be 10-15x the volume. That is what the powerheads are for. And Maxijets are so bulky and ugly for powerheads. Id go with Koralia instead.

Skimmers: Reef Octopus or Deltec.

[worm5406]

I got a Supreme Classic Mag Drive Pump 700 for my sump to skimmer feed.