silent return pump under $150?

[pbauec]

I am looking for around 1000 gph and as quiet as possible for under 150$. The wife wants the silent so that is more important if i need to sacrifice gph or spend a bit more.*

I prefer to support lfs but they only carry Quiet One and have heard some horror stories about them. What pumps would everyone recommend? Or am i chasing a unicorn in that price range?

[xdestry]

A DC return pump would probably be the best. A lot of the hum comes from the vibration however so you can do things like putting a mousepad underneath the return pump, and making sure for your return line into the tank you plumb it using the soft plumbing instead of hard PVC. Also make sure any contact points between return plumbing and the tank are cushioned with something soft.

[Drae]

Is $50 more out of the question? Are you looking for 1000 gph after head loss? For $199 you could get a fluval sp4 or a laguna max flow 1500. Both are askoll block pumps and both are quality.

[davocean]

I would be searching for a used Eheim 1262, they are out there for about $80-90 used, I see them on here now and then.
One of the few things I would not hesitate to buy used.
New they are about 30 bucks over your budget, but well worth it IMO

[ThaBeast]

+1 on a 1262

[Cathman]

Originally Posted by Drae

Is $50 more out of the question? Are you looking for 1000 gph after head loss? For $199 you could get a fluval sp4 or a laguna max flow 1500. Both are askoll block pumps and both are quality.

What this guy said. I have both on different tanks. Very happy with both, very silent, and they are very power conscious. Love them. I was able to dig around and find the laguna for less than 130. Look for the pond model setup. For some reason it was cheaper. Same pump though.

[billdogg]

Originally Posted by ThaBeast

+1 on a 1262

+2 for a eheim 1262. You'll never have to buy another return pump, and dead silent

[zachts]

I've been pretty happy with my quiet one pumps over the years but I'd never run them external, I've had the housing work loose on them before. More an issue on the smaller ones, the 3000 I've been using as my frag tank circ pump has ran flawlessly for about 6 years now.

More money but probably even quieter is the eheim. I love mine, it runs my skimmer and is setup external and I can't hear a thing from it unless I put my ear right near it.

[arberland]

I usually use the Eheim Pumps but I am on the new 1500l using one of the new Jebao DC Pumps, it is silent.

[ca1ore]

Based on the recommendation of a few reefers here on RC, I recently bought a Fluval SP2 and it is essentially silent. Very nice pump (so far). DC pumps make me nervous. Wouldn't have worked for me in my external application anyhow, but I'd not use one as my main pump.

[hilgert]

+1 for the Eheim 1262. I've used these on several tanks over the years...I think you could pump sand through them and they'd still work. Very quiet (the flowing water was louder than the pump). My current in-wall setup does not allow it due to sizing constraints, so I'm using a Sicce 3.0 (also very quiet).

[pbauec]

I am also in Canada, so finding a supplier can be an issue. Anything ordered from a US site will have exchange (+20%), shipping (+25-50$) and occasionally duty (+20%) so costs can add up quite fast.

[hilgert]

Originally Posted by pbauec

I am also in Canada, so finding a supplier can be an issue. Anything ordered from a US site will have exchange (+20%), shipping (+25-50$) and occasionally duty (+20%) so costs can add up quite fast.

So much for NAFTA...

[pbauec]

Tensions have been running high over the last 6.5 years. It is an odd time when the US is left of Canada. The Keystone XL insult is a serious sore spot in the Canadian West (traditionally the most pro American and conservative). Current plans are to build pipelines west and sell to China, raising the rate we sell oil to US to actual market value (we had been discounting about 30% due to our land locked oil. Currently many American lobby groups and political operatives are interfering in our elections and spreading propaganda and control our government. The "Country of Origin legislation" has been breaking NAFTA regulations since it began and your executive branch has ignored 4(?) WTO rulings over it. Retaliatory Tariffs are very likely to begin on everything heading North very soon. It is sad to see our trading and diplomatic relationship damaged so much.

Sorry to go off like this, but im sure very few Americans know the extent of the diplomatic damage caused.