Which pump for Seaswirl 1"?

[dmbnpj]

I have a 75 gallon tank and I'm trying to make full use of the 1"seaswirls ability to produce 1150 GPH so I'm wondering which is the best pump?

I am also trying to find a quiet pump that does not produce a lot of heat, so I'm wondering which pump would be best?

My opinion from what Ive gathered would be to go with the Sequence 3600 pump. That looks like it will allow me to achieve the 1150 gph that the seaswirl is capable of. Only problem with that is that pump is ~$250! On the otherhand a Mag12 looks like that would work but Im guessing I will lose some gph with the Mag12 because of the distance the water will have to travel from my sump to the seaswirl? Please let me know if I am wrong in my assumptions!

My setup is a 75 gallon tank with an ~20gallon sump. The water would have to travel upward 4 feet. I will have to drill the side of my stand to fit the 1" pipe out and up the side to get the plumbing to the seaswirl sitting on the top of my tank.

I am hoping someone has the seaswirl or some experience with them to help me with the setup! Thanks for any help!

[sammy33]

Are you planning to use the Sea Swirl on your sump return? That's what it sounds like?

I would consider using the Sea Swirl on a dedicated closed loop (instead of on your return). You could then use a more efficient pump and possibly reduce your heat.

I would think that 3-5 times you display volume (225-375 GPH) of movement through your sump would be plenty. This would reduce micro bubbles and noise from your overflow. Maybe a Mag 5 for your return pump to a simple nozzle output.

You could then use the Sea Swirl on a closed loop with a spraybar style intake and a medium size pump. Something like a Mag 9 or 12 would move a good amount of water. Your head loss would be next to nothing with the closed loop.

This setup (Mag 5 return and Mag 12 for the Sea Swirl) would cost a bit less and draw less power at about $165 for the pumps and only 155 watts energy draw.

If you are considering an SPS dominate (high energy tank) I would go with a larger pump on the sea swirl but the Mag 12 should work well otherwise.

[dmbnpj]

Yah what I plan on is the separate plumbing for the seaswirl, not using it for the return. The return will stay the same. I plan to pipe separately from the sump to a new pump to the seaswirl resting on the top of my tank. Im guessing that is called a closed loop. I guess with your answer I am still leaning toward the Sequence pump. Thanks for the help! My next question is how do I plumb the setup? Can I use pvc pipe that goes from the sump into the Sequence pump then out of the Sequence pump to the seaswirl? Only one line of plumbing? Reason I ask is because I still have the plumbing attached from the guy I bought it from. As you can see it is plumbed with a spare elbow extending down?

[sammy33]

Closed loops are usually just that... a closed loop of water with an in and an out that is not tied in or fed from the sump. The input can be simply a peice of PVC pipes with lots of small holes (like a spraybar) and the output would be your sea swirl with a pump in between. The cool thing about this is that there is no head pressure so you can use a pump that is rated at just about the volume you want to move.

Check out Melevs cloosed loop setup:
http://www.melevsreef.com/closedloop.html

The Sequence 3600 at 4' of head pressure will still push about 2800 GPH. This is way more than a 1" sea swirl can handle. You will need a smaller pump if you run it on a closed loop.

If you have not commited to any pumps yet I would still recommend 2 separate pumps - one for your sump return and one for you closed loop with the sea swirl. This will drastically reduce your expense and also likely be more efficient.

Is your tank drilled? Reef ready?

[akopley]

if you run a closed loop whats stopping you from doing a sea swirl system to the full capactiy of your 1 inch sea swirl? Get a pump at least 1500 gph? Would that be too much for the tank? wouldnt the higher turnover be better?

[dmbnpj]

Yah I'm afraid the overflow of a strong pump will surpass the return rate and the tank will overflow. Here are some pictures of the sizes I have around my tank. I dont know if I have enough room for a closed loop and I'm still a little confused on how it would work. Here are pictures of the rear side of my tank (about 1.5 inches from the back wall to glass), and the left side of my tank(about 8.5 inches from the wall to the side of my canopy). I hope theres a way to make it work!
Thanks for the help so far!!!
-jeff

[dmbnpj]

I always forget the pictures, duh.....