best submersible pumps?

[sjm817]

Rated flow Vs actual flow needs to be taken into consideration. People who have used both a 1262 and a 3500 say the 1262 has significantly more real world flow.

Mfgrs ratings @ 0' head are pretty meaningless IMO.

[AZDesertRat]

I am bench testing pumps to prove or disprove that right now. I have a 1260 and a 3500 to test right now and am hoping to get my hands on others. I ran into trouble trying to test open discharge, 0' head flows though as my flow meter was exerting about 3.5 feet of head at all times. I am supposed to get a different flow meter today to see if that fixes the situation. If not I will have to go to a graduated vessel and time the flows. I have found the 1260 to pump very well so far but it does draw more wattage then the 3500 at the same flow rate and head from what I have seen initially. I haven't been able to test a 1262 yet. I still seriously doubt a 1262 and 6500 are similar, OR or Eheim neither one would err that much.

[schmidsa]

I have an Eheim 1260 on my 58, and it is awesome. Powerful and dead quiet

[Shaun120]

I had a SEN 900 used as a system return submerged in the sump, maybe not as much flow as your looking for but the price is right and its extremely reliable, quiet, and uses little power. Maybe you could use two? 5ft head @800gph x 2 wouldn't be bad.

Didn't have to touch it for 5years and only then to clean out the calcium build up. It lasted another 3 before it died.

[andyjd]

I replaced a Mag7 with a Eheim 1260(used) and its quieter.

[sjm817]

Originally posted by AZDesertRat
I am bench testing pumps to prove or disprove that right now. I have a 1260 and a 3500 to test right now and am hoping to get my hands on others. I ran into trouble trying to test open discharge, 0' head flows though as my flow meter was exerting about 3.5 feet of head at all times. I am supposed to get a different flow meter today to see if that fixes the situation. If not I will have to go to a graduated vessel and time the flows. I have found the 1260 to pump very well so far but it does draw more wattage then the 3500 at the same flow rate and head from what I have seen initially. I haven't been able to test a 1262 yet. I still seriously doubt a 1262 and 6500 are similar, OR or Eheim neither one would err that much.

Looking forward to the results. I dont think anyone said a 1262 would be similar to a 6500, just that it flows more than a 3500.

[Rueg]

The best bang for the buck (flow, reliability, quiet, energy efficient) is the Oceanrunner. If you don't have room for a Oceanrunner, then the Eheim - if it has enough flow for what you need it for.

[AMD30]

i'm looking forward to some of those test results azdesertrat! and thx for all the input. but looks like i am going to go with an ocean runner because it puts out about 1700gph and i am looking for about 1200-1400 gph and after about 5.5ft/head i think that i will get about 1250 gph hopefully for my return? just wish eheim had a pump for 1600gph.

[five.five-six]

well those seemed to be the two pumps being considered. my point is to be mindful of wattage consumption on all your components. you can save hundreds of dollars a year over a few watts here and there, especially when you include chiller costs and air conditioning..buying inexpensive products often costs much more in the course of a year

[AMD30]

ocean runner 6500 1700gph 115 watts vs mag 18 1800gph at 145 watts. so looks like the OR beats it right there at watts and only less then 100gph diff. any other info you guys have or opinions?

[kodyboy]

I like my Hydor seltz 45 pump, quiet and dependible.

[oct2274]

eheim 1262 for sure if you want that flow.........much more quiet and less heat output than a mag. Also the pumps lifespan can be measured in decades..............

[AMD30]

how much flow is the eheim 1262 going to have? as much as the OR?

[pluvialis]

I have an OR3500. It runs hot, Raises the temp of my tank,, the impeller gets stuck sometimes when first plugged in. Its garbage! Well the one I got is garbage. I dont use it. It stays cool when it sit on the shelf in the closet.

[AZDesertRat]

I'd contact Aqua Medic if you have a bad OR pump, thats not normal. I have 4 of them and have been very happy with them.

[audioaddiction]

i'd love to put the oceanrunner 6500 in my shopping cart at drsfostersmith.com but i'm trying to find out more on what i hear about people having trouble finding the right sized connections.

it's no problem for me to run down to home depot or lowes, i just need to know if i need something and what

thanks everyone

[Osmotic Shock]

Audio, I have an OR6500 that I use to pump water from my saltwater holding bin to my tank during water changes. The outflow on the pump is a hose barb connector that screws off to reveal male pipe threads.This is supposed to be 1 inch MPT but a standard 1 inch female pipe thread connector(from Home Depot) will not fit. I emailed the company but never got a reply. So if you want to plumb this with rigid PVC you will have to use some flex hose off of the pump outflow first. AZ Rat are the other OR pumps the same???

[Cubman777]

If you are going to put an OR6500 on your tank, make sure that you can drain that much flow. You may have to use all four of your tank's pre-drilled holes.

[grigsy]

I would suggest Eheim. Good pump.

[clsund]

I love my Eheim. Nary a squeal ever out of it.