Should I Pump More or Less?!? That is the question!

[Pirate101]

So I have been looking at the pump that I bought and I think that it might be too big. So here is my question what size pump should I use?

Here's the set-up:

72 Bow Front Tank
20 Gallon Long Sump/Refug

Distance is about four feet. It is going to be pumping through one inch bulkheads. In and out.

Any suggestions? I am getting ready to go to the LFS (I am picking up my tank. They just drilled the holes for me. ) and I need to know if I should return the Mag 9.5 (950 GPH (Rated)/ 800 GPH (Rated at height of DT from Sump/Refug) for the Mag 7 (700 GPH (Rated) / 480 GPH Rated at height of DT from Sump/Refug)?

So do I switch the Mag 9.5 for the Mag 7?!?

[michael_cb_125]

I would keep the pump you have now. I have a 1200 gallon per hour pump on my 100 gallon tank, and I wish I had a bigger one. I like alot of flow. I am assuming from your lighting system that you may go with some stonies. They like flow. I have 750 gph on my 50 gallon LPS tank. Everything flows back and fourth, and my coral grows like crazy.

[BigAl07]

Keep the bigger one. You'll wish you had more later if you don't. Remember that you can "modify" your set-up to reduce the flow of a larger pump but you can't increase the pump above it's capacity. Make sense?

Allen

[Pirate101]

I want to go with both types of coral as well as some clams and anenomes. I just wasn't sure if I should go with a smaller pump and some PHs or just keep the pump and maybe not as many PHs. Decisions, Decisions, Decisions.

[Rcpilot]

I'm pushing 1100GPH in my 30g tank. Thats over 36 times per hour. I don't have any frags blowing off rocks or being bent over in the flow of powerheads. But, I DO have a lot of rock in my tank and I think that breaks up the flow a lot.

Get the bigger pump. As BigAl07 said, you can always throttle it back if it's pumping too much. But if your small pump is maxed out and you want more flow--your just hosed.

[DrHank]

A single 1" bulkhead can handle 600 GPH. You need to probably stick with the Mag 7.

[tbittner]

What is the calculation for figuring out the capacity of a pipe? This would be great information to have.

I mean, my Sequence pump has a 1.5" outlet and it's rated at 4500 gph. So I just don't see how a 1" pipe is only rated at 600 gph. I must be really missing something here.

[panmanmatt]

a 1" pipe in an overflow is gravity fed, your Sequence is using an impellar to push the water.

A gravity fed 1" drain can only flow a maximum of 600gph, but you can pump a whole lot more water through a 1" pipe than that.

[tbittner]

ahhhhh, ok. So my overflow box with two 1" drains gets me the 1200gph. But if I ran them both into one 1" pipe through a "Y", then it would back up into the overflow box? I was thinking of doing that in order to run just one pipe down to the huge sump/refugium I'm putting together.

[panmanmatt]

You could drop those two 1" drains into a single 2 1/2 " pipe and that would only give you one pipe into the sump and still give you the 1200gph.

[cracker]

I'm glad I found this thread. I want to tie two corner overflows together into one large drain. I'd like to learn more about any plans or how Ya'll did this. Thanks

[AQTCJAK]

You drain will still remain the same flow with 2 into one if you go to a large pipe size the overflow hole determins the flow rate

[Scouter Steve]

1 1/2 inch will allow up to 1200 GPH. That is what I tee'd my two one inch drains into to run to my basement sump. I am running abot 1000 GPH through it now.