pick my pump

saltydog_1

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Aug 5, 2006
547
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st louis
i have a 120 gal with a 40 breeder sump. should i go mag 9.5 or mag 12? i think i would have enough turnover with the 9.5, i just wanted your opinoins.
 

BushFishRox

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Jul 7, 2007
2,975
1
36
Mississauga, Ont Canada
saltydog_1;1952004; said:
i have a 120 gal with a 40 breeder sump. should i go mag 9.5 or mag 12? i think i would have enough turnover with the 9.5, i just wanted your opinoins.
9.5 is fine, it is actually overkill, on that tank you can easily get away with a MD 7 or a quiet one 4000 and still be over kill. Really for a wet/dry sump you only need a 3x turn over...

so you can actually save some money.
 

Toby_H

Polypterus
MFK Member
Jun 21, 2007
4,128
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Charlotte, NC
The overflow box/tubes determines your maximum flow rate on your sump... That's critical information to this question...
 

saltydog_1

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Aug 5, 2006
547
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0
st louis
the tank has a 1" drain from the looks of it. i think i will go with the 9.5 and thanx for the help.
 

duanes

MFK Moderators
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Jun 7, 2007
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Isla Taboga Panama via Milwaukee
Over sizing is not bad, especially if you'd ever get another tank and use the one sump. I started with a 100 gal, but after some years I went from the 1 and added on another 100, 2 50gals and a 40. I started with a 1200GPH mag dr but now use a 2400 GPH. You can always throttle a pump back with ball valves.
It also depends on the species of fish. If you like riverine species, a heavy current can be a good thing. If it's rift lake, a less powerful pump is adequate.
I keep riverine species like Paraneetroplus and Paratheraps in that tank, the current really helps.
On another 150 I use a 1200GPH.
 
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