How loud are the Laguna pumps?
I totally forgot to account for the headloss and I think that 1350GPH wont be enough to get water moving along 8' of tank, especially once I tee into into two return lines... it'll only be around 700GPH each side. I guess I could just size up the laguna pump to a Max-Flo 2900 which would pump around 2250GPH at 6' of head while drawing 130W. ~1100GPH per return.. all while drawing the same juice. As long as the pumps are relatively quiet I'm sold.
The Lagunas are some of the quietest pumps around. I'm running their largest model (Max-Flo 4200) and it is really quiet.
I think the Max Flo 2900 would be a good fit for your setup.
The Ultima II will not be under the stand, no. it'll sit on the ground in the fishtank room just beside the overflow.. so tons of room!
I was considering the Ultima II 2000 or the 4000. I think that the 4000 might be too much flow though since they recommend a 4000GPH @ 10' pump.
The Ultima II 2000 has a minimum flow of 1000GPH, max flow of 2500GPH. The pump they recommend should be around 2000GPH at 10' head. So the Super Dart Gold is right there at 2229GPH @ 10' and 178W. Once I tee the returns into two again it should be right around 1000GPH per side. Pretty much the same flow I will have across the top portion of the tank and around 4000GPH total or around a 7x-8x turnover rate per hour.
Do you think that would be enough flow along the bottom to keep the substrate relatively clear? I plan on stocking on the light side and most fish will be on the smaller side.
I would think that would be enough of flow, but you could add some powerheads if it's not enough to blow detritus to your intakes
... I would go with an external pump they are more energy efficient it seems
External pumps used to be more efficient, but in some cases, submersible pumps are now more efficient than externals.
I have the Supreme hy-drive 4800 and mag 24. The hy-drive runs 24/7. It's pretty quiet and looked pretty energy efficient compared to others that's why I went with it. My 750g is in my family room we don't notice it much Its when the second pump kicks on it sounds like niagra falls with so much circulation
The Supreme Hy-Drives are about middle of the road when it comes to efficiency, but the Mag's (especially the 24) are some of the most inefficient pumps out there.
Supreme Hy-Drive 4800 does 3,500GPH @ 6' head on 250 watts --- 14 GPH/watt
Danner Mag Drive 24 does 1,500GPH @ 6' head on 265 watts --- 5.7 GPH/watt
A few internal options that are more efficient...(both of these can also be plumbed externally)
Laguna Max Flo 4200 does 2,935GPH @ 6' head on 160 watts --- 18.3 GPH/watt
AquaSurge 4000 does 3,700GPH @ 6' head on 215 watts --- 17.2 GPH/watt
A few external pumps that are also pretty efficient...
Reeflo Super Dart Gold ~3,191GPH @ 6' head on 185 watts --- 17.2 GPH/watt
W Lim 1/8HP ~3600GPH @ 6' head on 233 watts --- 15.5 GPH/watt
