New sump...what pump?

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MoFish78

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Oct 5, 2008
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Bay Area CaliFornia
Hello everyone, I just got this today and its my first time dealing with this kind of system. its 24"x15"x8" (15gal) I got it for my 55gal african cichlid tank. $55...good deal? bad deal?

What I really need to know though is what kind of pump should I use with it?
This actually came with a 40gal tank and a Rio 3100 pump for an additional $40. But for some reason the pump isn't working...will bring it back to the seller tomorrow to have it checked.

The original owner had it set up so that the sump is sitting on top of the 40Gal and the water from the sump goes into the 40gal (by gravity) then the Rio 3100 pump is sittin in the 40gal pumping the water back up into the main tank. (is that a good set up?)

Any advise on a cheap but reliable pump? What should the GPH be?

cichlids%20002[1].JPG
 
mag 5 or 7 IMO
 
google mag drive 5 or 7...
 
cool...thanks. so i guess thats the gph im looking for? 500gph - 700gph? whats the minimum gph i can have for the 55g? i guess the higher the better? i think i heard its not good to have too high of a gph but not sure though. thanks the suggestion. i was directed to marine depot.
 
it's hard to have too much, it can be done. you'll be fine with a mag 7. i run 2 AC110's on my 55 and they're rated @ 500gph each...
 
You really need to factor in the size of your drain plumbing (standpipes or overflows or whatever you have) to choose a proper sized pump. If the pump you get pumps more than your drains can drain, your sump will run dry. Conversely, if your drains drain faster than your pump can pump, your sump will overflow. It needs to be balanced so that your pump returns water to the tank at the same rate it drains out of the tank through your overflows.

With that said, a bigger (faster) pump can be turned down with a ball valve after the pump and before the tank. You can get a higher drain rate with bigger plumbing on your overlfow or standpipe, but are somehwat limited by the size of your bulkhead(s) (if you have one).
 
I finally got this installed and running yesterday. Im using a submersible pump and according to the website, it pumps out 650 GPH.

I noticed this morning though that the water is below the line in the sump. What could that mean? It was right on the line yesterday.

Will it ruin the pump if it's only halfway in the water?
 
yes it will hurt the pump if the pump is suckin in air

it normal for the water line to fluctuate a little, but if it keeps dropping that means your pump is out preforming your overflow,

so to fix this either you need a bigger overflow
or
have a ball valve put in place after the sump to redirect water back to the sump

do you follow
 
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