Pump Selection, thinking Reeflo Hammerhead, thoughts?

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fishguy306

fishguy306

Peacock Bass
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Oct 24, 2005
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I am slowly assembling all of the parts needed to finally get my 330 gal up and running. Progress is slow, but between tax refunds and some extra work there is finally a bit of extra cash for this project.

I've never owned a tank this large, so this a bit of a new experiance for me. I have been researching pumps for the last several days and come to discover that there is a lot out there. I've learned, while it may be tempting to cheap out with the inital purchase, the running costs really add up. After searching I have discovered the Reeflo Barracuda/Hammerhead combo, the gold model in paticular. This pump seems to be right about what I need, plenty of flow through the sump with a bit extra so that I can add on some additional filters should I chose to do so.

What is slowing me down is the cost. I have a very, very hard time plunking down the $425 to buy this bad boy. From what I hear, they are great pumps and worth the money, but its a little hard to justify. Does anyone out there use a Hammerhead? Especially in my tank range? How do you like it?

I'm not worried about out running the overflow, its a 4' long coast to coast with 4 bulkheads, each 2" and each a drain. It should be able to handle just about any flow I toss at it. I plan to run 2" pipe for the return, a bit big, but I want the best flow I can get out of my pump. So, any thoughts? If you have something energy efficient I am open to ideas as well. Looking for lots of turnover and circulation, so please keep that in mind. I appreciate any input!
 
If you are running a basic undertank sump with about 6' of head, in my opinion, the Hammerhead is too much pump for a 330G. If you prefer external pumps, I would recommend going with a Super Dart Gold/Snapper combo pump.

I've had both the Hammerhead Gold and the Super Dart Gold and the SDG was a lot quieter...the Hammehead had a really loud industrial motor hum to it.

If you are ok with a submersible, I would recommend going with Laguna Max Flo pumps. If you are aiming for about 10x per hour, I would go with two Laguna Max Flo 2400s (the newer next generation models that are more efficient than their older 2400s that draw 100w). The new (2012+) models do 1,664GPH @ 6' head on only 84 watts. Running two gets you 3328GPH on only 168 watts.

Advantages of going with the Max Flos:
1. More efficient than any of the Reeflo pumps
2. Redundancy- If one pumps fails, the other will likely keep your system going.
3. Quieter
4. Added benefit of the heat they put off into your water.
5. No seals that need to be replaced.
6. No need to drill sump.

I am running a Max Flo 4200 on my setup and I'm very happy with it.

If you want to gamble on a newer pump that doesn't have a very long track record, you should look into the Diablo Variable Speed pumps or the Waveline pumps. They are actually quite a bit more efficient than the Lagunas (their efficiency seems almost too good to be true), but they basically just came onto the market, so that's why I say it's a bit of a gamble.

Looking forward to seeing your setup :popcorn:
 
Hey guys, thanks for the replys. Sorry for the slow reply on my part, its been a busy few days.

Didysis, thanks for the link. Those look like some nice pumps. Are you currently using one? The prices are pretty good for what those pumps are able to handle. I see many of them do say high effiecency, however I didnt see the total energy usage for them? I also didnt see total head loss. I wont be going very high up, maybe 5' total, however it will need to go a good distance horizontal. They are worth looking into, thanks!

Aldiaz33, I've seen you mention the Laguna Max Flo pumps before, they do seem like great pumps. I mean, 168 watts for two pumps pushing over 3000gph? That is pretty awesome, a route I may have to take.

I will take a look into the Diablo pumps, as I am all about the energy savings, but I think I like knowing how they perform first. I'm going off a tight budget, so everything needs to be selected right the first time. Obviously the Hammerhead isnt a cheap pump, but from what I have seen it does tend to perform quite well which I liked. But if I can save money too, I'm all for it!

As for seeing it set up, as soon as I can get water in it you bet there will be pics online, but I suspect that is still a ways away. I've had it over a year, so far all I have done is move it a couple times and put the stand together. But we shall see. Thanks again guys
 
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