Stronger Water Pump Recommendations

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h0ckeyfreek20

h0ckeyfreek20

Candiru
MFK Member
May 22, 2012
235
23
48
NJ
Currently running (2) MagDrive 1800s.

At 5' head height should be about 1050gph EACH = approx 2100gph


The pumps can't keep up with just my PVC overflow, much less my PVC overflow + Eshopps PF-1800 (1600gph)

I need a stronger pump to accommodate my PVC overflow + my Eshopps overflow box.

My 125g sump is not drilled so preferably I'd like a submersible pump.


From my research I've found that:
1. (2) Magdrive 24's would give me approx 3200gph @ 5' head
2. Quietone 9000 and 14000 pumps are very noisy
3. Reeflo pumps are not submersible

I need help guys, any recommendations are appreciated
 
I would recommend Laguna Max Flos or PowerJet pumps.

2 Danner Mag Drive's will give you around 3200GPH @ 5' head, but they will draw 530 watts. (costing you ~$42 per month if you pay the national avg. for electicity).

2 Laguna Max Flo 2400s will give you around 3600GPH @ 5' head while consuming only 168 watts. (costing you only ~$13 per month if you pay the national average for electricity).

The Lagunas are quiet, efficient and well made (they come with a 3 year warranty). I have two and I am very happy with them.

I would be careful not to get too much pump though...you might overpower your drain(s) capacity.
 
Thanks for the response. Your 770 build thread is awesome.

Good point about power consumption, never thought about that.

I have valves on the output sides of my pumps for adjustment purposes. But i still don't think 3600gph will be enough. My PVC overflow isn't even full siphon still sucking air and easily out-running 2100gph.

I will definitely look into Laguna Max Flos and appreciate the suggestion

aldiaz33 said:
I would recommend Laguna Max Flos or PowerJet pumps.

2 Danner Mag Drive's will give you around 3200GPH @ 5' head, but they will draw 530 watts. (costing you ~$42 per month if you pay the national avg. for electicity).

2 Laguna Max Flo 2400s will give you around 3600GPH @ 5' head while consuming only 168 watts. (costing you only ~$13 per month if you pay the national average for electricity).

The Lagunas are quiet, efficient and well made (they come with a 3 year warranty). I have two and I am very happy with them.

I would be careful not to get too much pump though...you might overpower your drain(s) capacity.
Click to expand...
 
Yup, those are the pumps.

The pumps sold by Drs. Foster and Smith appear to be the newer "Next Generation" models.

The flow chart on the AZ ponds website that you referenced are for the older models which are a little less efficient.

AZ ponds has both the older model of the largest Max Flo (the 4200 which is product # PT-352) which sells for $219.95 and the newer model ( the 4280 which is product # PT-8256) which sells for $254.99. The 4280 is a little more expensive because it is slightly more efficient (it does 3223GPH @ 5' head versus 3,106GPH for the older model pump). You should be able to find better deals on the older 4200 model...lots of places looking to clear those out to make way for the newer 4280...I've seen them for as cheap as $165.

Here's the chart for the 2013 "Next Generation" models (see pg. 19): http://www.lagunaponds.com/lagunaeng/careguides/LagunaPond-GTWG-2013-English.pdf

I have the older Max Flo 4200 model and I am really happy with it; it is not loud at all (it has a very quiet hum, especially considering how much water it moves). I would say it's as quiet or quieter than any other pump I've ever run (Reeflo Super Dart Gold, Rio Taam 3100, Aquaclear Powerhead 802). I don't think you will find a quieter pump at that GPH.

Thanks for the kudos.
 
I have a Laguna max flo 2000 on my 300 and I love it. It has my eshopps 1800 overflow box almost maxed at 5 ft of head. Only problem is they are bulky cause the cage is so big and the return points straight out the side which means an immediate 90° angle for plumbing. Almost doesnt fit in the 55g sump because of this as well. As a matter of fact I am building a new sump with another 55g for my 270 and I had to go with a different pump choice because I am building it with 2 x 4" filter socks on each end with 2 x bio ball/drip tray areas with pump centered in sump with only about a 10" opening for it. So it requires a pump that is small enough and return points straight up.

Has anyone that reads this tried running a laguna without the cage? I took it out when I first got it to see if it was possible but it seemed to me it didn't look like it would work very well if it all.

Sent from my SGH-T889 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
 
Check out my build thread in my sig. I have 2 laguna 2000's hard plumbed without the cages in my sump. I love these pumps! They are dead quiet and flow like crazy.
 
I removed mine from the cage as well and run my output vertically so that I don't have to run a 90 elbow...just be careful not to have anything that can get sucked into the impellar chamber or attach some sort of screen on the intake. The 4200 came with an alternate intake cover that I use on mine, but I think it's the only model that comes with it.

Here you can see the smaller Intake Screen that I'm talking about in the lower left hand corner:


Intake Screen.jpg

Intake Screen.jpg
 
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