Submersible vs. External Pumps

[knobhill]

Hi,
I currently have a w/d filter running on my 175g. I use a quiet one 3000 and quiet one 5000 as return pumps. They are in the sump putting out about 1400gph @ 5.5 ft head. I am not convinced that the turnover (8x /hr) is enough for the tank so I want to upgrade. I have come up with two options and both must meet the following criteria: 1) low wattage draw. 2) turnover at least 10x per hour. 3) low noise level. 4) easily backed up/ repaired in the event of a pump failure.

Option #1
Replace the quiet one 3000 with a quiet one 6000.
Wattage draw will be relatively low, however, it will be louder, the one aspect I do like about this option is that if one pump fails, the filter will still run at a lower capacity until the pump is fixed.

Option #2
Remove the quiet one pumps, plumb an external pump. I am considering the sequence Dart.
Wattage is low, but will it be quieter? The one problem I have with a single pump system is that if the pump fails, it could be a while before water the filter is operating again.


thoughts, opinions, suggestions are welcomed

 

[TEL]

Why do you need to go too 10x hour that seems alot and i don't know if that would give the good bateria time to process the wast but if you have to i would go with the external pump.

 

[knobhill]

Why do you need to go too 10x hour that seems alot and i don't know if that would give the good bateria time to process the wast but if you have to i would go with the external pump.

Typical turnover rates range from three to ten turnovers per hour. I have three large plecs and a large bio load. Also, I have a commercial bio-wheel in the sump and I am adding a fluidized bed filter as well, bacteria is not the issue, it is flow rate, this is to make sure that fish waste is filtered out in a timely fashion (the plecs poop a lot).

I am leaning towards the external and possibly plumbing in the quiet one 5000 to use in case of emergency.

 

[sma]

you are running 8 x turn over rate, you don't think you need to upgrade. It is fine the way it is.

 

[saltydog_1]

i just purchased the sequence dart and i love it. low power draw and incredibly quiet. it is on a 300 gal tank with a 125 sump. it is overkill though it puts out about 1.5 times the turnover i need so i throttled it back some. these pumps are dead reliable. if money isnt a huge obstacle, any time you need advice on water movement ask a reef tank guy. their answers are almost always pricey, but water movement is key in their setups, so i value their advice.

 

[squint]

Pleco's poop a lot but it's usually high fiber and low protein due to their diet so while the quantity is high, it doesn't create as much ammonia.

Waste that is trapped in a mechanical filter but still exposed to tank water will still decompose and go through the ammonia-nitrite-nitrate cycle just as if it was sitting on the bottom of the tank. It has to be exported out of the aquarium altogether. For example, with a wet/dry you would change or rinse out the mechanical filter material at least once a day and try to remove waste before it decomposes much.

I'm experimenting with stainless steel mesh instead of the typical floss or felt material. It won't hold as much debris because it's very thin but I hope it'll rinse out easily, which I'll do on a daily basis. The polyester micron pads I used to use had to be rinsed, bleached, and then washed in the washing machine to get clean. I'm thinking it would be easier to just rinse out a fine metal screen daily as well as better for water quality.

 

[knobhill]

once a day!?!?!? I make a 20% water change every 10 days and rinse my prefilter pad in a bucket of the drained water. Good luck with your ssm idea, let me know how it works out = )

 

[Formula_JP]

what size overflow do you have to keep up w that rate?

 

[squint]

once a day!?!?!? I make a 20% water change every 10 days and rinse my prefilter pad in a bucket of the drained water. Good luck with your ssm idea, let me know how it works out = )

It's very simple. You don't even have to turn off the pump. Once a day, go over to your wet/dry and remove the mechanical filter media. Rinse it out or put in a new clean pad. You should be able to do it in under 60 seconds. If you leave the food and feces trapped in the filter, it will decompose into ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate just as if it was still in the tank.

I do 50% water changes once a week.

 

[knobhill]

It's very simple. You don't even have to turn off the pump. Once a day, go over to your wet/dry and remove the mechanical filter media. Rinse it out or put in a new clean pad. You should be able to do it in under 60 seconds. If you leave the food and feces trapped in the filter, it will decompose into ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate just as if it was still in the tank.

I do 50% water changes once a week.

Do you remember the old US Aquarium w/d filters??? They had a removable prefilter drawer above the bio tower. It was perfect for what you are describing. I can't believe I got rid of it!!!
It is a little more difficult for me now, I think I need to switch to the flex hose instead of vinyl tubing b/c is a tight fit to remove the top of the filter to remove the mechanical media. Vinyl doesn't have a lot of play.

In regards to the overflow size question, there are two 1" ID overflows on the tank, each one flows into a bio tower.