What size GPH pump for 360 gallon tank?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
G

greenlangtern

Candiru
MFK Member
Jul 1, 2008
100
1
48
Sacramento, CA
I've been using a wet/dry filter with my 360 gal with, I believe, a 1800 gph pump. I recently decided to increase filtration due to an increase in stock with a DIY 40 gallon/3-drawer filter system. What size pump do you recommend for running both filters on the tank? It has a built in overflow in the center of the tank that I'm splitting to both filters.
Is a 2400 gph or 3000 gph pump overkill? Wondering what GPH other people use.
 
Hmm... I think I've found some info online. Most people seem to recommend at least 4 turnovers of water per hour so I'd need at least 1440 GPH and that is at head height. Which for me is close to 6 feet of return to take into account. So 2400 -3000 gph is ideal I suppose.
Wow, I just got off the phone with some guy who is selling a 2400 gph and 3000 gph pump and tells me its not suitable for a 360 gallon tank. I just wanted to get my info straight, now I can teach this guy a thing or two.
Also learned that most reef tanks turnover 10 times per hour or more which I expect considering ocean environments.
Geez it boils my skin when people act or lie about things they really don't know what they are talking about. This guy recommended me to have a maximum GPH of 800 GPH on my tank. Which sounded crazy to me since I'm already running a 1800 at 6 feet return. I can tell he's inexperienced and probably never owned a big tank before just a pond.
 
for reference, my 400g was running a 3400gph pump. and i have a 1000gph on my 57g planted ;)
 
and yeah that guy is tripping. i personally like to have 6-8x turnover. although my planted tank breaks all those rules haha. 800gph on a 360g tank is just :screwy: youd have so many dead spots it wont even be funny
 
Yeah thanks for the input I was actually planning on buying a Beckett 7114310 Waterfall Pump 3500gph from Amazon.com, but when I talked to this guy he made me second guess my purchase and so I canceled it. I'll see if he still wants to sell it to me.
 
Ahh yes. The ongoing saga of the "ideal" turnover rate.
For reference I have 950 GPH on my 240 gal.(4x Turnover) and 500 GPH on my 120 Gal. (also 4x).
I'm not faulting Prettykitty's choice of words, I just don't subscribe to the theory that there is such a thing as an ideal turnover rate. There are just too many variables.
Meako's quote pretty much sums up my opinion.
 
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