water volume per hour????

[jumpincactus]

Strictly Reef tank........... when purchasing my pump for my return to a 50 gallon tank, what is the formula for figuring how many times per hour or 24 hour day should my pump be rated for gph
Also do any of you more knowledgable reefers use Sequence brand pumps and what expereince good or bad have you had with them. I am looking at a Sequnce Wahoo rated for 1450 gph @ a 4' head pressure.

 

[ChrisRD]

Most people like a return pump that moves about 5X to 10X the main tank volume per hour as a rough guideline. For a 50 gallon tank that means something in the 250 to 500 GPH range (after gravity head & friction losses).

As for Sequence pumps they are a quality brand with good customer service. I have no experience with that model but it sounds like it would make a good closed loop circulation pump. It would be overkill for a return pump on that tank.

 

[jumpincactus]

Hey thanks Chris,

I am just coming back to marine tanks after having a bad experience years ago when I first got started. When I atttempted my first and only reef it was before the Berlin method had really taken in America. I rushed things and had a bad time of it. I have done a lot of reading, Moe and Sprung etc, as for hands on I am pretty slow with the plumbing and setup.

So if I understood you you felt that the Sequence pump was overkill, based on your formula I would agree. The part I didnt get was the mention of a closed loop. I get what a closed loop is pre se, my question is when and how , or why would I incorporate a closed loop system in my reef?? Any help you can be to me along the way will be appreciated as I really want to be able to enjoy this hobby as well as the inhabitants and the Reefs they come from will be better off if I am a success.

 

[ChrisRD]

Reef tanks generally require lots of circulation - how much depends on what you're going to keep in it. Typically the sump return only provides a small part of that circulation and the bulk of it is provided by in-tank powerheads or a closed loop pump.

A closed loop setup is just a pump that is plumbed directly to the display tank (both intake and return lines). Basically it just recirculates the water in the display tank - sorta like what you see in a hot tub.

Here's a sketch from another thread showing some of the typically configurations for a closed loop setup.
http://www.reefs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=954393#954393

HTH

 

[ChrisRD]

BTW, for a closed loop pump, the Wahoo is not really ideal. It's better suited for an application where there is significant pressure to overcome. For a closed loop, something like a Dart would make more sense as it will provide more flow for less power consumption (at the expense of not being able to handle much pressure which in this application is does not have to do).