Return pump sizing and how to pick what kind?

[Balz3352]

I have googled and searched and scoured many forums and sites to help decide and just get general info on return pumps. Still a little confused hence this post. Perhaps we can widdle down and get some good info out there.


1. What size pump in general.
1a. How many times over is recommended 3x 5x 10x?
1b. Head loss. How do you calculate this.

2. What kind of pump? Advantages disadvantages.
2a. Submersible vs exterbal
2b. Ac vs Dc

3. What kind of plumbing do you guys use?

4. Favorite brands.

5. Not so favorite brands.




Thanks in advance. Feel free to add stuff I'm missing because like I said I have no clue just trying to get info.

 

[quillin35]

What size system ? The whole times thing was just a rule of thumb in the past. Its not really about how many times it turns over its about the flow in your system. The slower u can get the water to travel through and sump ir refugium the better. U can always had power heads to get be flow in your dt.

 

[quillin35]

Your head loss would be from your return pump to the nozzles

 

[zombie]

The actual calculation for head loss is quite involved, but you can approximate it fairly well by taking the difference in height from the input tube/pipe to the output tube/pipe and multiply the value by 1.25

 

[Balz3352]

I have 2 planned sumps in mind. One on my 29 biocube another on a 25 ish gallon frag tank.
Both will probably only have 4 feet of head max.

 

[CRW Reef]

I might recommend some Mag 5 pumps with a union, a T with ball valve leading back to refugium and then another Union. That way you have the flexibility to throttle down or up the flow as needed.