90 gal return pump question

[TheGuyFromNJ]

What is the suggested return pump for a 90 RR tank? Right now I have a Quiet One 3000 (780gph) but it doesn't seem to be keeping up with the overflow. I have heard of some using mag 9.5-mag 12 pumps, I think a 12 would be way too much.

So what would you suggest for an internal pump that wont have to be throttled back too much?

 

[jsteel]

how high is the top of your tank from the bottom of the sump? head pressure can dramatically reduce gph. i looked up the chart for the quiet one 3000 and if your tank is 4' above your sump you are only getting 590gph. i ran a little giant(1200 gph) on a 75g and it wasn't at all too much flow.

But to answer your question, 10 times turnover is a good place to start(after head pressure is calculated of course).

 

[TheGuyFromNJ]

I picked up a mag 9, we will see how that works out. I just wasn't sure what the overflow box on a 90 RR was rated for. thanks

 

[Hawkeye]

Isn't it 600Gph?

personally i would scale the return pump to maximize the efficiency of the skimmer in the sump.

 

[mheaven]

I second phil519 , It leaves more contact time with the skimmer. Add some more power heads to get the proper water circulation.

 

[danthemanj]

If you are looking for return from a sump with a refugium, I think 5x - 6x the turnover of your display tank would be a good number. You don't want a raging rapid going through your sump/refugium. If you want/need additional flow in your display tank, then a closed loop would serve you better.

 

[TheGuyFromNJ]

Actually I was looking for a pump to return to the main tank from the sump.

I hooked up a mag 9.5 and I am still getting the gulping sound, the pipe in the sump is below the water level in the sump, and I tried moving the standpipe up and down, but no change. I'm not sure what to try next. I am out of ideas.

 

[JohnS_323]

You can try putting a 90* elbow on your drain line right at the surface of the water in the sump so that half is below the water level and half is above. That sometimes helps. I've found that systems generally run the quietest when you have the return flow as close to the maximum overflow rate as you can get. It goes against conventional wisdom but has been my experience many times over.

 

[Jcurry@wesketch]

You can also zip tie a plastic bag to the elbow and cut the bottom out. It will stop the spalshing into the sump. Are you running Durso stand pipes? That helps also.

http://www.dursostandpipes.com/BuildYourOwn/tabid/54/Default.aspx

I use the adjustable air hole modification.

 

[TheGuyFromNJ]

its not much of a splashing sound, more of a gulping sound, like air bubbling out the bottom of the drain. I did have the drain above the water line in the sump, but that made both a splashing and a gulping sound. I can hear the gulping from 2 rooms away!

The tank has a standpipe, I am not sure if it is a durso or not. Looks like it follows the same design though.

 

[Wannareef]

take the little air pipe out of the durso and drill the hole larger and put a bigger tube in. i had to do that with my 90 with a mag 9.5 also fixed the problem

 

[Jcurry@wesketch]

If it's the same design as a Durso then I would remove it and drill an adjustable air hole like the one shown on the website. That way you can adjust the amount of air being released from the standpipe. Also as John suggested raise the output to be halfway above the water line OR all the way above the water line with the plastic bag.
Take some pictures if you can it will help a lot.

 

[pitogo]

My Oceanic Tech 70G also has the same gurgling issue. It has a durso but it looks different from the normal PVC type. It has holes in the in the side of the 90° elbow an air hole at the top and the main drain hole in the other half of the 90° elbow. Loud is not a word for it, sounds like I'm in the ocean. It drains into a filter sock. below water level.

 

[Jcurry@wesketch]

Sounds like you need to make a new durso pipe. There shouldn't be any holes in the sides so the durso can create a siphon.

 

[pitogo]

Ah no wonder!!

 

[techrider62]

I use a mag 5 for my return and use a pump large for my closed loop on my 90.

 

[TheGuyFromNJ]

it looks as though the water was falling too fast. I had the overflow draining straight down, which I guess was causing suction. I added a FEW elbows and the noise went away.

thanks to all that replied.

 

[Patriot76]

I use a Mag-9.5 for a return pump on my 180g. I subscribe to the notion of 3x5 times the tanks volume. And like the previous post suggest, utilize powerheads or a closed loop system for water movement. the idea of using a smaller return pump is to maximze time in the sump for exposure to the skimmer. also, a smaller pump will cause less water turbulence within the sump. also reduce micro bubbles if you are having a problem with them (like i was). that being said, i think a Mag-5 would be ideal for a 90g. if you have a lot of head loss, maybe a Mag-7.

Here is a link to calculate head loss-

http://reefcentral.com/calc/hlc2.php

as far you gurgling standpipes, like GuyFromNJ said, if the drainage is straight, try a couple of 90 degree elbows (i had to do this). also, try a second hole in your end cap of your stand pipe (had to do that too). if that still doesnt work, you could try cutting a few slits in your PVC drainage pipe above the water line in your sump allowing air to escape the drainage before entering the sump (had to do this too).