Reef nutrition

126 gallon: return flow 1,000 gph or 2,000 gph?

kinetic

kinetic

Supporting Member
BARcard
For my upcoming ELOS 120XL, it's rated flow is up to 2,905 GPH and was wondering if I should use a Royal Exclusive Red Dragon 3 mini or the non-mini as the return pump to run either about 1,000 gph or 2,000gph.

I will have plenty of additional flow for the corals via gyres and powerheads, so this is purely just pushing water through the sump. In the past I've always run pretty slow flow through my sumps, but I've only had smaller tanks. The ELOS 120XL also has dual returns, one higher up and one at the bottom (outlets are split from one return line though). Since I'm running the tank as a peninsula, I was thinking of plumbing the bottom return pretty far into the tank with the piping hidden under sand to help with some flow towards the end of the tank.

Another thing to take into account, I'll probably also be running an AquaUV 25watt in parallel with the return line.

Overall, I was thinking the RD3 mini would be just fine, but now I'm thinking if getting the regular non-mini, especially because it can still be run at lower speeds, and has that lime bypass/flushing mechanism (does that even work well?). I'll probably also need to upgrade from a ReefMat 500 to a 1200 if I go with the higher flow option.

Any thoughts that should push me in one direction over the other?
 
kinetic said:
For my upcoming ELOS 120XL, it's rated flow is up to 2,905 GPH and was wondering if I should use a Royal Exclusive Red Dragon 3 mini or the non-mini as the return pump to run either about 1,000 gph or 2,000gph.

I will have plenty of additional flow for the corals via gyres and powerheads, so this is purely just pushing water through the sump. In the past I've always run pretty slow flow through my sumps, but I've only had smaller tanks. The ELOS 120XL also has dual returns, one higher up and one at the bottom (outlets are split from one return line though). Since I'm running the tank as a peninsula, I was thinking of plumbing the bottom return pretty far into the tank with the piping hidden under sand to help with some flow towards the end of the tank.

Another thing to take into account, I'll probably also be running an AquaUV 25watt in parallel with the return line.

Overall, I was thinking the RD3 mini would be just fine, but now I'm thinking if getting the regular non-mini, especially because it can still be run at lower speeds, and has that lime bypass/flushing mechanism (does that even work well?). I'll probably also need to upgrade from a ReefMat 500 to a 1200 if I go with the higher flow option.

Any thoughts that should push me in one direction over the other?
Click to expand...

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How To Properly Size A Return Pump For An Aquarium

Find out how to calculate head pressure and properly size your return for a saltwater reef aquarium.
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First: I would strongly recommend dual return pumps if you have the space.
Return pumps fail. All brands, even the most expensive.
Losing filtration for a few days until you can fix it is not the end of the world,
but the problem is, we all have our heaters in the sump. Winter can be cold at night.

As a bonus, you can put your UV on just one return, for better dwell time.

As far as the flow, hard to say.
A simple number is pump rating = tank gallons * 10. So with head loss you are gallons * 5-7 or so with a normal setup.
Reminder: Check your overflow rating. Going too high could produce a lot of noise, or even overflow easily with a bit of crud or a snail.
 
Pump type is a tough call.
RD3 is a good pump. I have one on my skimmer. Controller failed, but good customer support.
On the other hand Jebao is a crappy pump with zero support, but you can buy 6 of them for the price of an RD3,
which means you can have dual returns, with a spare or two, and even replace them every couple of years.
 
The tank only has one return, so I can't run dual.

I have plenty of backup pumps (I have 2 new VarioS-4 pumps that I can put in place quickly), but if there's some failure when I'm not at home, it might be bad news. If I ever go out for a multi-day trip, I'll have the VarioS-4 pump sitting next to the tank, barb fitting in there and ready to go for a neighbor (like @Kensington Reefer ) to come save the day.
 
rygh said:
Pump type is a tough call.
RD3 is a good pump. I have one on my skimmer. Controller failed, but good customer support.
On the other hand Jebao is a crappy pump with zero support, but you can buy 6 of them for the price of an RD3,
which means you can have dual returns, with a spare or two, and even replace them every couple of years.
Click to expand...

The great thing about the RD3 is that every single pump part can be purchased separately. I can just run one of my trusty VarioS pumps while waiting for a replacement part to come in. If there's ever a big sale, maybe I'll just pickup a second RD3.
 
rdriggett said:
Larger pump at 50% gives you headroom to turn it up. I personally prefer higher turnover.
Click to expand...

Yeah, the flexibility here will be nice to have. As a DC pump too, controlling flow would be even easier (especially because it has an apex connection, and I can control with a VDM).
 
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