I'm making a sump for my 55g salt tank and I wanted to know what size pump I would need if it has to go four feet to the return and how big does the tube from the overflow need to be to equal this? Also would I be able to attach a power head to the return tube or do they have their own pump or something? I'm a noob in the salt world so any recommendations as to brand would be nice too.

it would help to know what type of overflow you have. If there isnt an overflow on the tank already then you could buy any pump you wanted and then buy an overflow built to handle the flow of your pump.

I have always had great luck with Quietone pumps.

Lifegard Aquatics Quiet One Aquarium Pump

On my test setup I used a mag 7 and a 1" diameter DIY pvc overflow. No problem with that. (pvc overflow was $15 of parts from home depot)

On my actual 55g I used a mag 5 with a commercial box u tube type overflow. I did have to suck out bubles in the u tube every so often. That said it did run for years anyway.

So a mag 5 or 7 should be good.

Any overflow with a 1" diameter drain should also be good.

I would recommend you use the largest diameter pvc you can. I had 3 outlets on my return and originally 1/2 diameter. When I increased that to 1" diameter I got much more flow.

If you have never setup a sump before test 1) for power out 2) normal operation on power return 3) (i originally forgot) failed overflow. In all three cases the water levels on the sump and display can be adjusted to that one "runs dry" before the other floods.

(you will also discover the siphon in the return lines on the first power out test. LOL )


my .02

__________________
fw leiden since 1979, fo salt since 1979, mixed reef 55g 2002-2009. Strong emphasis on the tank taking care of itself. Balanced with plant life, no water changes, tap water, no filters in FW. Only dosing calcium, alk, mag in marine reef tanks. http://www.aquariumforum.com/f15/my-...ods-26410.html
recent tanks (till 2009) 7 years- 10g FW leiden 7 yrs, 55g mixed reef 7, 2 yrs, 20g FW leiden, 10 g fw leiden , 29g mixed reef, current tank 55g leiden