[Fozz]

When building a tank, how do you know what size of water pump to use if your going with a sump? I have a fluval 305 for my 46 gallon tank, and it is good for up to 70 gallons according the the box. But how do you know if you have enough water movement. And when I upgrade to a sump, how do I know if the pump I get is large enough? Can I over do it?

 

[aspects]

generally, you want your pump to give you 5-10x turnover on your tank. (so for a 46g tank, you will want 230-460gph)

5x turnover is pretty standard. if you have an "overstocked" tank, or fish with a higher bio-load, you may want to go higher. also, a higher flow rate will help increase mechanical filtration in your sump.

keep in mind that with the pump, you will have to factor in "pump head". depending how tall your stand is, you will need a slightly bigger pump. (if your 230GPH pump sits 3-4 feet under the display, it will probably only be pumping around 150gph). most pumps will have a chart on the side that shows you the GPH of the pump based on different head heights.

the other thing to factor in is your stock. while some fish would be happy even in 100x turnover, some are easily stressed by high flowrates (like bettas for example. they dont like too much water movement)

as far as the filtration itself, you cant really "overdo it", but if your fish are not happy, then it may be too much. as long as you dont have easily stressed fish, you will be fine.

 

[phil_pl]

On my tank i am using the rule of you can never have too much flow(Only applies to reef tanks that i know of). i have a 90gal tank i am getting a 1000gph to run my sump and may add another pump to run a closed loop.

 

[aspects]

nope, its the same for FW tanks. youre only running 11x on your reef. thats not really too crazy. most people with reef tanks use an average of 10x.
ive run almost 60x on a tank before. lol.

most of my tanks run around 10x on the sump, and also have additional filtration. so im with you.
you can never have too much filtration

 

[Fozz]

Can you list a few good pumps. For a sump and canister. My next tank will be around 110 Gallon I think.

 

[aspects]

Again, it really depends on your individual situation. You will need to first decide how much turnover you want. Then you will need to match your pump to your overflow.

As far as brands of pumps go:
if you're looking for something inexpensive, go with a "quietOne" I believe they're made by pentair aquatics.
"Rio" pumps are also good, and not too pricey. I use these when my LFS is out of eheim pumps
Also you can mook into "mag drive" pumps. These can get pricey, but its a work horse.

 

[archer772]

Sorry to say but first you need to know what your overflow is able to take because you dont want a pump that will out do the overflow.

 

[aspects]

I don't believe he has an overflow yet. But you're right. As I said above, you will need to match your pump to your overflow. The overflow will need to hve the same or a higher flow rate than the pump to prevent spillover in your display.

Then there is the question of what overflow to go with.
Drill the tank & install bulkheads
Box slimmer overflow
DIY PVC overflow (my favorite)

And how big/ how many overflows.

This will all depend on your desired turnover.
I always suggest 5x as a minimum turnover, while I personally run closer to 10x. So it really depends what you want from your set up.

 

[archer772]

Sorry Aspects I missed that in your last post.

 

[aspects]

sorry for what? You were absolutely right.

Don't apologize. Its a sign of weakness. - LJ Gibbs