Return Pump Strenght ?

[psycho-killer]

hey all,
Ive been running my 800 litre system for about 5 months now, my return suddenly got very loud.. its an 8000/L/H pump.


want to replace it with a 12000 litre pump casue thats the only pump nearby i can get, will it be to strong for a return ? want to point the outlet from the left to the middle of the tank, i also have 2x 6000 litre powerheads..

tank size 2000x500x700

sump 350 litres..

 

[Colin_T]

The more powerful pump will cause the sump to run with less water in and the main tank will have more water in. This shouldn't be a problem in a big tank but it might be so you would have to try it and monitor it closely for the first 10 minutes. If the sump doesn't run dry and the main display doesn't overflow, then you will be fine with the bigger pump

 

[psycho-killer]

and if i use 2x 2700 l pumps ?

then ill have a spare still running if something happens..

i also have a dsb so from what i know contact time with the dsb does matter ?

wich is better option ?

12000 L/H pump or 2x 2700 litres making it R 5400 L/H ?

 

[Colin_T]

not sure what dsb is?

a 12000 Lph pump will be able to pump water higher than a couple of 2700 Lph pump. The smaller pumps have less head height, meaning they can't pump the water up as high and this will mean a significant reduction in water flow getting into the tank. The bigger pump will provide a lot more water to the tank with less effort.

 

[@ombomb]

dsb = deep sand bed

you don't want a high turn over through your sump, 5 x display tank volume is a good mark to aim for

in terms of the pump you have in mind, it really depends on the manufacturer / model / pump head (the vertical distance it will be pumping up)