External water pumps

[Picklefish]

I'm getting ready to add another 225gal bulk water storage tank. At present I use a nag drive pump to circulate/filter/deliver the treated water. I'm open to changing brands but would prefer a more energy efficient model as these pumps will run 24/7 in the fishroom.
Suggestions. Comments. Experiences? ??

Thanks much for all input.

[joe_jaskot]

Submersible or in-line? Head height? Desired flow rate?

[Picklefish]

Submersible is an option although the tank has a threaded fitting at the bottom that I can plumb off of. GPH is negotiable but not too slow. Head height would be a max of 6' when the bulk tank is close to empty and refilling top shelf tanks. An average if 3-4' otherwise.
The present setup I use is a mag9.5 with a 25' of 5/8" hose and I just hang the end on whatever tank is being filled.

[joe_jaskot]

Your current pump uses 93 watts of electricity. Running this pump 24/7 costs about $7.40/month assuming your price per kwh is $0.20 (probably less). A cost saving option would be to use a lower wattage powerhead for circulation and only use your mag pump when you want to fill your tanks.

[nick a]

I agree with Joe about circulation---much cheaper ways of doing that.


If I understand you correctly, you're pump suction is from the bottom of the 225? (true whether you plumb the pump outside or it sits on the bottom/submersible).

That means that the fill level of the tank is irrelevant to the head calculation. Head would be measured from the height of the pump discharge to the top lip of the highest fish tank you will be pumping to.

You can see the decline in GPH relative to head by examining a pump's curve such as shown for these eheims below:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v250/tnzka/Eheimchart.jpg

I love these little pumps---if you can swing the upfront cost, they'll run forever.
Depending on your true head calculations....the 1260 may be a good choice at $~150. ~65 watts and still delivering 250/300 GPH at 8' of head (which should be as high as you have tanks on the top shelf?)---which means you could drain your 225 in less than one hour!

[dsap92]

Talk to John at Jehmco. He is very knowledgable on that subject. He will also tell you where to look for a pump if he doesn't have something that fits your needs. he is an honest guy. I got a QuietOne 4400 High head model from him. I run it at its max rated head so it is slow, but I do not have to carry buckets. It was the best I could get without overspending.