(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best aquarium water pumps

So, I have a standard 20 long. For circulation I run a Polario 10ml. It's a little overkill, and a 7ml would probably be more ideal, but I love the circulation throughout the tank and that its current reverses every 20 seconds to simulate the natural ebb and flow of the ocean. My corals have responded well to the increased and random flow, and the fish dno't mind it either. In addition, the one time I had need of their customer service, they were excellent and prompt. I recommend them to everyone looking for a new circulation pump

I custom built my sump from acrylic because I had a limited space for it, but it holds about 9 gallons total. I keep 7 lbs of live rock rubble in my first chamber, along with an Aquaticlife 115 protein skimmer. The skimmer isn't too bad. I wish it would produce less liquid and more solid skimmate, but it does create a pretty good amount of dark water over a few days, so I've been happy with it. I have a chaeto chamber next which also houses a Deep Blue UV Sterilizer. It's definitely helped slow down how fast algae grows on the tank walls. I bought it to see if it would help slow down the bryposis I've had the gross displeasure of dealing with. I would buy it again.

I put a 6 inch DSB in the next chamber, but I'm not convinced it ever set up properly. It's still a work in progress. Finally, I have a Marineland NJ1100 return pump, and some random heater stick I found lying around. The pump isn't bad, but I might choose something a little more powerful should I ever need to replace it. All in all I'm pretty happy with the setup.

Edit: I also use the Kent 2-Part Nano Reef supplement. I definitely notice a large difference in growth rates and vibrancy when I slack off for a while.

Edit Edit: Oh, and I have assorted corals including Blastos, Montis, Zoas, Some Ricordea, Digitata, Trumpets, plus others I just don't know the names of. There's also a Mini-Maxi Carpet Anemone, Black Blenny, Scooter Blenny, Red-Lined Cardinal, and a Yasha Goby/Tiger Pistol pair. I do a 10% to 20% water change each week to help replenish trace minerals. It would all be phenomenal if it weren't for the bryopsis. But, that's on it's way out too.

OK. My suggestion? Get a 40G Breeder from Petco/Petsmart. One of them frequently has a $1/1g sale, so you can get one cheap.
 
Next, you'll most likely want a protein skimmer. They keep excess waste and proteins out of the water and prevent nutrients from staying in your tank (and thereby allowing algae to grow). This one is internal and has good reviews: https://www.amazon.com/Protein-Skimmer-Counter-Current-Medium/dp/B0002APZ8U/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1468385411&sr=1-1&keywords=protein+skimmer
 
You will need an air pump and air stone for that one, but they're like $10-$20.
 
Now, a heater. I'd suggest going with Eheim, they're rock solid. I have two of these in my larger tank for redundancy, both will be controlled by an aquarium controller eventually. https://www.amazon.com/EHEIM-Jager-Aquarium-Thermostat-Heater/dp/B003SNMMQQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1468385694&sr=1-1&keywords=eheim+heater+125w
 
Lastly, you will need a way to move water. Get two of these at $35 a piece. https://www.amazon.com/Hydor-Koralia-Evolution-Aquarium-Circulation/dp/B0036RXO3O/ref=sr_1_2?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1468385948&sr=1-2&keywords=powerhead&refinements=p_89%3AHydor

So far, we're at the following with just equipment:
Tank: $40
Protein Skimmer: $34
Air Pump: $20
Heater: $25
Powerhead: $35 (x2) = $70
Total: $189.
 
Now you'll need to factor in other things, like consumables!
Salt: Red Sea salt is my personal favorite. https://www.amazon.com/Red-Sea-ARE11220-Aquarium-55-Gallon/dp/B000YIYTIC/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1468386197&sr=1-1&keywords=red+sea+salt
This jug will do 55g of water. $32.
RO/DI Water: My LFS sells it for $0.50 a gallon. Not sure what you can get it for, but I assume its similar. You should absolutely NOT use tap water with a conditioner. The conditioners remove chlorine, but they do not remove phosphates and other heavy metals in your water. Let's assume you get 45 gallons (tank + 5 gallons to replace 1 week of evaporated water.) $22.50.
Assuming you do a 10% water change every two weeks, your monthly water usage will be 54+10=30 gallons of water a month @$0.50/g, $0.576 per H20 gallon of salt 30 gallons = 15+17.28 = $32.28 a month in water after initial setup.
 

Consumables:
Water: $22.50
Salt: $32
Water Maintenance / month: $32.28
 
You will lastly need some testing equipment. Get a hydrometer to measure your salinity (I keep mine @ 1.026), a thermometer (mine is 79F), and a test kit to measure your parameters. Don't bother with API's test kit, they're not to accurate. Red Sea makes a good starter kit: https://www.amazon.com/Red-Sea-ARE21525-Marine-Aquarium/dp/B00BAVVD6I/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1468386757&sr=1-1&keywords=red+sea+test+kit @ $39.76
 
Now you just need rock and sand. Good luck!

Alright so 8 bucks isn't bad and I can appreciate trying to do shit as cheap as possible. There are a few things that I'm going to point out that stick out to me though.

The pH might be the culprit here still, the higher pH could be making it so the plant cannot uptake as much nitrogen and other nutrients as it needs to support fruit and vegetative growth, but was enough to just grow leaves.

Changing the water every 3 months on well water sounds like a recipe for root rot, algae growth, biofilm and more. The bubbler might help a bit but I know my well water would for sure have ended up bad by then.

Depending on how big the res is and if you have 8 more bucks a small water pump hooked up to nothing just moving water would help keep the nutrients mixed evenly in the water.

The temperature is probably fine if you're inside and keep your house at 65-70 degrees but if you have a thermometer you can put in there overnight and check at like 6am and 2pm to know for sure. 65 is the limit of how low you want to go imo with hydro.

Yeah, I'm sure you're right about pearling honestly - I'm sure at least part of the reason they only pearl towards the end of the day is just because they've been wildly productive all day. It'd be nice if they pearled all day though.

And yes - I also agree with you on the powerhead. I have three in my tank - but I definitely noticed the best improvement in flow and nutrient distribution when I added my Hydor Koralia Magnum 1650.

My CO2 stays on right until the lights go off. My fish don't seem to mind (although maybe once I get my levels dialed in, I'll want to start cutting it off an hour or so before the lights go off).

I've tried using a drop checker in the past, and it was always in the yellow. I'm not sure if the bromothymol blue solution eventually degraded, but I could never seem to get useful information from it. I like the precise nature of the kH vs pH system. But I may try using the drop checker again just to have a quick reference.


My main goal is just to prevent CO2 fluctuation, which is at least partially to blame for my BBA. The rest of it is probably flow related. I have a ton of Amazon Swords that are very densely planted around the sides and back wall. Come to think of it, it's almost pruning time...

Cost $24.99 on Amazon.ca. I diy'd an old computer 500w power supply to use as the 12v power source needed to use it. Runs at 65w at the wall.

Cooled the res water from 73°f to 66.5°f. I used to add frozen bottles but I couldn't keep up with cooling approx. 20gal of water. It would hit 66 then go right back up to 73 within a few hours. Did some research and found the Peltier water cooling solution for computers.

The mod I bought is a computer cpu heat sink and fan, peltier semiconductor and a water block. Semiconductor moves heat from one to the other leaving one side very cool and the other side very hot.

I would stay away from anything that has small fans. You'd want at least 80mm fans with a decent heatsink like in the picture.

Edit: added bonus is it helps keep my tent air at 75°f in this cold ass winter.

Edit 2: Parts list

Water Pump This is separate from the pump you are using for recirculating (RDWC).

Peltier Cooler I already have an extra on the way for summer. If not this one, go with something similar. i bought one that had multiple small fans and it didn't work well as it couldn't remove the heat fast enough from the heatsink and was heating up the cold side.

Power Supply Unit (PSU) I used an old one I had lying around. The one in the link is plenty of power and you just have to mod it. To get the PSU to turn on without connecting to a comp motherboard, you connect the green wire to a black wire. There should only be 1 green wire, which is the on/off wire that gets connected to the motherboard on/off port. You could buy dedicated power supplies for this kind of application but they are more expensive for less wattage. Dealers choice I guess.

5/16" Inside Diameter Hose

Edit 3: Will add link with a better side pic later today.

I have a Danner pump in there now but it’s got a little rattle to it. It used to be used for saltwater so I have been flushing it out with water and vinegar.

I have three of the bulkheads done. The fourth one the nut was slipping so I ordered a new one. It’ll be here today. I hand tightened all of them and as I read somewhere else gave them a quarter turn with a tool. I am also not that strong so I don’t think I can hand tighten these as much as a normal person.


I just bought this Current USA 6010 1900 GPH eFlux DC Flow Pump https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N028C75/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_XEjRCbVPYA6Q0 any good? I bought the 72 inch led light to go with it too. I figure I’ll let it run for a week or two before I start putting my fishies in there.

I am open to suggestions on lights as well as long as I can find them on amazon. There’s not a lot of places to buy stuff here. I need 72 inches though

I am definitely not over-stocking I have 8 cichlids in a 40 gallon tank and they are about two inches to three inches. I’m not really in a hurry to get fish in there if they’re gonna have a hard time living at first so I’ll let the tank cycle for a while.

I also bought some pond liner to put inside the stand in case of a leak.

Stocked:

1 super chill betta
11 ruby tetras
1 Costello tetra
6 otos

The original 5 ruby tetras would rarely ever leave the corner of the tank behind the sponge filter. After 2 months of this, I decided to try a powerhead to see if they’d like the increased flow. I removed the sponge on the right side and placed the powerhead in that spot. Within minutes of turning it on, all 12 tetras are schooling around the tank. For the first time, they keep swimming around the sponge filter and ride the air bubbles. I will be adding a few more Costello’s in a week or so once I’m confident the new filter is primed. Tank was cycled fish-in with 6 tetras and a beta as they needed an immediate upgrade. The sword and Anubis came from my old tanks. The dwarf sag was planted 2 weeks ago and is already sending runners. I throw out about that quantity of hornwort a month.

The powerhead was this one
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078MWDSC5/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_72UCDbR9DWWCM

I filed the holes bigger to decrease the current a bit as well as replacing the crappy sponge with some filter floss I cut to fit.

For maintenance, I do a 30% WC once a week. I add half a dose of Thrive every couple of days, excel daily and iron usually once a week. Root tabs are also used near the sword and dwarf sag.

I mix all nutes up in a 5 gal bucket, and use a submersible pump with ~6ft of 1/2" tubing to reach back and water. It's great, serves a couple purposes also. Hang the hose above your bucket like a fountain/waterfall and it will efficiently mix as you add your nutes. If you let it run overnight it does a great job of aerating and de-chlorinating your water.

yeah i was looking around someone suggested iwaki, and i found this thing its overkill but might as well be safe i guess.
http://www.amazon.com/Iwaki-WMD40RLT-Water-Pump-American/dp/B001C18QHA

as for the noise i think i read it was rated at 55db, so i was going to buy those sound foam pads i've seen around on youtube and build a foam block around it and hope they reduce its noise. i'm not sure what you mean by indoor outdoor fan?, i was thinking of trying to find my own eletrical wires and disconnect one of my molex cables and increase its length to 8ft and at the end use swift tech's 8way pwm splitter to power the fans on the radiator.

you’re gonna have to upgrade that tank in 4 or so months with the eel and current stocking. the Uniclife 3400 GPH Controllable Wavemaker is a pretty good one. it’s controllable so you can use it in the larger tank when you upgrade and up the flow. that’s your best bang for the buck choice

I just picked up one of these last week and I'm really pleased with it. Very quiet, adjustable speed, feed mode (turns pump off for 10 minutes and then starts it back up again). Can't speak to its longevity, as I haven't had it long enough, but so far I'm very happy. You could probably do fine with the DC-3000 since it's a smaller tank and a lot less head than my setup.

For a cheap alternative to the hydor you can try this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B078XQ3FCL/ref=dp_ob_neva_mobile

I used it in a 9gal cube and it worked pretty well, it is adjustable and not loud, my only complaint is it feels like it gets pretty warm, which might not be a big deal for you, but I didn't need any extra warmth when my tank was hitting temps above 80.

I mean something like [this](SongJoy Wave Maker Circulation Pump 3170GPH Suction Cup Base Powerhead for Aquarium https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01J19M7WO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_hTNAzbGVTC1MR), but less powerful. Maybe [this](KEDSUM 550GPH Submersible Water Pump for Indoor Pond Aquarium, Fish Tank Powerhead for Water Fountain Hydroponic, 40W https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017R708QO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_nUNAzbPFN802J) is better? Or a smaller powerhead and a smaller wave maker?

Your tubing looks very cleanly setup! do you have a couple more pictures? Its hard to access the viability from the top down.
Installing a Flood and Drain system with a Bell siphon is very simple.

Any cheap 100GPH pump should get you started as long as you add a little flow regulator or ball value.

I used this one to flood a 50L tub 6 times an hour on just its own power: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072JC4XTT/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I have to clean solids from its filter weekly but its very little work.

Im curious how the Filter was pumping water previous, and if you'll get enough flow through to keep the tank filtered.

A little floating raft could be cut to the exact size and you could do it that way saving on media, and letting the raft allow water to float by into the other end of the filter.

Depending on where solid waste is filtered out before it hits the roots is important to how you decide to move forward.

Hope this helps!

Here is how I pimped my 40g after the girls insisted on it. 1st time in 30 years fish keeping with anything artificial in a tank. But anyway.

After decades of hobbying, and working in the industry in the past, here is how I set up all of my freshwater tanks:

1 inch of Miracle Grow Organic potting soil. Capped with 2 1/2 inches of Eco-Complete mixed half and half with black sand. After years of trying different methods, this is exactly how I start substrate in all my tanks now. Easy, lush growth for years.

Koval lighting. I like how wide these are for wider tanks. No real bells or whistles.. but will grow anything.

Hydro Sponge filter (pro version) with a powerhead on it. You can go with two 40g (#3 Sponge) size in opposite sides of the tank with two medium flow powerheads and have the highest level of mechanical and biological filtration & crystal clear water while saving money. Silent and once surrounded by plants, hardscape- invisible.

Easy-Green ferts (available at Aquarium Co-Op).

Aqueon heaters.

I use a garden hose and a Rio submersible pump to pump water out of the tank, then place the pump in the water reservoir bin to pump the new water back up into the tank. It comes with attachments for tubing or garden hose, has a decent flow even at a 6ft head, and is pretty cheap for a pump that's lasted over 4 years so far. No more lifting heavy buckets!

The pump you listed looks pretty decent, up to 180 gallons per hour if it's flat, but I'd be more concerned with its head rating. It's only designed to lift water 36"; your flow is going to decrease very quickly with any amount of height, and unless your tanks are right next to the water source and on the same level, I'd probably steer clear and look at a different option.

Cobalt MJ900. The Cobalt pumps are hydor maxijet pumps, but made in Italy like the hydors of yesteryear. They are much better quality than maxijets sold today.

Something like that could work, what might be cheaper though is something like this

Coohome 400 GPH (1500L/H,25W),Submersible Pump, Adjustable Aquarium Pump, Powerful Pond Pump, Fountain Pump with 4.9ft Power Cord,6.56ft High Lift for Fish Tank, Statuary, Pond, Hydroponics https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073WRYMKF/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_nhgRAbMJJ4EE6

And just plug it in when the water gets high, then unplug once a good amount has drained. A 35 gallon tote would probably give you a couple days at least between having to drain it. A bit more advanced but could wire something up with an ardunio or raspberry pi to auto drain it. But in my opinion a fully auto solution isn't really worth the cost

Awesome setup. You could probably get rid of all those powerheads except one and just throw in one of these to make it look even nicer.

http://www.amazon.com/Jebao-WP-60-Wave-Maker-Controller/dp/B00HQDI1M8

Yes! It's this little pump.

It's the smallest I could find. I cut a piece of sponge to fit inside the intake. It doesn't provide any biological filtration, just water movement to facilitate biological filtration throughout a heavily planted nano. It's been working very well on my current setup.

I bought this: Hydor Centrifical Pump 70 All-Purpose Pump, 70 GPH - Original Pico Evolution 200 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001AVDQO0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_hwPBDbY5W32EE

Would I do it again? Probably not. I have a Joule, and use it almost exclusively now. I use my homemade contraption when I’m doing 2 cooks mostly.

But what I made is also more modular and can be used for an electric smoker as well.

My experience with cyanobacteria is that it seems to like low flow and higher levels of organics. Maybe try some different stuff with the filter to get more circulation in the tank. A small circ pump might be useful depending on the size and configuration of the setup (create a return flow along the bottom to direct crud towards the filter). If you've got a gravel substrate, consider swapping it out for sand (one of the problems with gravel is that it grabs and holds on to crud; which can be an issue if you can't get all of it with a gravel vac. With sand it sits on top and makes it easier to clean)

Edit: creeped your comment history and saw the photos you posted. Looks like there's a bit of a dead spot in the far corner; which is where the stuff builds up. See if you can get rid of that. You could try moving the HOB so the intake is in the corner, then put something like this in the opposite corner to push water in a circle across the bottom.

> used some chemicals to get rid of it

What did you use? Some stuff is more effective than others. Erythromycin is the doom bringer for BGA.

I use the larger of this and love it.
https://www.amazon.com/Odyssea-Powerhead-Water-Pump-Submersible/dp/B016V9Q1AG/ref=sr_1_18?ie=UTF8&qid=1492379321&sr=8-18-spons&keywords=200+gph+powerhead&psc=1

Might this little guy work: https://www.amazon.com/KEDSUM-Submersible-Fountain-Aquarium-Hydroponics/dp/B072JC4XTT/ref=mp_s_a_1_16?keywords=kedsum&qid=1554500719&s=gateway&sr=8-16

There isn’t a hardware store anywhere particularly close to me I can just pop in to

when i had my jar i used a small pico pump to circulate the water instead of an airstone. The little bit of heat output from the pump kept the water always about 5 degrees warmer than room temp. so in the winter room temp is around 69 so jar ran at 74, in the summer room temp 73-74 jar was 78-79. This is the pump i used. I just covered the intake with a filter pad to keep things from getting sucked in.
http://www.amazon.com/Hydor-Centrifical-All-Purpose-Aquariums-Terrariums/dp/B001AVDQO0/ref=sr_1_3?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1419001479&sr=1-3&keywords=hydor+pico

Cheap Pump

Cheaper Pump - lower flow