what kind of pump ??

[jetchris]

What would be the best pump to use for this skimmer. It would need to be a submersible pump. I was thinking of a mag drive but not sure which one to get ?
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[mufret]

What's the water volume of your setup? For smaller setups, a Maxijets works great as you only need to push 1 to 1.5 times the water volume to the skimmer. The other alternative is to have it fed directly from your overflow.

 

[jetchris]

total volume is about 130g's - I never thouhgt about a maxi jet. I would not be able to t off from the overflow.

 

[jetchris]

What about a mag drive pump ? oh the skimmer is rated for 300g's

 

[jetchris]

What sized maxi should i use <--- doesnt sound right

 

[mufret]

If you're skimming 130g then you'll need something that will feed 130g to 200g to the skimmer. The rating of the skimmer doesn't really come into play here. You could use a Mag 2 or 3 as long as you use a ball valve on the output to control the feed to the skimmer.

 

[tsciarini]

Just a side note... you'll get more heat from a mag then you will from a maxijet

 

[george]

Looks like a Sedra with a needle wheel right now. If you just use a straight mag with a venturi it probably won't work the same.

Looks like a Euroreef skimmer.

 

[jetchris]

it is an octopus nw 200 recirc. Would a maxi jet 400 work, i have one i am using to mix sw, i could take that out and put it in my sump and have it feed the skimmer ?

 

[george]

Missed that. see the other thread.

My advice is aim for the lowest watt pump that can push what you need to make the skimmer work. You may find that you need very little water input to make it work. The really, really sweet thing about recirculating skimmers (thanks again Cameron!!) is that the venturi doesn't affect water flow into the pump like regular Euroreef type pumps so salt buildup over time on the venturi doesn't change the water flow into the pump, only the amount of recirculation bubbles. Your skimmer level is constant and you almost never need to adjust unless water parameters change enough to influence skimmate production.

 

[jetchris]

well, i am still unsure if a mj400 will work should i just try it to see what happens ?

 

[george]

If you can hook it up leak-free to the skimmer hose, yes.

You're really just affecting the rate at which your skimmer is fed water. This is akin to other skimmer types in sumps and adjusting the rate at which the sump gets overflow. If the feed pump is lower and the recirculation pump is constant, you're just increasing the time that it gets recirculated.

I think. Cameron is the expert on these things.

 

[george]

You will run into the situation that there is back-pressure on the feed pump (assuming the water level is above the feed spot) so your input gph is not strictly the same as the pump's rating. Really close, but the smaller the pump (powerheads, in this case) and the less they can deal with head pressure, the less rate you'll get.

 

[mufret]

Use the MJ400 to break the skimmer in. I'd probably look around for a MJ600, though, to get it running more efficiently.

 

[ouling]

I use a quiet one 1200 for my tank with the same volume as yours chris and it works very well.

 

[mfinch99]

I like the Eheim 1046. 300gph @ 5W

 

[dannybradley]

If you're going to use a powerhead to push it, I would use an Aquaclear brand over a Maxijet. They're close in price and don't destroy impellers like the Maxijets do. Maxijets glue the impeller to the magnet, which breaks easily. Aquaclears uses a catch, which gives it a softer start and almost never breaks.

 

[dannybradley]

Here's a link for them.

 

[mufret]

Any pump that will get the desired GPH to the skimmer will work! There are tradeoffs with any of the brands mentioned (heat, size, availablity of parts, etc). I only suggested the MJ because he has one, their relatively low cost and they are available everywhere.

You have a little time to find the one one you want to use since it will take the skimmer a day or 2 to build up it's slime coat and break in. You do want to size the pump correctly (or have a way to control the amount of water entering the skimmer). It will have an influence on the water level and turbulence inside the skimmer which can determine how effective your skimmer will operate.