Pump suggestions to lift from dt

[orange]

Hello,

I have a 65gal sumpless reef tank, and I'm looking to add an ATS. I'm planning on raising it above the tank (distance from water level to top of scrubber will be about a foot) and gravity feeding the filtered water back to the system. As I don't have a sump, I'm looking for suggestions on a pump that can produce the recommended 280gph flow for the 8" wide screen with about a foot of lift, that can be placed either safely in the display tank, or external with a slotted hose placed in the aquarium.

I would prefer to have the pump operating externally but I don't think there are any small self-priming water pumps.

I was thinking maybe an Eheim Compact+ 2000 which has a wide range of adjustable flow that covers below and well above the needed flow, so it can be fine tuned. Only problem is, I don't think it can be used externally with only the intake hose submerged.

Am thinking maybe I should just build a little ledge in the corner for a pump? Would be rather unsightly though...

Thanks greatly in advance,

Orange

[SantaMonica]

Puting the pump in the tank is probably best.

[ChrisD]

Hi. Personally I agree with Santa Monica re going internal if you have somewhere suitable to place it. If you want to go external for aesthetics, ease of access, heat (some people see it as significant) then an Eheim 1250 ('hobby pump', not the compact range) should do you. I ran a 1048 externally on a nano without any issues and no real maintenance. Nice and quiet too.

Just had another thought... If you could site an internal pump you could always oversize the pump and tee off some flow internally to the tank. edit: Tried this on my tank and hit a problem... If the screen gets blocked / restricted, more flow goes up to the DT. In my case the overflows would not be able to handle a total blockage and all flow heading through DT so I have changed for a dedicated pump. If you are going to T off, make sure your DT overflows can take the full capacity of the pump as a safety measure.

[orange]

Heat might be an issue ... I do not have a chiller, but it rarely gets hot up here ... I also do not use MH lighting, and my powerhead is a vortech mp20 and generates virtually no heat. I say it might be an issue on the off chance we get some bizarre heat wave, which is always a bit of a threat, especially since our house does not have air conditioning.

I was actually thinking of sinking the 1250 in to my display tank, and building a small ledge for it semi hidden behind some rockwork. The problem is, I'm not really sure how to mod the intake pipe so that it doesn't suck up my fish and CUC ... I was thinking of a long black piece of pvc that I could dremel slits in to, and cap the far end. I assume if I make it long enough, and with enough slits, it shouldn't hamper the pump's ability to draw enough water.

I'm just concerned that at 12-18" of head, the 1250 won't have sufficient flow ... its hard to find that sweet spot. I like the idea of a valve and split or something similar and maybe a larger pump, so i can divert excess flow directly back to the system.

[SantaMonica]

Find a way to put it near the waterline at the top, so in case of a problem it can only pump out an inch or so. Besides, you'll be needing to clean it every three month or so to keep the flow up.