# Help Needed



## Bhu (10 Nov 2014)

Hello All

I'm in need of some help finding the right pump.

It has to be external, silent at least 800 l/h and fit 16/20 tubing without messing around with adapters etc.

Im thinking the eheim universal 1200 (as they don't do an 800 or 1000 and the 600 is too small) but the pipes are 17mm on the inlet which is fine but only 13mm on the output.

Can anyone recommend some pumps for me please. External, silent and fits 16/20 piping is most important.

It will be used to run a sera 1000 co2 reactor which has a minimum requirement rating of 700 l/h. This will take the strain off my Eheim 250T and help improve my flow/ distribution as well in my 150 lt tank

Any help much appreciated

Best wishes

Bhu


----------



## Crossocheilus (10 Nov 2014)

I can't recommend anything but a glance around the salty forums may give better results as they use them as sump pumps.


----------



## Bhu (10 Nov 2014)

Mmmm good idea. I did think about that but ended up on US sites that recommended pumps that I can't find in the UK. Will try some UK reef forums and see what turns up...

Any further help still appreciated...

Cheers

Bhu


----------



## tim (10 Nov 2014)

Why's it got to fit 16/20 tubing ?


----------



## X3NiTH (10 Nov 2014)

What about the Eheim Compact 1000

I have one, it has adjustable flow (150-1000L/hr) and comes with hose gubbins to make it work externally. You can see it here with a Hydor on the output to heat and prime my reactor. It's all in a bucket as I was leak testing.


----------



## Bhu (10 Nov 2014)

That looks a great option. How silent do you find it?


----------



## Bhu (10 Nov 2014)

I think this is the one that you mean. Looks a good option but not sure how it works externally...

http://www.charterhouse-aquatics.co.uk/eheim-compact-1000-pump-1501000-ltrhr-p-344.html


----------



## Bhu (10 Nov 2014)

I found the compact + on the eheim site which says it is internal or external but they start at 2000l/h the compact 1000 doesn't say it can be used externally but implies it maybe by saying it CAN be used fully submersible... Is there another end plate then that doesn't have a grill but another pipe inlet tube connector...?


----------



## foxfish (10 Nov 2014)

Depends on what you mean by silent?
Virtually all mass produced aquarium pumps work by spinning a plastic impeller at very high speed.
These type of pumps are designed to be cheap & to be cheap to run but, they suffer with flow restriction & the impeller will spin faster than the water can flow.
Under certain conditions they can be quiet but if you want something really quiet, look for something with a better impeller design, more power & a heavy body.
Lots of reef keeping options but not cheap options.
I use a central heating pump with a 21mm pipe conversion (Aquaturn) but probably not suitable as it would require adaptors to match your equipment &  forty watt power at the lowest setting. However this type of pump is very quiet - as quiet as you could ever expect!


----------



## X3NiTH (10 Nov 2014)

Sorry I mentioned the wrong unit, it's the Eheim Compact+2000 (800-2000L/hr)

The filter guard and sponge at the front can be removed and the inlet behind has a screw thread, in the bag of bits supplied with the pump is a screw threaded barbed hose attachment that fits onto the pump inlet (I used Jubilee clips to secure the hose for extra security). It's pretty silent, no louder than an air pump unit, gentle thrumming. I bought mine from a local fish shop so I could physically inspect the pump beforehand to see if it could be used externally as it doesn't appear to from promo pics or the box art, lfs used them for moving water around the place externally. If you look closely in the pic you can see the barbed hose connector.


----------



## Crossocheilus (10 Nov 2014)

I have a compact+ 1000 that I remember thinking was quite loud when I tested it but I don't currently have it running so cannot say. This is in comparison to an Aquamanta efx 1000u from MA that is in current use.


----------



## Bhu (10 Nov 2014)

Crossocheilus said:


> I have a compact+ 1000 that I remember thinking was quite loud when I tested it but I don't currently have it running so cannot say. This is in comparison to an Aquamanta efx 1000u from MA that is in current use.


They don't make a compact + 1000. The + range starts at 2000 the compacts range finishes at 1000... I will look up the Aquamanta dfc 1000u though as I'm unfamiliar with that one.


----------



## Bhu (10 Nov 2014)

The Aquamanta efx 1000 is a canister filter and way too big for my cabinet.


----------



## Bhu (10 Nov 2014)

Looks like I'm going to have to go with something like the eheim universal 1200 then and get the parts to convert it to 16/20 on the output.


----------



## X3NiTH (10 Nov 2014)

What's wrong with the Compact+2000, at its minimal output setting it gives you the 800L/hr you're wanting?

It's only slightly larger than a big coffee mug and it's inputs and outputs are 16/22, which is the size of the Eheim hose I'm using on it.


----------



## Bhu (10 Nov 2014)

Yes sounds very tempting also then I have all the flow I would ever need. Especially if I go filter less eventually then I can stop the canister and go back to just one spray bar 

My fear is that limiting the flow down it will be noisier and have less longevity; wear out quicker...


----------



## Bhu (10 Nov 2014)

Good side for the + is that it's cheaper by £15 and sounds smaller too  good choice me thinks


----------



## Bhu (10 Nov 2014)

X3NiTH said:


> What about the Eheim Compact 1000
> 
> I have one, it has adjustable flow (150-1000L/hr) and comes with hose gubbins to make it work externally. You can see it here with a Hydor on the output to heat and prime my reactor. It's all in a bucket as I was leak testing.



I must say that's one huge reactor lol I thout the sera 1000 was big but that's bigger than a calcium reactor. So did it leak? What size tank is this set up for?


----------



## Crossocheilus (10 Nov 2014)

Sorry, the reason I mention the cannister filter was noise comparison, I meant loud in comparison to my cannister filter, what is loud to one person is virtually silent to another so I thought that relating it to another pump would help.
I couldn't remember if it was 1000 or 1000+

Sorry for any confusion.


----------



## X3NiTH (10 Nov 2014)

Bhu said:


> I must say that's one huge reactor lol I thout the sera 1000 was big but that's bigger than a calcium reactor. So did it leak? What size tank is this set up for?



Twenty Eight litres, no numerals so you know it's not a typo.

Yes it leaked, a tiny drip at the elbow connectors but I found 1" rubber vacuum cleaner brush roller belts that fitted perfectly as o-rings and when tightened up created a hard seal between the elbow connectors and the housing and the drip stopped (I broke one elbow trying to tighten to stop the drip, luckily I had a spare).

Wasn't going to throw money at the wall time and time again on commercial products trying to get perfect dissolution of co2 to have them break because of flimsy construction so went DIY instead and went for max robustness and max efficiency, kept it simple and used an inline atomiser rather than drilling the unit to fit a gas feed line. It silences an Inline atomiser, without it the tank would look like a blizzard was blowing.


----------



## Bhu (11 Nov 2014)

Crossocheilus said:


> Sorry, the reason I mention the cannister filter was noise comparison, I meant loud in comparison to my cannister filter, what is loud to one person is virtually silent to another so I thought that relating it to another pump would help.
> I couldn't remember if it was 1000 or 1000+
> 
> Sorry for any confusion.



TY


----------



## Bhu (11 Nov 2014)

X3NiTH said:


> Twenty Eight litres, no numerals so you know it's not a typo.
> 
> Yes it leaked, a tiny drip at the elbow connectors but I found 1" rubber vacuum cleaner brush roller belts that fitted perfectly as o-rings and when tightened up created a hard seal between the elbow connectors and the housing and the drip stopped (I broke one elbow trying to tighten to stop the drip, luckily I had a spare).
> 
> Wasn't going to throw money at the wall time and time again on commercial products trying to get perfect dissolution of co2 to have them break because of flimsy construction so went DIY instead and went for max robustness and max efficiency, kept it simple and used an inline atomiser rather than drilling the unit to fit a gas feed line. It silences an Inline atomiser, without it the tank would look like a blizzard was blowing.



PTFE tape would have fixed that I bet  28 ltr!! That's a nano aquarium  ha ha ha how will you disovle the co2 in it? The sera 1000 is a fantastic vortex design with a needle paddle wheel that beats the co2 into dissolution lol the only way for water to leave is at the bottom and gas loves to be higher so is stuck at the top with the spinning needle wheels. Great idea and works great.


----------



## Bhu (11 Nov 2014)

Got me an eheim compact + 2000 today, thanks for this recommendation its great! The flow is fantastic now and its very quiet  when the door is opened you can hear the reactor but not the eheim. Sorry about poor quality video I need to work on that a bit 

So a big thank you to X3NiTH


----------



## X3NiTH (11 Nov 2014)

You're welcome!


----------

