LadAShark Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 For those of us who have, or are attemptig larger tanks, why don't/can't we use pond pumps? Sure, some of them are freshwater only, but there are many that would work both in salt and fresh water! It seems like a much cheaper alternative to going and dropping a huge amount of money otherwise. I's not like I'm against spending money where it's needed, but why spend it when doing so isn't necessary? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoobtoSalt Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 Noise and power consumption are the biggest reasons. I found that buying pond pumps they cost a lot more to run. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caolewis Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 (edited) Nowadays technology, power consumption is same for both fresh vs salt pumps. Corrosion and noise are reasons you must consider. I used 2 fresh pumps in the past to circulate 1000K salt water but I would not go that route again. If you care about noises, you might need a few smaller and quiet pumps to move massive water ( and few good MP40/MP60 like to void dead water/good flow in your tank) otherwise, it will vibrate and humming sound like a manufactory in your house. I have both 10K gph and 4.5K gph pumps and they are very very lould for outdoor fresh water pond but they are out in backdoor so I don't care much. AND Fresh water pump use metal ballbearings and might get corroded while Saltwater pumps use ceramic seals. Edited June 2, 2016 by caolewis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jorge Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 Like Tom said. They are loud, and if you don't change the seals out before you even put them through salt they will leak. I tried fresh water pumps to save money and failed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadAShark Posted June 2, 2016 Author Share Posted June 2, 2016 Like Tom said. They are loud, and if you don't change the seals out before you even put them through salt they will leak. I tried fresh water pumps to save money and failed. I see. Guess I'll have to stick to regular, less known aquarium pumps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Exodus Posted June 3, 2016 Share Posted June 3, 2016 I used to use a Pond pump on my 125, It worked great for me I don't remember how many GPH it was but it was something like $40~$50 from Home Depot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadAShark Posted June 3, 2016 Author Share Posted June 3, 2016 I used to use a Pond pump on my 125, It worked great for me I don't remember how many GPH it was but it was something like $40~$50 from Home Depot. That's some input that gives me hope! And that seems nice and cheap. Any idea how many watts it was? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Exodus Posted June 4, 2016 Share Posted June 4, 2016 That's some input that gives me hope! And that seems nice and cheap. Any idea how many watts it was? Nope... That was like 6 or 7 years ago. Sorry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katz Posted June 4, 2016 Share Posted June 4, 2016 I use a pond master pump on my tank. I works great, been running for 6 years!. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadAShark Posted June 4, 2016 Author Share Posted June 4, 2016 Nope... That was like 6 or 7 years ago. Sorry Ah, oh well. That's fine too. Nonetheless, good news to hear. ... But you might have remembered the utility bills right? Did they go up by much? ;P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadAShark Posted June 4, 2016 Author Share Posted June 4, 2016 I use a pond master pump on my tank. I works great, been running for 6 years!. That's good news! I won't have to rely on the Cobalt Neo Flow's cheap prices and wattage then! It would be cool if I could get away with a single pond pump, but knowing how flow works in an aquarium I won't be able to if I want some random/chaotic flow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Exodus Posted June 4, 2016 Share Posted June 4, 2016 Ah, oh well. That's fine too. Nonetheless, good news to hear. ... But you might have remembered the utility bills right? Did they go up by much? ;P yeah by over a $100 monthly!!! obviously not only that pump, I was running a 400watt dual magnetic ballast with 2 halides and Power compact lighting. I couldn't tell you what on the tank was sucking the electricity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadAShark Posted June 4, 2016 Author Share Posted June 4, 2016 yeah by over a $100 monthly!!! obviously not only that pump, I was running a 400watt dual magnetic ballast with 2 halides and Power compact lighting. I couldn't tell you what on the tank was sucking the electricity. The 400 watt would add about 350 dollars a year if you, like I, pay ten cents per a kilowatt of energy. There's 29 dollars a month for you. And I bet the pump made up the remainder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dunpeal Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 Heat, bulb replacements and energy savings are the main reasons I switched the LED lights. Whenever I look at my old halide sitting in the closet it looks like an old model T. Better equipment pays for itself. Switching to dc power heads and return pump next week. Technology is changing the way we do reef keeping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadAShark Posted June 28, 2016 Author Share Posted June 28, 2016 Heat, bulb replacements and energy savings are the main reasons I switched the LED lights. Whenever I look at my old halide sitting in the closet it looks like an old model T. Better equipment pays for itself. Switching to dc power heads and return pump next week. Technology is changing the way we do reef keeping. Yeah, I bet. There's a lot of inefficient technologies out there that are being replaced quickly. Older lightbulbs used to waste 95% of the electricity that flowed through them as heat, and now we're getting to the point where we're making lights many times more efficient. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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