External pump VS Internal

[Saltbandit]

Hey all,
I am new to the hobby and currently stumped with mixed opinions about pumps. I was going to buy a skimmer pump, a return pump and a pump for a reactor. Someone mentioned to me that buying a external pump and run all three items off of it would work. Any input from yall would be helpfull. Thanks

[wholagan]

Doesn't necessarily have to be external to do that. I have a QuietOne 6000 as a return and I tee'd it off to also run my 2 chamber reactor. I can't do this for my skimmer since it requires a different kind of pump.

[Saltbandit]

Thanks. I just went aheas and bought the sedra 5000 and a gen x external pump

[SDguy]

Yeah I feed my calcium reactor and carbon reactor and chiller off my return pump without issue. You want to have your skimmer feed pump to be dedicated though. For a skimmer to run at peak performance, it must be in a constant environment. That means water level, pump pressure, air flow, back pressure on the return, etc.

[sbarber]

Sounds risky to have your whole setup run on one pump. That's asking a lot from a single mechanical device regardless of GPH.

[SDguy]

Having a multi-thousand pound glass box filled with water, hooked up to many electrical devices in my livingroom sounds risky... why stop there?

[VW REEFS]

i run everything off one pump.......except power heads....easier for me...

[JohnnyAirtime]

one pump = all eggs in one basket

My skimmer runs on it's own submersible pump(s) - 2 sedra 9000, needlewheels.

My return flow, is three 1800gph submersible pumps.
(No powerheads in the tank - yet has plenty of flow)

All accessories, have their own submersible pumps - UV, frag tank return, etc

My opinion is... submersible pumps, are the most "leak free" option. And multiple pumps (specifically return pumps), allow for a redundant system (less stress, less worry - if a pump dies)

[SDguy]

Honestly, it's just personal preference.

I don't get all this "risk" and "eggs in one basket" fear...

If it's that big a deal, just have a backup.

I'll pass on having to maintain multiple pumps if I can avoid it...

[Auggie]

+1 with SDguy ^^^

Too much FUD being spread about the "dangers" of a single pump.

I'll be running a high quality external return pump that also feeds a pair of reactors, but the skimmer has its own internal pump and I have a pair of power-heads (Vortechs with battery backup), so I'm not the perfect example of a "one-pump" system. But I did try to limit the number of pumps I implement (I wanted the skimmer to have its own pump so I could remotely shut it down from my controller when necessary). I also keep a spare used external pump with similar specifications on hand in case the primary pump needs maintenance or replacement.

I also have a battery powered bubbler and emergency generator (I wired the outlet for the aquarium to branch out to the exterior where I could manually switch the power source from the main service to the generator). Such is the extent of my disaster recovery plan!

[photoguy]

One return, Skimmer and closed loop three diffrent pumps

[JohnnyAirtime]

Honestly, it's just personal preference.

I don't get all this "risk" and "eggs in one basket" fear...

If it's that big a deal, just have a backup.

I'll pass on having to maintain multiple pumps if I can avoid it...

... no "fear" of anything.
I'm an I.T. Guy by trade, and we know that a "backup" or "redundant" system is a fail-safe. It's just in my nature to be prepared BEFORE anything happens.

The scenario;
If I'm gone on vacay for a week, and have a family member (non-aquarist) watching my home, and ultimately my aquariums.... what do you do when your one return pump fails at 2AM (or worse)?? Well, I personally do nothing... same with my family member. It'll get handled when I get home. WHY? Because I don't use one return pump.

Having a spare or backup pump on hand is great... for when it fails, and you or a knowledgeable person is around to replace it. There are those times, when that isn't the case.

Using generators, battery backups...etc, is also not a "fear"... but a well thought out system. The only problem with that is, if your still using one return pump... your back to square one if your away for any length of time. Hence my multiple return pump scenario, and being worry-free.

And maintenance on one pump, or three. It's all the same, and takes me 10 more minutes to clean. And what's 10 more minutes, once a year?! The good news is, when I do maintenance on one, there's two more cycling my tank. My tank never shuts down... not even for water changes, feeding, or a power outage. Again, that's just a well designed, well built system. And not out of "fear", it's just "smart".

... let me pose this question to you "one pump" people; Why would you NOT use two pumps?
Cost = your already in a hobby, that cost shouldn't be 'too much' of a factor when it comes to your tanks life support.
Space = sometimes space is of concern, but then you just use two smaller pumps or go submersible.
Heat = I'd love to see a real world comparison, to show me the heat difference of one big pump vs: two smaller pumps (of equal gph between the two scenarios).
Plumbing = Pretty simple to plumb in a second pump, even if space is a concern.
...anything else? I mean, I'm sure you can think of some reason to NOT be prepared by running multiple pumps... right?!

I've learned in life... that if you plan for a disaster, it'll more then likely not happen. But your day will be much more stress free, knowing if it ever did happen.


.

[SDguy]

You can "air quote" the word fear all you like, but it's still fear. My tank can run for days with nothing but the vortech on. I entrust my prized posessions to a knowledgable tank sitter when I'm away (up to a month at a time). I use high quality equip,ment, that is maintained regularly. I have no "fear", or fear for that matter, if or when a pump has a problem. So again, it's just personal preference, regardless of what scenario you want to throw at me.

[Vince]

Well what if---- joking

[JohnnyAirtime]

You can "air quote" the word fear all you like, but it's still fear. My tank can run for days with nothing but the vortech on. I entrust my prized posessions to a knowledgable tank sitter when I'm away (up to a month at a time). I have no "fear", or fear, of a pump having a problem. So again, it's just personal preference, regardless of what scenario you want to throw at me.

Okay Peter... we'll just have to agree to disagree.

You can call my redundant system whatever you want. But, to tell me it's built based on "fear" is just plain ludicrous. It's a SMART system. Well thought out in the planning, design and implementation. As yes, I can throw scenarios at you all day long that will prove my point and solidify my design... and usually find holes in other's.

... because you entrust others with your tank, and your tank can run for days on a vortech (per you), that's not always the case with the original poster's tank design or everyone else's design. Hence my reply post, to the original poster... and offering up the thought of a redundant return pump solution.

It's always personal preference. That's what this hobby is all about. Sometimes one's personal preference, isn't the best way nor the wrong way. I'm not saying either, but I do know a multiple return pumped system, is a redundant system that will be "worry free".

This is kind of like a debate about glass vs: acrylic tanks (and them breaking/cracking/leaking). Based on opinion and fact or even real world experiences... it's still a person's preference to choose.

In conclusion; I'm glad that you can sleep at night. That's really all that matters.