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I'm leaning towards the jebao dc 4000 for my 90g. Noise is not an important factor. Is this a good choiceSicce and Jebao here. Sicce for known reliability and longevity. Jebao DC pumps are just so enticing coming in at around $100 for the largest in their line. I ran one on my personal tank for 6 years before it failed. For never having been cleaned, it ran quiet for the entire span after the break in period.
@revhtree why are the Poll results only viewable after voting? I'm interested in the results but don't really have an educated vote to offer. This thread comes up prominently in web search results if you are looking for 'best return pump', so the results are a great resource for anyone interested.
My Waveline DC-6000 has been great for 3 years, but didn't come with any snail guard. So a couple of times now it has eaten some baby Trochus and the impeller blades show the wear. I'm starting to think about having a replacement on hand so this thread is great for the research.
I find that I don't use the variable flow as much as I'd expected. Great for tuning the flow initially. But for 'feed' I just have Apex turn it off. Reducing the flow rate just makes the Shadow overflow get crazy noisy. It's been at 65% (just over 1000GPH) since the initial setup mostly because that was the highest I could take it while staying quiet.
I DO like the low power use (48W max, more like 31W in my 65% case) and low noise.
I DON'T like that they don't even sell it anymore, not even a newer version. Doesn't speak well for expected longevity.
For DC options:
- VarioS-6 is looking like the best price/feature fit, but I worry about the flow degradation issue people have noticed. And just generally I've started to rethink the DC return pump idea.
For AC options:
- Sicce Syncra Silent 5.0 (1321GPH) - would do the job, but at 105W! $205
- Sicce Syncra Pro (1000GPH) 60W - but pretty low flow $142
- Sicce Syncra Pro (1500GPH) 110W! - $217
- Sicce Syncra ADV 5.5 (1500GPH) 50W - much better. $160... but Out of Stock everywhere...?
- Sicce Syncra ADV 7.0 (1900GPH) 55W - nice, but huge. $203
- EHEIM CompactON 5000 (1320GPH) - 70W $200
On specs alone the Syncra ADV has me sold, now I just gotta do some more hunting. CompactON looks good too but with a higher price and power draw it falls a little short.
Thanks, good to know. Quiet too?I went with the ADV 9 despite not being able to find many reviews about it - mostly because it had the flow rate I wanted and all of the pumps with reviews had mixed feedback. I’m using it on my Reefer 450 with a complex manifold and it’s doing an awesome job for me, I love it!
What's the community's thoughts on Jebao 4000 dc return pumps? I see the major online retailers don't carry them.
I'm against using any DC return pump so I will eliminate any of the excellent manufacturers that make them as part of this discussion.
Ehiem and Danner Supreme mag drive pumps are both a great value. Quiet, and they just work.
Sicce - Again, quiet and reliable. Gotta love having a 5 year warranty. Adjustable flow without needing an electronic controller.
Iwaki - About as good as it gets for value in a true pressure rated pump.
They have all of the failure modes possible with an AC pump along with possible failure of the controller and power supply. I want my return pump as reliable as possible. If it fails, I lose my heaters, skimmer and chemical control.Why don't you like DC?
Red Dragon, Vectra, COR, Sicce, Tunze and Jebao in that order.
The brands above (except Janie) have great support.
Worst pump - Reef Octopus Varios 8 - doesn’t handle pressure well and support sucks, after 2 months my Varios 8 was making a grinding sound - that guy Carlos took my pump. Sent me a video of the pump plugged in and sent it back to me. I said it’s not fixed, he said and I quote “you can pay to ship it back to us again if you want to - but there is no guarantee we are going to find anything and fix it”.
I’ll probably never use another Coralvue product again if I can help it.
Worst pump - Reef Octopus Varios 8 - doesn’t handle pressure well and support sucks, after 2 months my Varios 8 was making a grinding sound - that guy Carlos took my pump. Sent me a video of the pump plugged in and sent it back to me. I said it’s not fixed, he said and I quote “you can pay to ship it back to us again if you want to - but there is no guarantee we are going to find anything and fix it”.
I’ll probably never use another Coralvue product again if I can help it.
I have a varios 6 that I have never had a problem with. As for pressure, it is similar to many other pumps on the market, so I would count that as a characteristic rather than a fault per se. I've never had to deal with tech support as mine has never had an issue. The owner of my LFS uses the Varios pumps a lot in the installs that she does and has found them to be more reliable than the Vectras, for what that's worth.I am reading way too many of these reports to be comfortable. I already bought the 6 and the 8 for dual pump setup. Now I feel that I should have just put this money towards an Abyzz pump down the line.
Crap!
I have a varios 6 that I have never had a problem with. As for pressure, it is similar to many other pumps on the market, so I would count that as a characteristic rather than a fault per se. I've never had to deal with tech support as mine has never had an issue. The owner of my LFS uses the Varios pumps a lot in the installs that she does and has found them to be more reliable than the Vectras, for what that's worth.
I've got 4 Danner Magdrive pumps:
Magdrive 7: I got it back in 2004 for a return pump, mixing pump, etc. It's still going & I'm using it for a pond fountain.
Magdrive 18: I believe I got it around 2005 for a return when I upgraded my tank.
Magdrive 9.5: About 2006 I got this for a closed loop.
Magdrive 24: I got this a couple years ago for a tank upgrade to a 180, but this thing was so loud. So, it went out to my pond & the Magdrive 18 is still the return.
The longevity & reliability of these pumps is great. I used spaflex for the outlet & the foam/rubber sticker underneath the pump & the Magdrive 18 is pretty quiet. I just stick with what words for me.