Toyota/Lexus of Return Pumps? - Poll

[208reef]

Which brand(s)/format(s) of returns pumps are long term reliable, fairly indestructible, and require minimal maintenance? I'm less concerned about fancy bells & whistles.

The reason for the question/poll is that I might be starting a job that requires 30% travel soon and I am in the process of setting up a large reef tank. I'd like to buy two 1500+ gph return pumps that I can trust to have minimal issues while I'm away from home.

Thank you for your input!

 

[Troylee]

I’ll stick to my Kia aka jeboa sine wave haha!

 

[spsick]

I have Tunze Silence pumps that are over 10 years old still kicking. They’re a modified Sicce Syncra. Next to that probably Mag Drive for being indestructible. But noisy.

 

[208reef]

I have Tunze Silence pumps that are over 10 years old still kicking. They’re a modified Sicce Syncra. Next to that probably Mag Drive for being indestructible. But noisy.

Interesting...do you know what is modified about them?

 

[ZoWhat]

Reeflo Hammerheads can easily last 25yrs.... they are BEASTS

Absolute GOLD STANDARD for larger systems

Mines been running 24/7/365 since 2012.... with original shaft seals. Some salt creep around the black propeller assembly but noooo nuisance leaks to speak of.

The motor I swear could pump it's way to Mars and back. You can't kill the motor. Lol

Only known issue is the two bearing shaft seals inside the black propeller assembly have been reported needing replaced every 5 years due to leaks ($50 parts and easy to replace) ...but I have not seen any issues with my OEM ones.

My friend has one that's been running since 2001.... you can't kill these pumps

 

[encrustingacro]

What do you mean by "Toyota/Lexus?" Do you mean like high-end or best bang-for-buck or most reliable or etc? Sorry, I don't know much about cars.

 

[208reef]

What do you mean by "Toyota/Lexus?" Do you mean like high-end or best bang-for-buck or most reliable or etc? Sorry, I don't know much about cars.

Reliable - may not have every bell and whistle, but consistently does what it's supposed to do with a basic level of maintenance.

 

[naterealbig]

Toyota = Fluvial SP Series
Lexus = Abyzz

 

[208reef]

Toyota = Fluvial SP Series
Lexus = Abyzz

I forgot Fluval made a sump pump. That thing looks like a beast.

 

[naterealbig]

It certainly is. Have been using 2 x SP4s for years without so much as a hiccup. Laguna block. Between these, Tunze, and Ranco, a controller is obsolete.

 

[SpyC]

Tried two sicce SDC return pumps and both were loud. Went with Jebao for way less money and the pump has been quiet, reliable, and consistent flow.

 

[rtparty]

Sicce pumps have been my go to for years. The SDC is an amazing value with a 5 year warranty

 

[SeaDweller]

Iwaki and Eheim have never let me down.

 

[VintageReefer]

Ummm I don’t see the uniclife dep-4000 in this list…how could the derp I mean dep be left out?

I bought this pump in June 2017 and it’s been running 24/7 since then and I cleaned it once, and that was about a month ago. It has 100 levels of control. It was a whopping $72.96

I will never buy a “name brand” pump again

 

[208reef]

Iwaki and Eheim have never let me down.

Agreed. I wish Eheim made something big enough for what I need.

 

[208reef]

Ummm I don’t see the uniclife dep-4000 in this list…how could the derp I mean dep be left out?

I bought this pump in June 2017 and it’s been running 24/7 since then and I cleaned it once, and that was about a month ago. It has 100 levels of control. It was a whopping $72.96

I will never buy a “name brand” pump again

Interesting...the pump portion is exactly the same as the Innovative Marine Mighty Jet. Just a different controller.

 

[VintageReefer]

Interesting...the pump portion is exactly the same as the Innovative Marine Mighty Jet. Just a different controller.

The mighty jet is sold rebranded under a few names. I believe there is a jebao that also used the mighty jet pump

Each manufacturer adds their own colors and controller.

Personally I like this controller a lot, I can really fine tune not just the speed, but the watts used, which helps me with my battery backup system. I can lower down to 13w and get 40 hours of runtime on battery. The screen gives a real time output of watts consumed

 

[VintageReefer]

the expensive name brand pumps are the same as the generics. Probably made in the same factory

If you think the foreign brands are copies…a lot of the time they aren’t. Often the name brands are actually copies of the generic and then marked up. Latest example is the AI axis pump

 

[JoJosReef]

the expensive name brand pumps are the same as the genetics. Probably made in the same factory

If you think the foreign brands are copies…a lot of the time they aren’t. Often the name brands are actually copies of the generic and then marked up. Latest example is the AI axis pump

Or the AI Orbit lol aka IceCap aka Maxspect Jump. All for just $100 more so you can enjoy controlling the pump that already had contols within their MyAI app. Ridiculous.

 

[carri10]

Iwaki.