I'm trying to decide which makes more sense for my new system, big powerful external that moves a lot of water (overflow will be able to handle it fine anyways) or a small compact internal that just gets the job done well.
My thinking has always been create flow in the tank with powerheads/closed loop, and not the return, but i also think that a little extra from the return isn't a bad thing.
Originally i was leaning towards the Eheim 1260, but now i'm having seconds thoughts because the overflow system i'm using can handle a lot more water movement than that.
So as far as pumps go, it's got to be quiet (very important), not add much heat to the water (again very important) and be powerful enough to overcome at least 4' of head pressure and still have enough power to move a bit of water in the tank.
My main concerns with external pumps are noise, heat added to the water, space they take up in the stand, and since i'll also be moving more water through my sump if i use an external powerhouse return pump, i could possibly run into a micro-bubble issue.
As far as internal goes, i don't have many concerns, i know how good eheim pumps are, and i know what i'd get from it (little heat added, low noise, solid performance, doesn't take up a lot of space) but the drawback of course is it doesn't move much water either.
What do you guys think? What makes more sense?
My thinking has always been create flow in the tank with powerheads/closed loop, and not the return, but i also think that a little extra from the return isn't a bad thing.
Originally i was leaning towards the Eheim 1260, but now i'm having seconds thoughts because the overflow system i'm using can handle a lot more water movement than that.
So as far as pumps go, it's got to be quiet (very important), not add much heat to the water (again very important) and be powerful enough to overcome at least 4' of head pressure and still have enough power to move a bit of water in the tank.
My main concerns with external pumps are noise, heat added to the water, space they take up in the stand, and since i'll also be moving more water through my sump if i use an external powerhouse return pump, i could possibly run into a micro-bubble issue.
As far as internal goes, i don't have many concerns, i know how good eheim pumps are, and i know what i'd get from it (little heat added, low noise, solid performance, doesn't take up a lot of space) but the drawback of course is it doesn't move much water either.
What do you guys think? What makes more sense?