Aqueon ProFlex Model 3 for 125 gallon aquarium ???

[chiburi]

Hello. I was trying to get some feedback on useing a Proflex 3 with a 125 gallon aquarium. It states its rated for up to 110 gallon aquariums but when I compare the dimensions its larger than other sumps rated for 125 gallon aquariums. It measures 25.5x13.75x17 Also holds more water in the sump. Sometimes I think they rate them for more of a reef setup. The reason I ask is that I have a new one which I purchased for a 90 gallon but went up to a 125 gallon and was hoping this would still work on a freshwater set up. Any help would be appreciated.

[BIG HEART]

under filtration is not good you can never over filter a tank( over is way better )

[chiburi]

Thats what Im trying to figure out if it would be since the sump container in a whole is bigger and holds more water (sump volume is 20.4 gallons)than others rated for 125 gallons. Im thinking with the proper GPH pump (800-900)this would be sufficient. Maybe im wrong.

[Narwhal72]

The sump should work fine except that it only has a single inlet and most 125 reef ready tanks have two drains. You would need to T the two drains together and into one inlet. As long as you kept the water flow low (600-800 gph) it should not be an issue.

Don't forget that you would need the biological filtration kit in order to use it for freshwater. Otherwise it's just a sump with the filter socks being the only filtration.

90% of sumps are used in marine setups so that is what they are primarily designed around. The advantage to the Proflex is you can use it many ways.

Andy

[chiburi]

Andy,thanks for the information. I have the bio kit for it also. Just not sure if it would better to just replace it with Proflex 4 which is setup with the dual intakes. The company has no problem exchanging it for the Proflex 4,not that much more money,but its out of stock right now. Im so tempted just to keep it and just setup the T for the drains. Another thing that might be an issue I was thinking is that draining into one intake might make this alittle noisy. What do you think.

[Narwhal72]

It all comes down to how much water you want to push through it. Personally I feel that people pump more water through the wet/dry's than they need to and if you kept the water flow close to 600 gph I think the Proflex 3 would be fine. But if you want to push a lot of water through then the 4 is the better choice in order to keep it quieter.

The Proflex 4 is much bigger but most of that space is in chamber 3 in order to accomodate larger protein skimmers, which are devices not used in freshwater, so other than the extra intake and extra water volume it's not of much benefit to you.

Andy

[chiburi]

I have to decide within the next hour if I need to cancel the shipping. I think I will call the company I ordered it from when they open just to get a lead time on the proflex 4. The pump I have is going to pump alittle more than 600 GPH so I really dont want to have an issue there. Its going to be an African setup so there will be alot of cichlids so the bigger sump probably would not hurt. Thanks again for your input.

[Narwhal72]

Don't forget that by the time you add in line friction, elbows, and head pressure that 600 gph pump will likely be around 300-400 gph or maybe even less.

The bigger sump won't hurt and will run quieter so it is worth it.
Andy

[chiburi]

I was talking with the company on the phone. They said I would be fine with the Proflex 3 with a pump from 900 to 1000 GPH. They figured dual drains,average 4' length piping for each return,maximum drain amount with 2 corner drains etc. The model 3 is rated up to 1650 GPH...not that I need that much for a freshwater system. He said basically besides the dual intake,I really dont need the extra sump space the Proflex 4 has.

[Narwhal72]

Depending on how the flow rate was measured, a pump that is "rated" at 900-1000 gph may only be pumping about 500 gph in actual use. Which is fine. I agree with them that the extra sump space won't help much in terms of filtration. The dual intake would be quieter though. Your going to hear more gurgling in the bubble chamber with just the single drain.

Andy

[chiburi]

Well think I know what Im going to do. Just opened the box and found a small crack. It was packed so well....oh well. Guess its going to be a proflex 4.