pump power!

So I have a question and hopefully those of you with more experience will know if I should do this or not. I have 29gal Bio Cube. And it has one pump that goes from the overflow back to the tank. There is a hose that connects the pump to the outlet. Right now it put out a little flow. Do you think if I cut the hose shorter I'll get more flow? Or because it's in a tube anyways it'll out put the same amount? Does this make any sense?

I dont think it would either. The ID of the tube only handles so much flow regardless of length. 

I agree, first clean the pump. Take it all apart, remove the impeller and clean out the impeller chamber as well. A toothbrush is a great reefers tool.

I disagree. Fluid dynamics is always at work. More water can flow faster through a larger diameter hose. Hose length does indeed have an effect as well. It takes more pressure to push the same water through a longer hose.

Unfortunately, in the case of this setup, you probably can't shorten the distance enough to make any difference and even larger diameter hose for that short of distance may not have a significant effect. One thing to consider is that old (+1 year) vinyl hose shrinks and when it has been running with saltwater for a long time, organic matter builds up on the inside. I've changed out old vinyl tubing that had never been cleaned for new vinyl tubing of the original diameter and have seen up to a 30% increase in flow.

I agree. After cleaning the pump and cleaning and replacing the hose, a stronger pump is the best next step.


Edited by Mark Peterson - August 08 2011 at 9:11pm