Pool or Spa pumps

[Mike Sangrey]

I just bought a used Hayward powerflo 1511 1 HP, 2 speed spa/pool pump.  It's quiet and appears to pump a lot of water.  Did I make a good choice?  Is this like...waaaayyyy overkill?

I'm thinking that beginners (like me) might be interested in opinions and insight into using pool and spa pumps in Aquaponics.  So, ideas broader than just the particular pump I bought are welcome.

[Phil Slaton]

How many gallons of water are you going to pump with it?

[Mike Sangrey]

I knew someone would ask that.  :-)

The pump came with about 600 lbs of hydroton (and a few other things like bulkhead fittings, air pump, 2 535 GPH pumps etc.)  Anyway, I'm going to start small (maybe 2-300 gallon fish tank).  However, long term, I'm thinking about an aquaponic filled 15x20 greenhouse.

In other words, I've not settled on that yet.

However, you make a good point (though implicit) in your question.  Ya size the pump to the gallons/hour you need.  I think I read somewhere where someone bought a pool pump (I don't know what size) only to discover that the pump could manage 20,000 gallon aquaponic system.  Ummmmm...that's a bit bigger than I'm thinking, unless I have a pile of people begging to buy my veggies and fish.  :-)

[Phil Slaton]

Oh, yeah partner, that is way too much gun.  You are trying to use something like my .458 Stopper, when a .22 will do.  Go on eBay and buy a 1000 gallon per hour submersible pump.  On a 300 gallon tank with 6 foot of lift to the grow tanks, that will give you about 3 exchanges of water an hour.

If you need IBCs and are in the Seattle area, I have them and pumps also.

[TCLynx]

Yea there is more to moving water than just how much too.  Pool and spa pumps are often only run a few hours a day since to run them 24/7 would cost a lot in electricity.  My first big system pump was a pool pump that I got for free.  Know what I did the first time I got the electric bill after setting it up?

I went and spent almost $500 on a new energy efficient pump that was more appropriately sized to my system.  The difference in the electrical consumption was enough savings to pay for the energy efficient pump in less than a year.

For a single 300 gallon fish tank system without too much lift (as in not pumping up too high) a 1000 gallon per hour pump should do ya.

For a system with two 300 gallon fish tanks or a total of 600 gallons of fish tank I would probably bump up to a 1800 gph pump.

[Phil Slaton]

"For a system with two 300 gallon fish tanks or a total of 600 gallons of fish tank I would probably bump up to a 1800 gph pump."  Or buy 2 - 1000 gallon submersibles.  1 in each tank.

[Phil Slaton]

Anyone in the Seattle area need FREE Lava rock?  I have about 6-yards of 3/4 and about 6-yards of 1-1/4.  The price is right, FREE.

[TCLynx]

Yep, that too is an option.  And if you do it as two separate systems, you have the added benefit of being able to stock them in a staggered fashion without needing to worry too much about quarantine.

[John E Windsor]

Mike, we started with a 275 gallon IBC fish tank and 4 IBC gravel beds. The 960 gph pond pump we started with, at 5 ft. of lift, was more than sufficient. As the newness of the pump went away, it has slowed down a bit. Although it is still doing a good job of exchanging the FT water twice per hour, when the pump is eventually replaced I plan to get a larger pump. 

Using a pump larger than your need allows you some wiggle room. What I learned was any extra water can be bypassed back into the tank you are pumping from. If you are pumping 750 gph and you only need 600 gph to maintain your system, bypassing the extra 150 gph back into your tank can work to your advantage by adding aeration.

Another advantage of using a larger pump is it allows you to expand your system. Bigger is better!