One of my pumps died

[rogerdugans]

The el cheapo Maxi Jet pump I had in my test rig completely crapped out this weekend so I ahve had to convert my block-testing rig back to air cooling ofr the moment: not good!

So I WILL be buying a new pump in the near future and I have done some research into pricing of the pumps I consider viable options for the price range:

Eheim 1250- $50 (thanks froogle.google.com )
Hydor L30- $50
Danner Mag 3- $45


Given reputations and my own experiences I am inclined to go with the classic 1250 and it's rep. for reliabilty and long service life- can anyone give me a compelling reason to get one of the others?

Or does anyone have any other viable options in the under $65 USD price range?

I do like to experiment somewhat but my last two "alternative" pumps were bad choices: Dolphin- (might as well have a Delta or Tornado in the pc ) and Maxi Jet- grew louder in the first two months and now blows water out the front, back, sides and top.
Everywhere except the tubing so with prices being very close I am leaning towards conservatism......

 

[Enyo]

hydor.. its smaller ..

 

[vonkaar]

My brother found an online retailer for refurb Iwaki pumps for his fish, he's supposed to email me the link. They are my favorite pumps, but in the meantime... I'll throw this link at you:

http://www.aquariumsuppliesgalore.com/category.i?catid=19:9

They have the Danner Mag 3 for $35, you could get a better danner with a $65 budget.

Still looking... goooooo gooooogle.

 

[JFettig]

I have the feeling you saw this already

Here is another one for Danner. Same two pumps have not let me down in the last two years, parts are relatively easy to come by and my first (eheim) pump lasted all of one day before breaking its' impeller. Too much trouble getting another and found out that Eheim requires prepayment from stores prior to shipping explaining the difficulty in getting parts. A lot of stores refuse to do this.

I dont have a thing for hydors either, Heard of them having broken impeller shafts and breaking them. other than that they seem pretty good. Although the danner does have 2x the head as both the hydor and eheim.


Jon

 

[Tical]

The Danner 3 is as good as they get, the 5 doesn't produce any real noticible difference it the kind of setups we run. Same head height with the tubing lengths we run & puts more heat into the water due to it's 45watts. OUCH! I have a Danner 3 & I recommend that because you can turn the impeller housing & remount it in any direction to help with pump placement. Also it's smaller that the 1250. I love the Danner I've got, it's a beast!

 

[Giblet Plus!]

Give the Mag 3 a try. You'll like it.

 

[Bender]

If you have the room you can’t go wrong with the Eheim 1250. It has proven to be reliable time after time.

 

[MoFoQ]

Not only that, the eheims come with 2+ yrs of warranty....plus they are HELLA quiet.

 

[rogerdugans]

Ok, I have looked around at stuff and now am left with either the Danner mag 3 or the 1250.

What bothers me most about the Danner is the O-ring seal that may be a problem. If I need to replace the designed pump seal just to use the pump......well, I don't like that idea at all.

For those who have Danner mag pumps:
are you running with the factory O-ring seal?
If yes, have you had any leak issues?
If yes, how long has the pump been running and does it run 24/7?

Planning on ordering a pump within the next couple of days.

 

[userA]

Ok, I have looked around at stuff and now am left with either the Danner mag 3 or the 1250.

What bothers me most about the Danner is the O-ring seal that may be a problem. If I need to replace the designed pump seal just to use the pump......well, I don't like that idea at all.

For those who have Danner mag pumps:
are you running with the factory O-ring seal?
If yes, have you had any leak issues?
If yes, how long has the pump been running and does it run 24/7?

Planning on ordering a pump within the next couple of days.

I had used mag 5 (currently using Eheim 1250). The factory O-ring is fine as long as you don't have heavy long fitting connected to inlet/outlet that could wrap the pump housing. Mine leaked because of the heavy long fitting and not-so-flexy tube. The leak is very easy to fix. Just take the pump housing off and use a gasket maker (e.g. blue RTV silicone) to make a seal around the O-ring (O-ring is still needed). Also don't tighten the metal screw too tight. They will break the plastic housing.