The Fluval Sea SP4 Aquarium Sump Pump is a return pump for sump and marine systems, built to sit in a sump and push water back up to the display tank.

Key Features

• Smart Pump technology, which monitors and adjusts the motor rather than running it flat out
• Built for continuous duty. A return pump runs 24 hours a day for years, which is a very different job from an occasional-use pump
• Quiet running and low heat output — heat transferred into the water is the hidden cost of a cheap return pump, particularly in a UAE summer
• Energy efficient, which on a pump that never switches off adds up to real money
• For use in both freshwater and saltwater aquariums
• Made by Fluval, the aquatics brand of Rolf C. Hagen, which has been building aquarium filters since 1975

Using It

• Match the pump to the head height, not just the flow rating. A pump's quoted output falls sharply once it is lifting water a metre or more
• Fit a union or a valve on the return line so the pump can be removed for service without draining the sump
• Strip and clean the impeller every few months. Calcium build-up on the shaft is what makes a return pump noisy and eventually seizes it
• Never run it dry. A sump that drops below the pump intake will kill it
• Unplug anything electrical before putting your hands in the tank

Good To Know

• A return pump is the heart of a sump system. If it stops, the display stops circulating — worth knowing how quickly you would notice
• Heat from the pump goes into the water. On a marine tank in this climate that can be the difference between needing a chiller and not
• Fluval Sea is the marine side of the range, but these pumps work equally well in freshwater
• Plumbing, unions and hose are not included