Review on 💦 Innovative Marine Mighty Jet Midsize DC Return Pump- 538 GPH by Carol Davis

I've bought 2 of these and a smaller version so far. I would say they are probably the best pump for the money currently. Overall they're not the best, but definitely better than anything I've had in this price range if you care about noise levels. They're definitely not quiet, but they are quiet and the sound they make is much better. Less annoying than AC pumps for me and better than other budget DC pumps I've had. You can hear the whistling sound and the water/impeller spinning at higher speeds very well, but almost no engine noise, which is nice. I also didn't notice any performance-related noise (which I've heard from some other budget brand DC pumps). Overall, I don't think you get a better noise profile without spending twice as much, and it still feels like a solid stream of power. If you don't need tons of flow, you're close to the present. silent when set to the lowest speed. Any setting above the minimum speed and you will hear it when there is no other noise in the tank or room. However, once they're cracked they get pretty quiet and you might not even be able to hear them at medium to high speed if you have other aquarium/room noise - this depends on how sensitive your ears are and what other background noise you have . They definitely won't bother you if there's other noises in the room, but if you're trying to get really quiet in a very quiet room, you'll need to keep them on the lowest speed setting. Also keep in mind that the noise they make doesn't travel as far as the typical motor hum of AC pumps, so you can hear them even less in the next room. I run them as return pumps from my sump to point the tank to about 3.5 feet and they work very well. I run 2 of these to return from the sump to my 40 gallon main tank and get as much flow as I need at only speed 2 (speed 1 is the slowest, speed 9 is the fastest). So at this low speed I almost never hear them. I know IM says they are not designed as head lift pumps but they seem to work fine. Can't speak to durability - they've been used less than 2 months - but so far they seem like a great way to get access to DC pumps without paying a hefty price tag, and still be of better quality than other manufacturers. Brands - I've had some of the cheap "smaller" DC pumps you can get from Revain - I won't be buying them again unless I mix the salt or change the water etc. Innovative Marine definitely seems to be of a higher quality. I am happy with them as back pumps for my 40g. I use two back pumps for protection and using 2 of them makes it much easier to fit into a small space and budget. Performance wise I could also use 2 of these as return pumps on a much larger tank - at full speed 2 of these would be enough as return pumps, I think even for 100g flow for returns - you want most of your water movement in the main tank of other circulation pumps located directly in the main tank of the display. I don't think I want to run them at full blast though - they're a bit noisy for my liking. Again, still quieter than most other pumps I've had, but I prefer everything to be as quiet as possible, so I'd probably save up for the vario if my tank grew past 60 or 75 gallons. 2 of them for sump return. and then Innovative Marine Aqua Gadget Wavelinks works fine for me in a pool with water motion indicator. A great way to get close to DC, shut up and not be a scavenger, but still stay on budget. Obviously not as good as the Vario and Vortech, but still top quality and for a lot less money than the 2"V". :)