Eshopps 3rd. gen R-100 Refugium

[SPSREEFS]

LOL........Ok. My initial impressions are very very nice for the price!!! The refugium is way larger then I thought it would be. Should be more then ample for a nice little farm area for critters to multiply if so desired! The sump was packaged awesome! Came in without and damage at all! I was very happy!

 

[SPSREEFS]

So I go ahead and open the box, and heres my inital impression
HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY!!!

The sump is built very sturdy, and the lid on the intake is a very nice touch! No water spray floating around in the stand at all. Nicely done!

The filter sock is super easy to get to. No wading your arm in the water and fighting to get the sock out. The Ehshopps logo on top is a nice touch. The lid has a box lid on the back. Built very well. Not sure how it could warp, but time will tell!
Andothe rnice touch is the extra grates just to the right of the inlet. If the sock ever clogs, water can bypass directly into the return pump chamber, preventing a overflow or spill onto the floor. I like it.

 

[SPSREEFS]

Here are a few close up of the first chamber. Like I said, nicely done with a heavier duty then I thought it would be lid!

Heres another pic. with the lid off. Very well laid out. I cannot wait to see how the water moves around in this thing. Filter socks have always been a pain to me. I am really counting on this sump to make it much easier and user friendly.

Heres the bottom of the lid. I thought it was just going to be a flat lid. But it has a built in square lip on the bottom.

Sorry for the cheesy camera pics, but I hope everyone enjoys the little review. Its really nice for the money!

 

[SPSREEFS]

Heres a picture of the whole unit unwrapped. Pretty clean looking(heres a better shot of underside of lid) very heavy duty.


Heres the whole shot

 

[SPSREEFS]

The sponges behind the grates are really nice and course too!! They should not clog quickly at all, and allow crustaceans to get through them easily. There is also a float valve located in the return chamber. Its gravity fed, but I used kent marines for years, and they worked great.
The joins on the sump look nice and are welded together good. Workmanship seemd great. No bubble king or anything like that, but im happy with it. Very mucg so for the money.
Here's a top shot looking down into the center return chamber in the rear. You can see the float valve in there.

 

[SPSREEFS]

You know, I just noticed, that looks to be a push lock line fitting on that float valve. If thats the case, what a nice touch! Also, my waveline DC 6000 barely fits in there! It touches on both sides!!! HA!!!! We will see how it plays out, but thats the pump I am planning on using for the return. I have to keep telling myself this is a 70 gallon reef, and not to oversize things too much. If this was helpful please let me know, I will post more when I get it online under my tank. I was a little bit concerned about room, divying up the sump into chambers. However, its laid out very nice and I have tons of room.
This sump should give me much more control over whats happening with the water and where its going. I can literally put my Cobalt heaters in any chamber I want but the refugium chamber.
Im happy with my choice so far over the proflex. I know once I get it hooked up I can elaborate much more on it.

 

[Hellsinki]

Did it warp bad? I would call them, as I have not heard that from anyone else. Maybe they can send you a replacement??.
Mine should be here today. Then I can start planning the plumbing. Im going to run my chiller off my return line as well. This will save me room and electricity, as I can delete one pump altogether.
Trying to get it as efficient as I can.................

I know of at least one other reefer having the same issue with the lid warping. I just flip mine about once a week and let it warp the other way. The resulting salt creep is a little annoying. I will contact eshopps to see if they can make one for me from thicker material. I think the lid is just too thin.

 

[SPSREEFS]

Hmmm, I wonder if a vent would help.......

 

[SPSREEFS]

Hi guys,
Got to mess with the sump tonight and found out a few interesting things! The I.D. of the return pump chamber is indeed 3.5". And my Waveline 6000 barely slid down to the bottom!
However, once you slid down about 13", the baffle ends from the refugium chamber and it opens up to 4.5". My pump now moves freely once at the bottom with a little wiggle room to spare. I will have to put a elbow on the suction end of the pump to not suck air. No big deal, been there done that!

I am taking out the float valve tonight, as I have a electronic one that needs no gravity. That will open up a bit more room in there as well.
Skimmer compartment is awesome. Tons of room fro my Reef Octopus NW 110 skimmer. I am really happy, and with the outlet being able to swing around in any direction I have loads of room for anything else I want to put in there.
Heres a top shot of chamber with skimmer placed inside.

A space saver skimmer would give you a ton of room. I just done like them as they are more of a chore to clean.
I THINK THE INSTALL MAY GO DOWN TOMORROW............REPEAT............INSTALL MAY GO DOWN TOMORROW.................LOL..................IF NOT, SUNDAY AFTER CHURCH....

 

[hipower]

I ordered one and it is one inch to long to fit in my stand. So I'm cutting a larger hole so it will fit...

 

[SPSREEFS]

Hipower,
You cannot get it to fit through the door???

 

[SPSREEFS]

If you have a center brace or rear braces, they should come out with screws on the inside. This will allow you to get the sump inside. Hope that helps.

 

[SPSREEFS]

Hi guys,
Picked up some plumbing parts I needed today. A union, valve and some PVC 1 inch slip fittings. I think I am going to use this 1 inch ribbed flex holes that came with the Eshopps refugium. What do you guys think? Its 3 feet long, so I may have to loop it. IT does however look built extremely well, and it will plug right into the bulkhead. I should not even need to glue it.
I really like the ribbed hose, as it shakes the water up good on its way down to the filter. What do you guys think?

 

[SPSREEFS]

Hi everyone,
I did indeed get the Eshopps R-100 Refugium installed yesterday. All I can say is WOW! Super quiet!!! I can now hear the air intake from my reef octopus skimmer with my cabinet door off.
A couple of things I would like to mention now that its up and running:
1. Filter sock. Not clogging yet at all. Water level in sock is still the same as compartment water level!! And its been about 30 hours or so!Whoohoo! If I can get 5 days out of it that would be stellar! I purchased 2 extra socks, so swapping will be a snap.
2. Refugium: The refugium gets water fed to it BEFORE the sock chamber. This is excellent, as small critters can come from the tank and directly into the refugium, bypassing the filter sock!! AWESOME!!!
The refugium is just plain awesome! I love it love it love it. It's like having another tank! I opted for the Wavepoint Blade 12 watt 10k led light for the refugium chamber. Half the price of the Ehsopps, and more light. Also, 10K vs. Eshopps 6500k. And I want the 10K, as I am going to add some live rock and rubble into the refugium along with some type of algae.
I am super excited to get my light! Then I am going to plaster this thread with more pics of it.
3. Sump design: So far, this sump is I feel designed very well. It's only been online a little over a day. But I am liking it more and more. Once I can design my refugium its going to get even better.
4. Ease of use: So far, I am pretty darn happy, and do not have a single regret with the purchase.
Rating: I will give it 4 STARS for now. Only because its young. I will update this as it breaks in and will keep you guys posted

 

[SPSREEFS]

Also,
I cannot confirm this, but my skimmer seems to be pulling just as much as before. However, a fair comparison will be in order WITHOUT the filter sock, as it does catch debris and will more then likely cause my skimmer to pull more from the water. But it looks to be pulling a bit more thus far.....

 

[hipower]

If you have a center brace or rear braces, they should come out with screws on the inside. This will allow you to get the sump inside. Hope that helps.

Getting in the front is not an issue, the dimensions of the stand are 2" short front to back and side to side. There is an opening on the back where I can cut a portion out and use a 12" plank to support the sump. I probably should have ordered the Nano Cube eShopps sump, but I like the idea of using a larger sump for the 35 gallon DSA cube I have.

 

[SPSREEFS]

hipower,
Yes, that's a tough call! We all want as large a sump as we can get! However, the nano cube sump looks awesome as well! Would more then likely be plenty for your tank.

 

[SPSREEFS]

Update on Tues. 11th. Sump working great! Filter sock still holding its own. No signs of clogging as of yet. Pretty brown looking though. It's been just over 2.5 days.
Skimmer was completely full now. Not as dark in the collection cup, but still pretty dark. Adjusted skimmer for a bit dryer foam.
Got tracking info today! My new Wavepoint Blade refugium light will be here Thursday. I am pretty excited! Going to make myself a mini tank down there! With some Chaeto algae to try. I think I will reverse and run the light at night. I want to see if it helps keep the PH up during night time hours.
So far the s ump is getting a rock solid 4 stars. I may be bumping that rating up in a few days. So far so good. No warping lid as of yet

 

[SPSREEFS]

Hi guys,
Well another day, and the eshopps r-100 continues to impress! My filter sock still is flowing just fine. I know its a larger micron, but not sure as to the micron rating. My wavepoint blade 10k comes tomorrow. My refugium will then be going on line 100%. I am watching my params carefully. So far, no flaws with the sump!!

 

[hybridazn]

PICS! Lol

But for the socks I would change out every 3 days or so. Dont wait for it to clog. Once it turns that nasty brown color I would swap it out for a clean one.