I hate my sump- need recommendations!

[SaltyB24]

I currently have a trigger emerald 26 sump on my 70 gallon display tank. I do not like this sump- the water intake noise is so loud and its a pain getting to the filter sock that are located behind the skimmer. I find myself often aggravated and dread changing the socks. I will be upgrading my tank next year and am tossing around the idea of the Fiji 142 gallon. Originally I wanted to go with the Waterbox 180.5 but I want to have our carpenter make us a custom stand to match the living room furniture so its hard for me to justify the extra cost of the Waterbox stand when I can buy the Fiji aquarium as a stand alone and pair it with a sump of my choice.

What is your favorite sump that allows ease of maintenance while also not sounding like Niagara Falls is located in your living room?

 

[kados]

GEO or Synergy Reef make great high end sumps. I don't like the look or hassle of DIY so these are the two sumps I've had custom made.

 

[Woodyman]

I currently have a trigger emerald 26 sump on my 70 gallon display tank. I do not like this sump- the water intake noise is so loud and its a pain getting to the filter sock that are located behind the skimmer. I find myself often aggravated and dread changing the socks. I will be upgrading my tank next year and am tossing around the idea of the Fiji 142 gallon. Originally I wanted to go with the Waterbox 180.5 but I want to have our carpenter make us a custom stand to match the living room furniture so its hard for me to justify the extra cost of the Waterbox stand when I can buy the Fiji aquarium as a stand alone and pair it with a sump of my choice.

What is your favorite sump that allows ease of maintenance while also not sounding like Niagara Falls is located in your living room?

You can always go with a custom sump. Plenty of manufacturers and recommendations coming your way from everyone here!

I've been looking at the @Tenecor Aquariums sumps.

I'd like to replace my eshopps rs-100 gen2(? I think) sometime within the next 6months-year.

 

[SaltyB24]

What are modifications yall want in your sump that make it worth going the custom route?
I am still new at this so if there are pointers to make my life easier I am all ears!

 

[Woodyman]

What are modifications yall want in your sump that make it worth going the custom route?
I am still new at this so if there are pointers to make my life easier I am all ears!

I want more room with dedicated compartments. Also I plan going with a roller instead of socks on my upgrade. So getting the first compartment setup for my roller of choice, a skimmer section, fuge, and return. Some included probe/line holders would be nice as well!

 

[Woodyman]

I want more room with dedicated compartments. Also I plan going with a roller instead of socks on my upgrade. So getting the first compartment setup for my roller of choice, a skimmer section, fuge, and return. Some included probe/line holders would be nice as well!

My current plan at least. Once I find a roller I like I'll go from there. Not the first thing on my priority list for the tank, but when I do finally change it, I'm doing it up.

 

[Woodyman]

What are modifications yall want in your sump that make it worth going the custom route?
I am still new at this so if there are pointers to make my life easier I am all ears!

The other big part for me is sizing it to my space. I have a bunch of wasted space currently. My sump could easily be an extra 6" long and 4" wide, but it's not that extra space would be better utilized as a separate fuge/skimmer compartments. And my return section is larger than necessary. Just my thoughts though.

 

[SaltyB24]

The other big part for me is sizing it to my space. I have a bunch of wasted space currently

I wish I had this problem in mine! The compartments are so small its ridiculous. But, when I bought it I was brand new to the hobby and the hubby wasn't thrilled about me getting into it. So I didn't have much help and wanted to buy a used setup that was already plumbed and had everything basically "turn key" at a price point that if I ended up not liking it- not the end of the world.
That was 8 months ago so now that I have my feet wet and I know a little bit more about the logistics I want to invest in something nice that is a little bit more user friendly.

.... And now when he thinks I am not paying attention I find him watching the tank too

 

[Woodyman]

I wish I had this problem in mine! The compartments are so small its ridiculous. But, when I bought it I was brand new to the hobby and the hubby wasn't thrilled about me getting into it. So I didn't have much help and wanted to buy a used setup that was already plumbed and had everything basically "turn key" at a price point that if I ended up not liking it- not the end of the world.
That was 8 months ago so now that I have my feet wet and I know a little bit more about the logistics I want to invest in something nice that is a little bit more user friendly.

.... And now when he thinks I am not paying attention I find him watching the tank too

I did a similar thing with mine. I didn't want to go through the hassle of designing and getting it done custom. I wanted a sump that was available right to then and there.

Looking back I wish I would have just delayed my build and gone custom.

 

[Betex]

You can always go with a custom sump. Plenty of manufacturers and recommendations coming your way from everyone here!

I've been looking at the @Tenecor Aquariums sumps.

I'd like to replace my eshopps rs-100 gen2(? I think) sometime within the next 6months-year.

I had the sapphire 26 and also hated it for the same reason as you with the sock holder. I ended up switching to their platinum sump which has the built in roller Matt and it’s been great, pretty easy to change out the rolls and full access to skimmer chamber.

 

[Woodyman]

I had the sapphire 26 and also hated it for the same reason as you with the sock holder. I ended up switching to their platinum sump which has the built in roller Matt and it’s been great, pretty easy to change out the rolls and full access to skimmer chamber.

That's good to hear. I'm sure there are off the shelf units that are nice, with where I'm at though, when I finally do it it'll be a custom one, and if I was doing it today id be having @Tenecor Aquariums quote it and build for me.

I just got my first acrylic tank from them and I'm impressed with the build quality and the customer service/pricing has been great.

There's a whole thread in their vendor sub-forum about that community designed tank. V2 is now available, and I'll be purchasing another tank from them.

 

[SaltyB24]

I had the sapphire 26 and also hated it for the same reason as you with the sock holder. I ended up switching to their platinum sump which has the built in roller Matt and it’s been great, pretty easy to change out the rolls and full access to skimmer chamber.

I have seen people talk about the roller mats- can you please explain the benefit of choosing that option vs the filter socks? Is it just ease of maintenance or is there other benefits behind using them as well?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Skimz
Synergy
Ice Cap
Bashea (just got one bought pricey - But the quality is superb)

 

[Woodyman]

I have seen people talk about the roller mats- can you please explain the benefit of choosing that option vs the filter socks? Is it just ease of maintenance or is there other benefits behind using them as well?

Maintenance ease and your not letting things breakdown in the water leading to further pollution.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Roller mat is an automatic unit that senses how much fleece needed to trap waste and sediment without filter socks and filter sock maintanance but do note that not all rollers fit standard sumps and often require sump modofication.

 

[SaltyB24]

Skimz
Synergy
Ice Cap
Bashea (just got one bought pricey - But the quality is superb)

I was looking at the IceCap 30-36 earlier!

 

[SaltyB24]

That does sound like it would be beneficial! Thanks guys I appreciate the suggestion!

 

[HaveFishWillTravel]

I currently have a trigger emerald 26 sump on my 70 gallon display tank. I do not like this sump- the water intake noise is so loud and its a pain getting to the filter sock that are located behind the skimmer. I find myself often aggravated and dread changing the socks. I will be upgrading my tank next year and am tossing around the idea of the Fiji 142 gallon. Originally I wanted to go with the Waterbox 180.5 but I want to have our carpenter make us a custom stand to match the living room furniture so its hard for me to justify the extra cost of the Waterbox stand when I can buy the Fiji aquarium as a stand alone and pair it with a sump of my choice.

What is your favorite sump that allows ease of maintenance while also not sounding like Niagara Falls is located in your living room?

My XL200 RedSea 50 gallon w/the 11 gallon sump below. EcoTech Marine Return Pump, Simplicity D130 Skimmer and RedSea controls to adjust flow literally makes no sound at all. If there is any sound, it comes from the water getting to high and going into the overflow which is easily remedied by adjusting it. RedSea makes a very nice aquarium. For ~$2,000, you can get a 91 gallon aquarium + sump + cabinet stand. Nice way to start out. Easy to get to sump.

 

[dedragon]

I always like diy, super easy to cut acrylic to size and silicone in place, takes a couple hours to make (plus curing time) and made to your preferences. They also cost a fraction of the price of branded ones

 

[dedragon]

need to clean up a bit but this one i had to redo after i bought a new skimmer and still looks ok imo and does the exact job i need in my limited space cabinet. if i had more space i would have put the filter media cup all the way on the left but a 24 inch sump isnt too big. total cost was under $100