Ran upon this post because I too am wanting to change out my "stock" sump that came with my Red Sea 525XL. The LFS I purchased it from came out and set everything up for me, which was nice but now I'm flying solo if I move forward with changing out to a Trigger 34V2. The guy that set my current tank up for me used the 5 gallon ATO reservoir that Red Sea includes with the tank combo to make me a refugium. It has been sorta ok but I too find that it is way too small and certainly very much in the way of everything in my sump on the right side, as it sits up on a bracket system that sits over the socks and area where the water flows down from the overflow.
One of my biggest concerns is the current set up has the down pipes from the overflow going in on the right side but the Trigger sump has them going in on the left side. Would it be a solid choice to turn the sump around backwards, causing some inconveniences by going that route?
I could also consider putting the Trigger in correctly and using rigid or flex PVC to route the overflow pipes to the left side (currently it flows straight down from the overflow) in the middle of the stand (far right of the sump under the cabinet).
Currently my return pump is on the left side of the sump and the plumbing has several 90's connecting the rigid PVC to the return pipe, also coming down from the middle of the stand (far right in the sump itself) so in theory I'm assuming my return flow will increase going straight up versus making those turns. Plus, the guy plumbed the refugium in so that the return pump sends water to both the refugium and back into the tank so with a new set up the return pump would not have to supply water flow to the refugium, which I like much better.
The small chamber of the sump where the water returns back from the tank that I currently have is impossible to get to due to the refugium being mounted over the top of that area of the sump. I had contemplated months back about removing that 5 gallon refugium tank and use a remote tank outside the cabinet to build a much larger refugium but I could not wrap my mind around the best way to plumb everything in correctly so I got over that idea....not to mention the visual of a refugium outside the stand not being all that appealing, etc.
I used a flash light to see into the back chamber where the water enters the sump and with the very little bit I can actually see it appears the overflow pipes do not come down into the sump individually once it reaches that chamber but goes into a connector that combines both pipes into one. Any advice/cautions on cutting those pipes off so they will be two separate pipes to pipe over into the refugium that would then be on the far left in the new Trigger sump will be greatly appreciated.
The overflow pipe furthest to the right has a knob (Red Sea installed) that is used to adjust the water level in the overflow. I'm assuming it is imperative that I do not cut too close to that adjustment knob? Or in theory I could cut it out and use a flow control valve of some sort for adjustment purposes (or do this if I screw up something in my cutting)?
What I'm scratching my head about is the fact that the Trigger sump states the sump holds 31 gallons, as does the Red Sea sump that came with the tank. The RS sump is substantially larger in dimensions than the Trigger.....height, width and depth.....so I'm confused as to how they can both claim they hold the exact same amount of water. Things that make one go hmmmmmm. Besides getting a much larger refugium with the Trigger I like that it is much smaller and will allow some much desired space around the sump to get my hands around it. The RS sump is snug as a bug in a rug inside that cabinet and does not allow for anything to be clamped to the back or sides. If you try to clamp something to the front there's a strong possibility the doors will hit it when you close them.
I also like that the Trigger sump is much lighter in weight because it's acrylic....but I worry about the horror stories of scratching, etc......but since it's a sump that is meant to be hidden I'm not as overly concerned about the aesthetics at this point.
Thanks in advance for any advice anyone can offer.
This picture shows the knob back behind the refugium I am concerned about.
This picture I am trying to show the back chamber where the overflow brings water down from the tank.
This picture is just a snap shot of the set up. You can see the 5 gallon tank RS adds to the setup for an ATO system that we converted over to a refugium.
This picture was taken a few months back when the sump was far cleaner than it is now. Included it because I think it shows the back chamber where the overflow drops in as well as the refugium better.
