Sump Advice

[MartyMcFly]

I'm getting ready to purchase a sump for my 40 breeder that I'm setting up and I'm not sure which to choose. I really love the look of the eshopps sumps and that they are very quiet, however I'm not sure about the layout and difficulty seeing/cleaning certain sections of it? I'm also considering the Trigger Sapphire 26 and the Ruby 30. I like that the Sapphire has a lid to keep noise and salt creep down and hose holders for ato etc. but the Ruby is larger and offers more water volume. I'd also like something that could be used in the future should I choose to get a larger tank 75-90 gallons or so. If anyone has experience using either of these, I'd love to hear your thoughts, and any other opinions are greatly appreciated.

 

[Idoc]

Have you thought about just building your own sump? It's so hard for me to justify the cost of an acrylic sump when it is so cheap and easy to build your own. I use a 40g breeder for my 75g tank. But you could probably build one using a 20g long as long as your skimmer will fit.

 

[David Mc]

I am very happy with the Skimz sump I purchased. I must of caught it on sale as it was quite a bit less expensive than it's competitors.

 

[MartyMcFly]

Have you thought about just building your own sump? It's so hard for me to justify the cost of an acrylic sump when it is so cheap and easy to build your own. I use a 40g breeder for my 75g tank. But you could probably build one using a 20g long as long as your skimmer will fit.

I did think about this, however I can be very picky about fit and finish and I am not sure I can produce something as clean and precise as I would expect. It probably seems ridiculous but I guess I'm just looking for a particular look.

 

[Susan Edwards]

I just bought a bashsea bio fuge sump. it was a better deal than the triggers which I liked but are so pricey. It was 360 with free shipping.

 

[cwalton00]

I would suggest one of the trigger systems. If you can fit the 30 go for it or get the 26

 

[LDH]

Geo's reef sumps. Amazing. That is all.

 

[MaddyP]

I really like the Icecap sumps when it comes to tanks on the smaller end of the scale. They have a built in ATO container which helps save time. On my old 40 breeder I had the Icecap 30. It isn't a high end sump, but it offers a lot for the price.

After I upgraded my skimmer...

 

[MartyMcFly]

I did look at the Icecaps and like them a lot, however I would like to have a refugium section.

 

[MartyMcFly]

Anyone have the Sapphire 26 or Ruby 30 that can offer their thoughts? Also I'm planning on having a Synergy Shadow overflow in a bean animal style, so I'm not sure if it helps to have two drain inputs like the ruby because the Sapphire 26 only has one?

 

[MartyMcFly]

Anyone out there using either of these?

 

[8251reefer]

Anyone out there using either of these?

Did alot of research prior to pulling the Trigger on my new sump and ended up purchasing the Sapphire 26 for my 75 gallon. I love the sump! It's beautiful, well built and pretty quiet. My only complaint is that have to mount my 13.4" JAGER heater diagonally in the refuge as it is only 13" wide. Had I purchased the cobalt aquatics heater that would not have been a problem. Really that's the only thing I don't like about my sump... It's perfectly sized otherwise. I have a Bubble Magus Curve 5 skimmer and it fits perfectly with plenty of room to spare, upgrade to a Reef Octo 150SSS in the future. Just check the size of the skimmer you are using with it to ensure it fits, most of the recirculating skimmers will be too large for it to fit in the skimmer area.

 

[Devan Petersen]

Have you thought about just building your own sump? It's so hard for me to justify the cost of an acrylic sump when it is so cheap and easy to build your own. I use a 40g breeder for my 75g tank. But you could probably build one using a 20g long as long as your skimmer will fit.

+1

 

[MaiReef]

Build one with a 20 gallon long or a 30 gallon tank. It will cost less and you can customize it to your skimmer to maximize the refugium section. Check out my build thread where I explain the sump.

 

[lbacha]

I did a lot of research between the ruby and sapphire series of trigger sumps. I was getting a 20c which is the 20" cube sump. The main improvement on the sapphire is the enclosed sock section that has a chamber for water to flow into and then it goes through the sock which would make changing the sock plot easier than the ruby series. The problem is it takes up a lot of space and if you don't use a sock (which I don't) it uses a lot of sump space for little value (it will still help reduce some salt creep).

In the end I went with a custom ruby 20c that they made with blue acrylic (I really like the blue look of the sapphire series)

 

[MartyMcFly]

Thanks for the replies. Can anyone shed some light on how I would plumb a Bean Animal Drain into a sump with only one drain input? I'm assuming the primary drain would would be plumbed into the drain input/sock area, but then where does the secondary drain get plumbed into? Then the emergency drain can be plumbed into the refugium section of the sump?

 

[Matthew Frost]

Plumb the main drain into the filter sock, overflow into the fuge and emergency into the return chamber.

 

[atx100r]

Thanks for the replies. Can anyone shed some light on how I would plumb a Bean Animal Drain into a sump with only one drain input? I'm assuming the primary drain would would be plumbed into the drain input/sock area, but then where does the secondary drain get plumbed into? Then the emergency drain can be plumbed into the refugium section of the sump?

Just plum the secondary into the sock area or refugiam...it is only supposed to be a trickle at best...if you have to much water going through the secondary your piping isn't big enough or it's restricted...

 

[MartyMcFly]

Thanks for clarifying, this will be my first Bean Animal Drain setup and I wasn't quite sure. I appreciate everyone's input.

 

[Clayton Jessup]

I am in the same boat of a new sump. I currently have a 20L DIY sump that I did my self and I am using it on my 75g set up . But when I did water testing then **** of the return pump the drain back into my sump nearly filled up my 20L to the rim . I freaked out that it my flood over the trim. So now I looking at new sumps, and even thought about building my own as well .