Sumps.. The good and bad

[Davy Jones]

First time buying a sump. Have a couple questions but mostly looking for advice!
First some info:
Tank will be a custom 125 48x30x20, euro braced and drilled for ghost overflow.
Stocking will be a mixed reef. May go lps/zoa/nem heavy or may lean towards sps. Either way likely a high bioload.
Would prefer an acrylic sump, with a decent sized fuge section for chaeto and a decent sized skimmer section.
Not really liking the idea of making my own.

I have looked around at marine depot and bulk reef and it seems like Trigger systems is a favorite. I see a lot of praise for reef synergy and elite aquatics as well here on the forum. So with that said, Are there any pros/cons to these guys? Other recommendations?
Of the above manufacturers
Trigger systems emerald\sapphire\amathyst 39
Elite aquatics RRS-40
Reef synergy CL 44

As for budget.. I would prefer not to spend ~$800 on a sump, but if thats what i have to do to have the features and dimensions i want then i guess thats my only option since I am not comfortable with DIY.

On a side note, If you have one of these sumps please post a pic and what you think of it!!

Thanks all!

 

[tdileo]

If I were to buy a sump I’d probably go with Trigger. I don’t have any experienced with ANY premade sumps though, I much prefer being able to customize exactly what I want when I make my own, like just having enough room for the skimmer so I can fit the biggest fuge possible. I understand it’s not something everything is up to doing so I just suggest really thinking about what your plan may be in the long run with your sump

 

[Davy Jones]

If I were to buy a sump I’d probably go with Trigger. I don’t have any experienced with ANY premade sumps though, I much prefer being able to customize exactly what I want when I make my own, like just having enough room for the skimmer so I can fit the biggest fuge possible. I understand it’s not something everything is up to doing so I just suggest really thinking about what your plan may be in the long run with your sump

Right now the plan is a nyos 160, vectra m1 and fuge for chaeto. I'm hoping to avoid any reactors but there should be plenty of room in skimmer chamber if needed. I'll also likely do siporax or marine pure as well

 

[Hausser]

I own a couple emerald trigger sumps and the only things I do not like is the chamber is noisy where the water goes in and the second thing is I don't think enough water flows from skimmer section into the refugium section. Other than that they are nice.

 

[Davy Jones]

I own a couple emerald trigger sumps and the only things I do not like is the chamber is noisy where the water goes in and the second thing is I don't think enough water flows from skimmer section into the refugium section. Other than that they are nice.

Some companies are making filter sick silencers, maybe I'll pick those up to combat the noise of that chamber.

As for the flow issue, doesn't all the water have to flow from skimmer to fuge section before getting to the return?

 

[Hausser]

With the emerald water goes into a small box then flows up and over a wall where the filter sick sits, that little drop is noisy. Yes your sump flows from skimmer section into the refugium, the trigger has a wall the separates them with a small fish cut out in the wall (roughly 2" long by 1 tall) and that is where the water flows through from the skimmer section into refugium. To me that is not big enough of an opening between the two. I have seen dumps the have a bubble trap between the two or water flows of or under the wall between the two. Other than that like I said they are good sumps.

 

[Davy Jones]

With the emerald water goes into a small box then flows up and over a wall where the filter sick sits, that little drop is noisy. Yes your sump flows from skimmer section into the refugium, the trigger has a wall the separates them with a small fish cut out in the wall (roughly 2" long by 1 tall) and that is where the water flows through from the skimmer section into refugium. To me that is not big enough of an opening between the two. I have seen dumps the have a bubble trap between the two or water flows of or under the wall between the two. Other than that like I said they are good sumps.

I appreciate your input!!

 

[Fin]

I have the Elite RS-40, without the refugium (I will have a 20 gallon remote refugium) and the Nyos 160 skimmer that you are thinking about. I am still in the process of setting mine up, but I really like the sump.

Tyler at Elite-Aquatics is awesome to work with. He will make the sump the way you want it. I asked him to substitute blue acrylic for the standard red on this one.

 

[Davy Jones]

I have the Elite RS-40, without the refugium (I will have a 20 gallon remote refugium) and the Nyos 160 skimmer that you are thinking about. I am still in the process of setting mine up, but I really like the sump.

Tyler at Elite-Aquatics is awesome to work with. He will make the sump the way you want it. I asked him to substitute blue acrylic for the standard red on this one.

Good to know! I emailed them asking what cost would be to make it 44x20x15. With the deeper tank depth and stand I think a little more front to back space would be usable!

 

[madweazl]

After having a number of acrylic sumps over the years, I decided to go with a glass sump on my current project because I like to keep the panels clean which is tough to do on an acrylic sump without scratching it up over time.

As for the issue mentioned above about the Trigger sump not being able to flow enough water, that isn't remotely the case; is capable of flowing way more water than any tank it is designed to fit (likely by 1000+ gph). I have an Eshopps R200 (2nd gen) on my 75g and it has worked well enough for relatively little money.

 

[Davy Jones]

This leads me to another point.. for a ~125 gallon display, how large should my fuge be? I'm not going triton but I wonder if the 4-7 gallons worth of space in most pre made sumps is enough to actually do anything?

 

[jeffrey holloway]

I run an emerald 39 on a 150g and an emerald 34 on my 75g. I love them both. I run BRS reactors and a lifereef skimmer outside the 39, this gives me additional fuge area for cheato.

 

[JoeIII]

We are looking at trigger and GEO currently, so I recommend you give the GEO sumps a look before making your decision

 

[litenyaup]

Diy is always fun and you can build it exactly how you want it. I have done all mine and turned out great. Let me know if u need help or have questions.

 

[Davy Jones]

We are looking at trigger and GEO currently, so I recommend you give the GEO sumps a look before making your decision

GEO's stuff is always amazing. However, i am trying to run my reef without any reactors.. So a sump with built in reactors defeats the purpose! I am hoping to make it very simple, Large sump, Large skimmer, Decent sized fuge, siporax or marine pure. I am not going sps dom so Im not shooting for ULNS. Hoping to avoid gfo/biopellets/ (much)carbon

 

[Davy Jones]

Diy is always fun and you can build it exactly how you want it. I have done all mine and turned out great. Let me know if u need help or have questions.

I couldnt diy my way out of a wet paper bag.. I need to find a way to build a simple mixing station before i consider doing a sump. Plumbing scares me.

 

[ReefNoobie88]

I have a 125g that I’m setting up also, diy glass 75g sump. 28g fuge section in the plan. Glass is cheap, and silicon in the panels is easy as hell. I’ll be starting a build thread here in the next couple weeks.

 

[JoshH]

You could always give Jeff at lifereef a call, he will make you whatever your heart desires even if it's insane....
He's excellent to work with and will keep you on point, and won't suggest crazy upgrades if you don't.

 

[JoshH]

I couldnt diy my way out of a wet paper bag.. I need to find a way to build a simple mixing station before i consider doing a sump. Plumbing scares me.

Oh and BTW there are a ton of members here who would be more than happy to guide you through a build. Many have done it, you can always get a glass shop to do all your cuts and cleaning of the glass then all you have to do is glue away!

 

[riche]

Diy Or bashsea. He can custom make anything u want or go with one of the standard ones. He makes some sick sumps