Help me choose a sump for a new tank!

[dante411x]

So, I'm bad at sticking to things and wife ok'd it, so I bought a new tank. Nuvo 150 INT to be specific. Probably going to stick to this one for a good long while. Seems like a perfect size for most things I want. 

 

Anyhow. So, now that it's in transit and should arrive soon.. ish, I'm making up a shopping list for equipment I will need to make this thing work. And the sump question is.. bothering me. 

 

The inside of the stand of this thing is 44.25” x 32.37”x 33.75. So, a large sump would fit. And from my personal experience, bigger is better in sump world. So, with that in mind, I've been shopping around. I actually want to buy a sump this time. I've always made my own and honestly I'm just tired of it. It's always a compromise and..... honestly, I have the money and I'm tired of compromise. 

 

After looking at all the things. Well. Not all. Whatever BRS and MD have to offer. I decided on getting the trigger systems sapphire cr44. 44" long x 16" wide x 15" high. It seems perfect. Almost. It's real huge. Which is great. It will barely fit inside the stand, but only take up half the room front to back. Plenty of space for an ato container and some other equipment. The idea is to keep everything electrical out of the stand and in a shelf I'll build for it beside it, so the vast majority of the random crap that I usually house under the tank wouldn't be in the way. So. Fits well, has a huge refugium, is huge. Overall great.

 

Then I stumbled on the Icecap 36xl. 36 x 23.5 x 16in... and now I'm not so sure that the trigger systems one is better or not. This thing actually takes advantage of the wide room inside the stand and isn't as long, so I'd have some space to the side. Not alot, but way more than before. Half an inch vs 8. The refugium is weird, passive fed, but honestly it wouldn't take much to just put in a pump to feed it if i needed it. It has a built in ATO. Which seems actually kinda dumb, but it's bigger than my current one, so that's kinda neat. And it's cheaper...... As much as I have the money, this is going to be an Expensive upgrade and saving some cash here or there doesn't hurt. 

 

Im really not sure where to go here. I want the biggest possible sump that'll fit in there. With as big of a refugium as possible. The built in ATO is nifty but with the extra room I'd have with the trigger systems sump, I could put in a 20 long behind it and have a bigger ato container for practically nothing. 

 

Help?

 

If there's something else I should look at, please tell me! I have looked through MD and BRS, but not really ventured far beyond those. And I really don't want to have a sump custom made. 1- It would likely take a while and 2- it would likely cost more and I'm pretty sure the wife is already sharpening some object to stab me with. 

[epleeds]

You need to figure out if you want to fill the entire bottom of the stand with the sump. I did that with mine and regret it. I have no room under the tank for any equipment and although I have a small area under my stairs for the extra equipment, I would have rather had a 4’ sump vs a 6’ sump and had the extra 2 feet for my calcium reactor and other odds and ends. 
 

if it was me, I would have a custom sump made that’s 36x24x18 which you could have a built in top off and grow out area built in.  You have the time to plan accordingly and do it right the first time. Will it be expensive?  Of course, but you will have exactly what you want and won’t ever say, I wish I could change this about the sump. Plan it around whatever skimmer you go with so you have enough room in the skimmer chamber and then you can design the other compartments as well. 

[YHSublime]

What epleeds said. Do it right the first time. Then you will be happy!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[dante411x]

Bah. Yeah, maybe I should have one built. That said, Eric, that icecap sump is basically that exact size with the top off in there. 
 

Thing is, if I had one built.. I honestly don’t know what I’d change in it from the prefab. I could just take a basic 40g and put some baffles in it and call it a day. 
 

Btw, with the stand being so wide, the 44” trigger systems sump would be the length of the stand but only half the width. So I’d still end up with 44x16 amount of floor space inside the stand with it in there. 

[dante411x]

The grow out area is an interesting idea. I.. don’t actually know how that would work. Like a mini frag tank partition inside the sump?

 

that.. is awesome. Now I definitely have something to consider. 

[rioreef]

I would take into consideration the depth (front2back) of your stand.  If you push any sump option to the back of the stand that is going to make servicing it a long reach from the front.  That is unless the sides of the stand come off making it a bit easier.  On the IceCap 36xl for the fuge a separate pump is not needed,  Just run a port off the return and feed it to the refugium.  

 

Another source of sumps https://www.fijicube.com/.  Prefab and diy/custom build options too.  Don't have one, but maybe someone here does and can comment. 

 

Check out https://premiumaquatics.com too.  They sell Bashsea sumps.

 

Edited November 22, 2019 by rioreef

[Lowefx]

I actually have the 36" Bashsea sump, linked here.... https://premiumaquatics.com/products/bashsea-smart-series-36x15x16-sump-red.html

 

I have been debating on going a different route. Let know if you have questions or interested in it. its not even a year old yet and in perfect shape.

[madweazl]

Whatever you decide, orient it in a fashion that facilitates maintenance over just about everything else. I'd definitely keep the sump all the way up front and anything else that is rarely messed with behind it since it doesnt look to have side doors. I initially went with Elite Aquatics for the sump on our 150g and it was a gaggle; ended up having to file a claim with PayPal for a refund (sump never delivered). From there I went to Synergy Reef and they were absolutely fantastic to work with; they constantly kept me updated and were happy to do whatever I wanted. They were more expensive than a lot of the options typically carried in store (Bashea, Trigger, eShopps, etc.) but they have a good product and outstanding customer service. I went with the TS-44. 

[dante411x]

So, I ended up getting the cr 44 sump. It was Black Friday and I just got tired of thinking about it. The tank came today and I just finished assembling the stand, so put the sump in there to see how it fits and how annoying it will be if it’s all the way in the back.

Good news is, it fits well. I can basically climb inside the stand of this thing, so maintenance on any part of the sump is going to be pretty easy. Not completely sure if I want to keep it in the front instead since access to the back will be difficult if I do. I’d have to have a lot more plumbing and reach across the sump to get to it.

The only things currently going in front of the sump will be an ato container and a skimmate locker, but both of those id rather have fast and easy access to.

Cat for scale!









The bookshelf and the picture will be going away and the stand will get moved a bit, but this is it’s final(ish) place:




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk