Mega Flow Sump.

[pledosophy]

Anyone use one of these?

 

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=13648&ref=3969&cm_mmc=LiveAquaria_DFS_Links-_-Fish_Supplies-_-LiveAquaria_Gen_Page-_-Filters&subref=AA&N=2004+22778

 

Have a G.C. to liveaquaria and need a sump to resetup my 65g. It will be a reef system.

 

Thanks for the input.

[nu2reef-n]

You really don't want to use bioballs in a reef tank, that's why you put live rock in your tank.

I'll sell you the same size of sump for way cheaper than that.

[powdertang05]

ive talk to people on rc that have them they said they are not very well designed they also said its very loud.

[H20cooled]

Yeah you could very easily setup a similar sump with a 5 or 10 gallon glass tank and some acrylic panels. Skip the bio balls and add a skimmer to you sump.

[Barleychown]

I have one that I am not real impressed with. They are noisy, and messy, and not really big enough to hold what you end up wanting to put in there.

[pledosophy]

I plan on replacing the bioball with rubble rock.

 

Thanks for the input.

 

I have made sumps from 20g's before but thought this looked "neat". I would like to be able to have a liverock compartment, filter sock, refugium, and divided return area. I also need it to fit under my 65g which is 36" long.

 

If you really ahve one you will sell me for cheaper, love to see a pic. I saw some at Waves, that looked cool, and would need little mods, but I have a G.C. to Liveaquaria for $100 so was looking there.

 

I really like the Ecosystem ones, but $$$$ to much for me. I do plan on using there Miracle Mud though.

 

Any input would be great.

[powdertang05]

regular old sand works fine most product out there are really just gimiks save ur money.

[Piero]

yep, what PT said....especially in this hobby, when in doubt....it's a gimmick not worth your money. Skip it and keep things simple, save your money. Every reefkeeping product begs the question: What is the intended purpose specifically? Can that goal - whether biological, physical, or chemical - be obtained easily and efficiently through simple more affordable methods? most of the time the answer is a resounding YES. And I'd also skip that whole "ecosystems" gimmick too with that mudd....save your money again. Skimmer, reactors, water changes...and yer golden.

 

A sump just needs to act as a simple reservoir from which you pull water for equipment, namely skimmers and reactors. And sumps do not need high flow if you deal with circulation through other methods.

 

speaking of which....in the interest of building equipment, what is the minimum tools needed to work with acrylic effectively? router, dremmel, saw, clamps, levels, sander for polishing...spose you also need a routing table for accurate cutting and maybe a table saw? just wonderin'

[pledosophy]

I've had much personal experience with Ecosystem's Miracle Mud. It's worth the doe. I agree many things are gimicks, but I've talked with Leng many times, he knows his ish. His fish store was a few miles from where I moved here from. One of his inventors and I are friends. It's more then just a gimick IME. While sand and other filtration are effective means of nutrient export the mudd is cultured and seeded with many eggs that bring new life to the system.

 

I plan on running a skimmer as well as a refugium, but IME refugiums are invaluable since they constantly are producing food for the corals as well as providing filtration for the system.

 

Piero,

 

Taps Plastic sells precut pieces of acrylic so for the lazy DIYer that's an option. They charge by the square inch and there is no extra charge for cuts or discounts for buying 4x8 sheets.

 

Depending on the size, acrylic is easy to score to cut. A table saw might save some time and give you a cleaner cut, but no experience using a table saw.

 

If your looking to drill holes, holes saws work well, a dremel can be used but is a PITA IME. I'd rather just pay for the holesaw. Just keep the bit cool and wet, go slow, take a couple breaks, you'll be fine.

 

Any input on other sumps you'd recommend for a 65g?

[nu2reef-n]

There are no real rules for the reefing hobby. What works for you might not work for me, or the next guy. If you want a recommendation for what size of sump to use under your 65 gal. tank, I would say as big as you can fit in your stand.

Don't forget to plan for upgrades you might do in the near future, as far as available space under your stand for calc. and phosban reactors, additional pumps, Q.T. tank, top off bucket or whatever else you think you might add to your system down the road.

There never seems to be enough room under the tank.

[R2R2]

We don't use or sell these sumps(mainly because they are overpriced and undersized), but I would have to say in their defense that they do have the basic design of the filter systems we are all using with success today. These factory systems are mass produced and make good basic sump technology available to many folks not here to be enlightened by our years of experience.(sarcastic, underhanded compliment) If you consider the giant pile of premanufactured reef equipment, these sumps are far from the worst crap on the heap, and even though they are not made by Envision, they can be a solid first step for aspiring reefers trying to head in the right direction. Try this; think of the first saltwater "filtersystem" you pressed into service. Did it have as much to offer as this one? R2R2