[WuTang]

Does anyone know of a good manufacturer that makes high quality custom made sumps and refugiums? After getting some recommendations on size, it seems like everyone agrees that bigger is better. In order for me to take advantage of the room underneath my cabinet of my 60 Gallon TRUVU tank, I would like one made with the dimensions of 36" x 10" x 14". This would fit in my cabinet perfectly and will take advantage of the room down there. It should be able to hold a Euroreef ES5-2 Skimmer 9" x 9", a mag pump, bio-balls, and the largest space possible for a refugium. Some members of reefland have recommended using a rubbermaid container but I'm not sure how to put one together or if they make anything that will fit underneath my cabinet. Any suggestions or recommendations are appreciated...

[Ninong]

I purchased my sump from Jeff at Lifereef: http://www.lifereef.com/

He can make a custom sump or refugium to your exact specifications. His workmanship is excellent but there is usually at least an eight-week wait because he is always backed up. And he's a bit on the pricey side.

[kevinpo]

Mine were made by Barr Aquatic. Very good price but may also be a long wait as he is always busy.
http://barraquatic.com/index.html

HTH,
Kevin

[WuTang]

Hi Ninong:

What kind of sump did you purchase from him and what did you pay? I want to do an all in-one but he suggests doing a seperate sump and refugium. What should I expect to pay for sump/refugium/pump/skimmer/light setup? Do you know if it's really necessary or is there an advantage to go seperate sump and refugium?

Originally Posted by Ninong

I purchased my sump from Jeff at Lifereef: http://www.lifereef.com/

He can make a custom sump or refugium to your exact specifications. His workmanship is excellent but there is usually at least an eight-week wait because he is always backed up. And he's a bit on the pricey side.

[Ninong]

I purchased one of these packages:

LF1-150, with VS2-24" protein skimmer, 4MDQX-SC and 3MDQX-SC pumps, sump volume 22 gal.: $949.00

The shipping added about $90.00 to the above.

As you can see from his "Custom Showcase" page, he does make custom sumps that include refugia and some of his custom sumps have in-sump skimmers: http://www.lifereef.com/frame.html

[Reefland]

I don't know how customizable he gets but My Reef Creations www.myreefcreations.com also lists sumps on their site.

[zhenya]

In addition to the sites mentioned already,check out this http://www.melevsreef.com/acrylics/s.../80g_sump.htmland this is a link to the main sump page
http://www.melevsreef.com/allmysumps.html

Marc is a hobbyist and makes really nice acrylic sumps/refugium combos.

[WuTang]

Hi Ninong:

Thanks for the referral. I spoke with Jeff over the phone and I'm seriously thinking about purchasing his CLF1 Compact Berlin Filter System with a seperate Refugium. Although, do you run a refugium? With lifereef, he recommends running a seperate refugium tank so that the refugium is not flushed entirely with the flow of water pressure if it existed in the sump. Therefore, one has better control over the water flow that goes into the refugium. He's asking an extra $199 for the refugium (kind of pricey considering the cost of the sump already). Is this worth the cost? How is your sump running and are you happy with it? He claims that the skimmer is super quiet, is designed to not make any splash, the venturi pump is maintenance free (just clean the collection cup and inlet), should have little or NO salt creep anywhere in the sump which I assume makes for a very clean sump? I appreciate your response. -Thanks

Originally Posted by Ninong

I purchased one of these packages:

LF1-150, with VS2-24" protein skimmer, 4MDQX-SC and 3MDQX-SC pumps, sump volume 22 gal.: $949.00

The shipping added about $90.00 to the above.

As you can see from his "Custom Showcase" page, he does make custom sumps that include refugia and some of his custom sumps have in-sump skimmers: http://www.lifereef.com/frame.html

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by WuTang

Hi Ninong:

Thanks for the referral. I spoke with Jeff over the phone and I'm seriously thinking about purchasing his CLF1 Compact Berlin Filter System with a seperate Refugium. Although, do you run a refugium?

I do not run a refugium only because I have no room for one. I would love to have a refugium.

With lifereef, he recommends running a seperate refugium tank so that the refugium is not flushed entirely with the flow of water pressure if it existed in the sump. Therefore, one has better control over the water flow that goes into the refugium.

Yes, there is a lot of truth to that statement.

He's asking an extra $199 for the refugium (kind of pricey considering the cost of the sump already). Is this worth the cost?

I would think that $199 is reasonable. His workmanship and materials are both excellent.

How is your sump running and are you happy with it?

It's a well constructed sump. I have no problems with it. My next sump will be different and custom designed only because my next tank will be much larger. The main reason I purchased the sump that I did was because it became available immediately when the customer who ordered it five months before cancelled at the last minute.

He claims that the skimmer is super quiet, is designed to not make any splash, the venturi pump is maintenance free (just clean the collection cup and inlet), should have little or NO salt creep anywhere in the sump which I assume makes for a very clean sump?

The skimmer itself makes virtually no noise but the same cannot be said for the supplied Little Giant pump. I think Jeff also offers Iwaki pumps with Japanese motors for a slight extra charge. Every time I tell someone that the Little Giant pumps are too noisy and generate too much heat, Jeff contradicts me. So that's up to you. Let's just say that my preference would be for something other than a Little Giant pump. Or, to put it another way, I hate my Little Giant pumps.

The Lifereef skimmer is just a simple venturi skimmer but it works well and is trouble-free. I have no complaints about the skimmer.

[WuTang]

Ninong:

I went ahead and ordered an LF150 series sump (with an in-sump skimmer mod) from Lifereef and brought up your issue with Jeff. He mentioned that your Little Giant may be defective if it's making too much noise. If it's under warranty, have you looked into replacing it? My sump comes with a Little Giant 4MDQX-SC 1120 GPH external pump that's air cooled. Considering the noise your pump is making, how would you describe the noise in terms of loudness? Do you feel spending the extra dough on an Iwaki is worth the money? I would of went with all in-sump pumps (usually quieter) but I'd run into an issue with heating up the water. I appreciate your response and let me know what model you have.

Thanks.

Originally Posted by Ninong

I do not run a refugium only because I have no room for one. I would love to have a refugium.


Yes, there is a lot of truth to that statement.


I would think that $199 is reasonable. His workmanship and materials are both excellent.


It's a well constructed sump. I have no problems with it. My next sump will be different and custom designed only because my next tank will be much larger. The main reason I purchased the sump that I did was because it became available immediately when the customer who ordered it five months before cancelled at the last minute.


The skimmer itself makes virtually no noise but the same cannot be said for the supplied Little Giant pump. I think Jeff also offers Iwaki pumps with Japanese motors for a slight extra charge. Every time I tell someone that the Little Giant pumps are too noisy and generate too much heat, Jeff contradicts me. So that's up to you. Let's just say that my preference would be for something other than a Little Giant pump. Or, to put it another way, I hate my Little Giant pumps.

The Lifereef skimmer is just a simple venturi skimmer but it works well and is trouble-free. I have no complaints about the skimmer.

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by WuTang

Ninong:

I went ahead and ordered an LF150 series sump (with an in-sump skimmer mod) from Lifereef and brought up your issue with Jeff. He mentioned that your Little Giant may be defective if it's making too much noise. If it's under warranty, have you looked into replacing it? My sump comes with a Little Giant 4MDQX-SC 1120 GPH external pump that's air cooled.

As previously stated, I have the LF1-150 with the Little Giant pumps: 4MDQX-SC as the return pump and 3MDQX-SC has the skimmer pump (my skimmer is external). And, as I warned you previously, Jeff does NOT agree with my opinion that the Little Giant pumps are too noisy and produce too much heat. This is nothing new. Perhaps you should run a search on Little Giant pumps on Reef Central (a very large board) to see what others have to say.

Considering the noise your pump is making, how would you describe the noise in terms of loudness?

It is TOO LOUD for me. Obviously it is not too loud for Jeff. A search on the boards will reveal that this is a common complaint.

Do you feel spending the extra dough on an Iwaki is worth the money?

Yes, I believe I have made that quite clear previously. I regret getting the Little Giant pumps. When I placed my order I was not aware of the possibility of upgrading the pumps. I have no personal experience with the Iwaki pumps but, based on comments from others, I have little doubt that they can't possibly be worse than the Little Giant pumps. If you purchase an Iwaki pump, make sure you get the more expensive version with the Japanese motor because it is quieter than the American motor. You could also order your Lifereef sump system without a return pump and purchase a different return pump elsewhere.

I don't know how else to put this other than to repeat:

(1) I hate Little Giant pumps.

(2) Jeff does not.

[WuTang]

Thanks, I won't take the risk of purchasing any Little Giant pumps. I went ahead and changed my order to a CLF2 series sump with all in-sump pumps. With the amount of water that I'm processing in my main tank, sump, and refugium, I don't think heat will be a factor. Also, I'm hoping that the in-sump pumps will be quieter as I'm going by some of the replies from my previous thread. 1 Mag 9 driving my skimmer, 1 Mag 9 pushing water back to my main tank, 1 Mag 5 flowing water to my Refugium which sits next to my 60 Gallon Aquarium.

I did a search on Iwakis pumps and have read mixed opinions of them being loud or moderate but did not come across anything that described them as super quiet. Although, there were also mixed opinions of the Little Giant being loud to moderately loud while some people loved or hated them. I did find a few responses of peeps adding oil to their pumps in order to quiet them down a bit.

Originally Posted by Ninong

As previously stated, I have the LF1-150 with the Little Giant pumps: 4MDQX-SC as the return pump and 3MDQX-SC has the skimmer pump (my skimmer is external). And, as I warned you previously, Jeff does NOT agree with my opinion that the Little Giant pumps are too noisy and produce too much heat. This is nothing new. Perhaps you should run a search on Little Giant pumps on Reef Central (a very large board) to see what others have to say.



It is TOO LOUD for me. Obviously it is not too loud for Jeff. A search on the boards will reveal that this is a common complaint.



Yes, I believe I have made that quite clear previously. I regret getting the Little Giant pumps. When I placed my order I was not aware of the possibility of upgrading the pumps. I have no personal experience with the Iwaki pumps but, based on comments from others, I have little doubt that they can't possibly be worse than the Little Giant pumps. If you purchase an Iwaki pump, make sure you get the more expensive version with the Japanese motor because it is quieter than the American motor. You could also order your Lifereef sump system without a return pump and purchase a different return pump elsewhere.

I don't know how else to put this other than to repeat:

(1) I hate Little Giant pumps.

(2) Jeff does not.

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by WuTang

Although, there were also mixed opinions of the Little Giant being loud to moderately loud while some people loved or hated them. I did find a few responses of peeps adding oil to their pumps in order to quiet them down a bit.

My Little Giant pumps have lubrication holes where you add two or three drops of oil every six months. That's just routine maintenance; it doesn't do anything to affect the noise level. Japanese motor Iwaki pumps are quieter than American motor Iwaki pumps but the larger Iwaki pumps have a fan that adds to the noise level.

Good luck with your new sump and refugium.