Looking for a quiet sump for 110gal

[tharkins]

hi all,

I have bought most components for my new system which will be very close the couch in my family room so I am doing everything I can to keep the tank really quiet.

I would like a pre-fab sump n the 30-36 inch range that gives me an option to have a refugium down the road. So far I have been most interested in the Trigger 36 ruby sump or their Emerald 34 model.

Can anyone who has either of these comment on how much noise they make (I am planning herbie or bean overflow) and how they compare to other offerings in this range? Would like to keep cost under $500 unless there is an extremely large benefit to paying more.

 

[sleepydoc]

If you have the choice, go with a bean overflow. Both bean and Herbie are silent, bean is more robust and easier to adjust.

As far as the sump goes, I would seriously look at getting a 40 breeder and making your own sump. depending on your goals, you can easily make one for less than $100.

 

[Code4]

I wanted to build my own. I bought a DSA 140 gallon pro. The 5 foot long one. A forty breeder would not fit in the cabinet. A 55 tall did. But it was so tall I could not work in it. So because of reviews I went with a custom Emerald Trigger. Modified the 39 to 15 wide instead of 16. Planning on a bean overflow also.

Hoping the reviews pay off. I am really tired of trying to find one to fit.

Shelley

 

[Wally.B]

Your thread caught my attention, especially the word "quiet".

This may not apply to your needs but something to consider before you spend your money. Also a chance to learn what you really want in your sump in the long run.

Years ago I bought one of those acrylic manufacture sumps. It did the job since I was new to the hobby.

Then years later built my own out of if a glass aquarium. It was great to custom build one for many reasons. However it always was noisy. Not so much from water running through it, but from the noise of pumps on a hard surface (vibrations). Glass was worse than the acrylic.

I learned to live with the sounds and made improvements in many ways to quiet it down.

Then just last year I switched to a plain old soft Rubbermaid bin. I was stunned how absolutely dead quiet all things went. I will never go back to a hard sump ever again.

It is currently just a single bin but I have plans to make it two joined bins for a refugium expansion and possibly a algae scrubber. Yes a bin isn't ideal for baffles, but I got around that by using containers (empty plastic jars with large holes drilled all around).

I have a thread where I show the initial transition. How to silence a noisy sump....

This may not be for everyone. You may want to have clear sides to see inside which I did like when it was crystal clear new, but it won't be clear for long unless your plan to clean it a lot. Size to fit inside a cabinet is also a factor. Other possibke constraints and downsides.

The only other advice to anyone considering a bin is don't get some cheap hard bin that might crack on you.

Just throwing this out there so you don't spend a decade like I did trying to quiet down my noisy sump.

 

[A sea K]

Noise is all in the set-up. Get whatever sump you wish. I have a DIY sump made from a 20gal long and with the exception of a low hum the entire system is near silent. Any ambient noise in the house will easily overcome the tank.

 

[tharkins]

Thanks guys all really good points. So my tank is also a DSA pro so one thing is based on your comments above I'll go with the bean setup which should help. I do have some space constraints in that the sump has to fit under the stand along with some other things like ATO so the bin idea might cause me a space issue. If I had a separate fish room or more space that would be a great suggestion.

I have one DIY before in prior builds, worked ok for me and no doubt it is way more cost effective. In this case since the tank will be in one of the most visible areas of my house though I want to keep it professional looking (which in my case means DIY is probably out).

So basically will probably go with trigger emerald 34 sump with a bean.

 

[sleepydoc]

Most sumps are kept out of view (isn't that the whole point, to hide the equipment?) but if you're worried about looks, I've seen plenty of professional looking DIY sumps. It depends on what you do and how well you do it. Of course whatever you get has to fit, so that alone may make the decision for you.

Completely agree with A sea K that noise is in the setup. Beyond choosing a quiet return pump, a silicone pad under the pump will virtually eliminate vibration noise transmission from the pump to the sump bottom. (BRS has some; I got a silicone trivet from Target that works well.)

Many people advocate putting some vinyl or silicone tubing between your return pump and the return plumbing. That may work, but barbed fittings are quite restrictive and I found that a 12" section of 1" silicone tubing cut my flow by about 15%. Instead I used a section of spa flex, then put a piece of rubber between the pipe and the stand so the vibrations weren't transmitted. The combination of a silicone pad under my pump and the rubber between the stand and pipe is virtually silent.

One final caveat - many commercial sumps aren't setup to allow extra capacity for back-siphoning when the power is shut off to the return pump. make sure what ever sump you get can handle the volume so you aren't setting yourself up for a flood.

 

[Ches]

My goal was quiet also, so I have a DC return, sump on foam, and an Omega 150 skimmer. the only noise I hear, if I'm really listening, is my MP40s and the humming sound from the skimmer. My drains are ribbed tubing which helps with water noise.

 

[tharkins]

I have the omega 150 skimmer on the way as well. Is that the ruby elite sump above?

Along the lines of the plumbing really playing a bigger part in overall silence than the sump itself, one question on the bean animal setup for my tank. Its a DSA pro with 2 one inch drains and two 3/4 inch returns. If I were to do bean...would I make use of one of the 1 inch drains as the main siphon and then the other 1 inch and one of the 3/4 inch returns for the two emergency drains?

Wondering if I would be better off with a 3/4 inch full siphon if I would get sufficient flow, and then use the 2 one inch drains as the emergency.

Thoughts on that one?

 

[Ches]

I have the omega 150 skimmer on the way as well. Is that the ruby elite sump above?

Along the lines of the plumbing really playing a bigger part in overall silence than the sump itself, one question on the bean animal setup for my tank. Its a DSA pro with 2 one inch drains and two 3/4 inch returns. If I were to do bean...would I make use of one of the 1 inch drains as the main siphon and then the other 1 inch and one of the 3/4 inch returns for the two emergency drains?

Wondering if I would be better off with a 3/4 inch full siphon if I would get sufficient flow, and then use the 2 one inch drains as the emergency.

Thoughts on that one?

yeah its a ruby 36E

 

[laga77]

There are two tanks in my TV room, a 120G and a 50g. Both have bean overflows and glass sumps with Jeabo DC-12000 pumps running full speed. The bottom of the stands are open. There is very little noise. If you are worried about noise, the DC pumps are the way to go.

 

[tharkins]

I already have an eheim 1260 return pump on the way hopefully that won't put out much noise either. I did a fair bit of reading and heard pretty good feedback on it. Heard good things about those DC pumps as well so hopefully both are good.

 

[mypepper]

I'm using the Trigger Systems Emerald 34 sump for my 90 gallon reef and the Trigger Systems sump is dead silent. The design, workmanship and build quality on the Trigger Systems sumps are amazing.

Thanks,
Randy

 

[tharkins]

Thx Randy - I really like that model trying to decide between that and ruby sump. Only thing with emerald 34 is that it will be a tight skimmer fit. I have vertex omega 150.

 

[kc350twin]

Eshopps has a newer line of sumps that they claim are quiet. Maybe worth a look.

 

[Icefire]

The noise isn't the sump, it's the correct pump/overflow that cut down on noise, next it's the skimmer than the pump noise

 

[Settings]

I'm using the Trigger Systems Emerald 34 sump for my 90 gallon reef and the Trigger Systems sump is dead silent. The design, workmanship and build quality on the Trigger Systems sumps are amazing.

Thanks,
Randy

I just received an Trigger Systems 20 cube and I would very much disagree with your statement as this is not what I observed.

My Shaiphire 20 came very scratched and every edge has stress cracks. Also all edges and about 1/2" into the pane look like they went through a sander.

To be fair, the meterial used to build this sump look like they were sourced from scrap pieces from another project.

Returning.