Over priced?

[Thinslis]

I'm looking to setup a sump / refug system but I'm not sure how to make them on my own so I found this site that has full package deals but it seems very expensive. Any thoughts on this setup..


Prefilter/Siphon Box $119.00
LF1-150 Berlin System $989.00
includes:
LF1 sump
4mdqx-sc main system pump
VS2-24 Lifereef Protein Skimmer
3mdqx-sc skimmer pump
system manifold, return lines to tank and supply to refugium
all hoses, clamps, fittings

LifeReefugium $229.00

http://www.lifereef.com/

Thanks,

 

[lawdog]

Lifereef makes top notch equipment... but.. IMHO. Save your money, do a little research on RC and put together a system just as good for a fraction of the money.

You have a siphon box listed. Do you not have a drilled tank? Anyway you can get the tank drilled? It will save alot of time and headache in the future. If you can't then you can still get a good overflow box for less than that... I will point you to SC again or you can check out premium aquatics or other online retailers that sell them.

Other than that you need another tank or container of some sort to hold water. The bigger the better. I have a 100 gallon rubbermaid stock tank as my sump/refugium. You just run the water from the overflow to the sump where a return pump is submerged/plumbed to run the water back up to the main tank. The sump is also where you usually put the skimmer.

This is where you take some of the money you have saved and put it into a really good skimmer. Euroreef comes to mind. What size tank do you have? The new RS series are great and cost a fraction of the RC series.

So now you just need to have a refugium portion... although not necessary. If you are having nitrate issues you may want to add the refugium on later or you can always just section off a portion of the sump and add some liverock and macro and voila you have a refugium...

I think you can do the whole setup for well under $500 with the majority of that going to the skimmer and a good return pump. Hope that helps...

 

[Thinslis]

Law, Again I am victim of my own impatience. Had I known that drilling the tank was even possible and the best option for filtration I would have done that. It’s a 65g AGA. Unfortunately I’ve done just about everything wrong from the start because of my bad habit not researching first.

My thoughts at the moment are to go with an siphon system and oversize the sump system (which one is yet to be determined) to handle up to 150g tank and then replace the tank as money permits with a drilled tank.

 

[MJAnderson]

I would suggest not moving on the sump yet and instead spend the money on a new tank, one that is already drilled with an overflow. They pop up fairly often on here or CORA forums. The 65 you have now would make a nice sump for a larger tank and it's fairly easy to install baffles. =)

I agree with Craig that the setup you're looking at is a bit expensive, but it is decent quality and is one-stop-shopping. You can do better for less but it will require some legwork on your part.

 

[lawdog]

I agree with MJ on this one... You have a 65 gallon and from the pictures it does not look like it is that established of a reef yet with tons of corals and other things... Which means it would be an easy transition at this point to a larger tank and then use the 65 gallon you have as the sump/refugium. You can search in the DIY forum for many good designs on sumps.

You can pick up a 120 gallon RR for around $200 bucks or less if you can find a local reefer looking to dump one for cheap. Heck even AA might have a good deal on one. If you want a reef you really should get a drilled tank with overflows installed. A good overflow box would work for now but may be money poorly spent if you change later (which you probably will). Once you get the bug in this hobby you will want to go bigger soon.

I would get the 120 RR now and have plenty of time to get it going right and have a really nice reef for many years. Plus a 120 will take a long time to fill up and establish as a really nice reef. I would look for a Euroreef RS 180 as a skimmer and use the 65 as the sump.

Take your time, RESEARCH and have fun.... This place is a wealth of knowledge.

 

[Treg]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8847699#post8847699 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Thinslis
Law, Again I am victim of my own impatience.

Been there man. Your not alone.
One way or another this hobby teaches patience.



I had a LifeReef SVS 24" Skimmer for a year and a half, or so. Loved it at the time. Now tho, with all of the Recirculating skimmers out, you can do a whole lot better with your money. Jeff does do some nice quality acrylic work, his design is just a bit out dated. Power hungry and under performing compared to the ER's Geo's and others...

I also had his overflow box. It works ok but thats about it. Again, nice acrylic work but not the best overflow. Its a little slow and noisy. IF you get one, get the black. The clear ones like to grow algaes. One good thing about these overflows are they are easy to sell used. You wont lose out on too much $.

Using the 65g as a sump under a 120g RR would be a sweet setup but If you want to/need to keep the 65. (hey, we all have bills!) another option is a Barr Aquatic internal overflow. Your 65 would be as good as a RR. The price is comparable to the Lifereef, looks and just plain works better. The cost of drilling should only be around $25. This is the way I went when I resetup my 90g. Brent can include everything you need in a package or just get the box and your own plumbing parts at Lowes. Downside, you would need to drain and empty the tank. Your probably not going to recover much of the money if you sell the tank used later.

It is pretty nice tho.

 

[Thinslis]

Treg, Thanks for the ideas and your thoughts. If I do anything that would require draining the tank I would just install a full overflow like the ones you see in tanks that are new.

 

[Treg]

No Problem.

Part of the beauty of the Barr box is they dont take up much room in the tank.


Good Luck with your setup. Just remember to go slow.