danrobberg
New member
My wife just gave me the go ahead. I wonder if it's a trap lol. Worth it???
Royal Exclusiv Dream Box
- Thread starter danrobberg
- Start date
slief
RC Sponsor
The dream boxes are arguably the nicest and most well thought out sumps money can buy. If you have the money for one, then I can assure you, you will not be dissapointed.
danrobberg
New member
That's my line of thinking also. But my wife wants everything to look nice. Not an eye sore like the last tank was. Even though the sump will be in the basement. Between the bk skimmer and the red dragon return pipe there's 1800 bucks right there. Is it worth it for twice the price?
slief
RC Sponsor
That all depends on who you ask. If you as the guys running the cheap Chinese pumps then I am sure you will get a different answer than somebody like me who is used to paying for the best quality components and won't run cheap crap that is prone to failure. Heck, I even designed my own sumps and refugiums and had them custom made with lids and all. My sumps and refugium are pretty large at 90 gallon each and very complex. I paid a pretty penny for them as a result. In fact, they cost me nearly as much as a dream box would have but I had space constraints and other design requirements that forced me to go custom. I liken this part of the discussion to cars. All cars are designed to get you from point A to point B. I own a 2007 Mini Cooper base model and 2014 Corvette.. I'm sure you can guess which one I enjoy more. It happens to be the one that handles and accelerates the best. It's also the one that gets the most looks. Sumps aren't much different. They all get your water from point A to point B.. But one of them looks a heck of a lot better and has an awful lot more engineering effort put into the design.
As for your skimmer and pump choice, they are hands down the best in their class. No compromise there and good choices but I am certainly biased. I run a Supermarin Skimmer with an RD3 pump on it. I also have an RD3 80 watt for a close loop and an RD3 230 Watt pump in route to me. I don't cut corners and I pretty much only run what I feel is the best of the best for my application and I try not to let cost influence my decisions. If I can't afford to do it right (by my judgement) I will hold off and save until I can afford to. That said, this is just a sump and you can certainly get similar results with other sumps but if a sump was ever a work of art, those dream boxes are and the way they are designed including their recessed covers, noise, humidity and evaporation will not be an issue in the sump room. They also include provisions for mounting the RD3 pump controllers which is pretty slick too. A lot of thought goes into the Dreambox design. That's for sure.
d2mini
Premium Member
If aesthetics are your main goal, go for it.
Personally, I'm not a fan of filter socks so that right there kills it from what I've seen about them. They look built really well. But are they functionally any better than other quality sumps? That's probably really hard to quantify. I'm really liking my LifeReef sump because functionally it's been really great, and I wouldn't trade it for one of these. But I don't really care what it looks like. All sumps are going to end up full of salt deposits, sponges, tube worms, etc anyway.
Before I plunked down that much cash, I'd make darn sure it's going to be everything you need in a sump. There are plenty of custom sump builders out there that can incorporate whatever specific design features you deem necessary and make them look good, too. For instance, look at BAO. www.buildinganobsession.com
They are here in Houston and build some really nice sumps with some innovative features.
Personally, I'm not a fan of filter socks so that right there kills it from what I've seen about them. They look built really well. But are they functionally any better than other quality sumps? That's probably really hard to quantify. I'm really liking my LifeReef sump because functionally it's been really great, and I wouldn't trade it for one of these. But I don't really care what it looks like. All sumps are going to end up full of salt deposits, sponges, tube worms, etc anyway.
Before I plunked down that much cash, I'd make darn sure it's going to be everything you need in a sump. There are plenty of custom sump builders out there that can incorporate whatever specific design features you deem necessary and make them look good, too. For instance, look at BAO. www.buildinganobsession.com
They are here in Houston and build some really nice sumps with some innovative features.
danrobberg
New member
Man, you just sold me. That was the goal of this new tank. Do it right or wait TIL you can. No cutting corners. I enjoy the equipment in this hobby as much as I do the live stock. I want the sump to be something I enjoy looking at as much as the tank itself. If I buy this all il need is a heater some plumbing and a pair of vortechs.
danrobberg
New member
I copied this image from aquariumspeciality.com. Not sure if that's ok. If not please delete mods. For some reason I can't post links to the sight. This is the model I'm looking at. If not this then my second choice is to buy the skimmer, return pump, and a base dream box sump seperatly. Which will actually be cheaper but had a few less features.
Attachments
Aquatron
Refugium pat.#D414,242
Only for input
We all spend so much on our systems and with the research/learning we do it becomes personal to each. I believe I have the best stuff but others couldn't care less Its going to be yours so get what you want and what will make YOU happy....I like the part that several of the input mentioned saving till you can get what you want. This is how I buy the best in my mind and allows me to enjoy even more!
We all spend so much on our systems and with the research/learning we do it becomes personal to each. I believe I have the best stuff but others couldn't care less Its going to be yours so get what you want and what will make YOU happy....I like the part that several of the input mentioned saving till you can get what you want. This is how I buy the best in my mind and allows me to enjoy even more!
Spartanman22
New member
I have been toying with the idea of a dream box as well but ultimately decided to go with a custom built sump simply because none of the standard dream boxes really came in the size I wanted. Plus I did not feel the cost was justified in terms of improved quality when compared to several highly regarded custom sump builders. But like others have said it's your tank and you should tailor it to your personal needs/wants/likes!
slief
RC Sponsor
It's fine. They took the picture from Royal Exclusiv anyway. :beer:
hobbzz
How do I change this?
Getting something other than dreambox is not doing it wrong, that's just rediculous. It's just a box that holds water. You can get a custom one, probably much cheaper and design it to your specific needs. As far as the return I use askoll based laguna pumps. Some of the most reliable submersible pumps ever made. Non dc bk pumps used to be the same laguna blocks, but 3-5x the price. Not sure what they use now. In this hobby, buying the most expensive item does not mean you get the best.
Its a trap! ( insert Admiral Akbar gif here )
Some say its just a sump,
some say do what makes you happy.
I say, contact the company and up your standard by ordering your very own customised Dream Sump from them!
Win, win situation!
danrobberg
New member
Took long enough for an Admiral Akbar refrence. I'm having a quote put together. Hopefully il get it by tomorrow.
Klaus Jansen
.Registered Member
Is a Dreambox worth the money? Anyone who sees the difference?
best regards ... Klaus
best regards ... Klaus
I don't think he does, Klaus owns Royal Exclusiv
The Dreambox is a very nice concept, I'm considering something very similar - it's particularly good at reducing evaporation due to having the lids on each section.
I'm not a fan of filter socks to be honest, I wonder if they can be specified with floss trays instead? Andy
slief
RC Sponsor
I don't think he does, Klaus owns Royal Exclusiv
The Dreambox is a very nice concept, I'm considering something very similar - it's particularly good at reducing evaporation due to having the lids on each section.
I'm not a fan of filter socks to be honest, I wonder if they can be specified with floss trays instead? Andy
Floss trays instead of socks?? Why? Socks are easily removable and much more effective than floss. Once upon a time, I used floss. Since moving to fliter socks 5 years ago, there's been no looking back. They key is to have enough socks so they don't back up too fast. I run four 7" 200 micron felt socks in my system and change them once a week. It takes all of 1 minute to swap all 4 socks. In the 5 years since switching to my new sump setup, I haven't cleaned my sump once and it remains virtually detritus free. I have over 60 fish in my system with several being several inches or longer and have 0 nitrites despite feeding very heavily multiple times a day. Socks work and work well IMO and only require minimal maintenance if you wave enough of them for your flow. Especially if the sump is designed around the socks.
That said, RE can build your sump custom and include a filter floss tray in place of the sock holders if that is what you want. That or you can just add a couple pieces of egg crate over the sock holders and lay your floss in there. Then you have the option of using one or the other or even a combination of both.
