Please help me find a quiet sump.

BeachVacationer · 05/14/2017, 04:36 PM

I've never owned a sump so this will be my first one. You may wonder why I'm posting this thread here in a SW forum but you guys are the experts on sumps. I will be setting up a 75 gallon reef ready tank for discus tank that will be in my family room. I have plenty of experience with discus so I consider myself an expert in keeping discus. But I have zero experience with a sump. I now realize sump gives me the most flexibility in terms of tank maintenance and creating an uncluttered look in the DT.

My main concern is sump noise. I've read a bit about sump noise and read that the Herbie design is very quiet. I would like to know which pre-made sump employs this design and which do you guys recommend. I realize a sump for SW vs FW application will be a different. I would like a sump with filter sock(s) and compartment for mechanical filter then an area for bio filtration as that will be the only area for nitrification. I would like to add a nitrate reactor in the return section to lower nitrates as I only do weekly fin level WC.

I am a member of discus only forum but frankly you guys know sumps way more than they do. I would appreciate any sump recommdations. This is for discus so I am willing to shell out some serious money if needed.

Thanks and happy Mother's Day!

Fish'InMN · 05/14/2017, 04:49 PM

Herbie, Durso, Beananimal, etc., are all methods for getting the water out of your display tank and INTO the sump, they are not a part of the design/construction of the sump. Nearly all of the noise in a system will come from this water movement (display to sump) though so you should focus your research and questions on that part of the system. Especially because a sump as you describe it could be as simple as a 40-gallon tank with a couple glass pieces siliconed in. Melev is always my first stop for SUMPS 101 although he is an acrylic-aholic.

http://www.melevsreef.com/articles/what-sump

If your 75RR tank is from one of the big manufacturers and not custom, it will likely only have two holes drilled in the overflow and you'll be limited to a Herbie setup anyways without drilling additional holes. Use the smaller hole for a drain and the larger hole for your emergency.

And for what it's worth - many discus and other freshwater folks have used sumps so you should be able to find more relevant ideas/experience elsewhere. Not to say we can't help you with ensuring no noise from drain & sump system, but there may be other design considerations for a FW sump.

d2mini · 05/14/2017, 05:46 PM

Talk to Jeff at LifeReef. He makes very well designed and quiet sumps.
They have everything you need with none of the gimmicks.
Most of his stuff is geared towards SW, but he's an old school fish guy. He'll either point you to one of his products that will work well with FW or make you something custom.
Trickle filter might be your best bet for fw?
http://lifereef.com/trickle.html

xtrattitude4u · 05/15/2017, 07:05 AM

Agree with others. My 55gal sump makes no noise. All sound comes from the overflow box in the tank, which is very little. I have the bean animal drain design and that has eliminated the sound that would normally come from the sump.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

Fcsteve777 · 05/15/2017, 01:52 PM

I like the exotic marine systems baffels. He includes some plates that go ontop of the socks that make it super quiet!

JDWells · 05/29/2017, 09:28 AM

Sump noise is definitely controlled by the method of getting water to it. I read tons before I set my first one up and still couldn't get it right until I actually did it. Like said above, use the big hole for a full siphon and the small one for a backup. The return will come over the top or drill another hole for that. Good luck!

divetoday · 05/29/2017, 11:41 AM

FWIW, I upgraded my sump from an eshoppes to a Trigger Emerald for other reasons, mostly space and refugium size. What I got in terms of noise reduction was unexpected and MUCH appreciated I didn't realize how loud the old one was until it was no longer hooked up. I knew I was buying a premium product, but am so glad I spent the money.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

allicassydanny · 05/29/2017, 02:52 PM

I have the Eshopps 3rd generation RS 300, very quiet.

luvreefs23 · 05/29/2017, 05:09 PM

Get Maggie's mufflers for your drain pipes. Quiets it down very nicely. Been running a set on my 120 gallon dual overflow. Costed $20 bux and took 5 mins

wildman926 · 05/30/2017, 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by luvreefs23

Get Maggie's mufflers for your drain pipes. Quiets it down very nicely. Been running a set on my 120 gallon dual overflow. Costed $20 bux and took 5 mins

They "quiet it down" but they do not remove the noise completely. A Herbie will definitely do that.

d0ughb0y · 05/30/2017, 06:10 PM

There are two places that can make noise, in the overflow and in the sump. Maggie muffler and similar only silences it in the overflow side. On the sump side, as long as air is sucked in, it will make noise in the sump. I have seen new sump designs where the drain pipe goes into a covered compartment. I have not actually seen this work, but I think this is a good way to muffle the noise in the sump.

steve1981 · 05/30/2017, 06:18 PM

Bean animal +1. Absolutely silent pretty much fail proof.

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Radioheadx14 · 05/31/2017, 06:04 AM

I have an Eshopps RS200 sump and its silent. paired with a dual eshopps overflow and its the quietest tank I have had.

Arcar · 12/03/2017, 05:10 PM

Im also looking into this, I have read that that Eshopps system people have a hard time getting to the back/return pump? Im looking to get one but thats holding me back. Do you like yours?

Thanks!

steve1981 · 12/17/2017, 08:37 PM

Bean animal mate, mine is absolutely silent.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

frankv702 · 12/18/2017, 08:23 AM

As long as you run a full siphon overflow, that’ll eliminate most of the noise. Then look for a sump that Aja’s a cover for the drain portion and filter sock portion. That’ll make it pretty much completely silent.

DesertReefT4r · 12/18/2017, 04:20 PM

Ime its not the wump so much that makes noise but the overflow drains and return pumps. With the proper type of drain like a durso, herbie, beananimal, and the like drain noise can be all but eliminated. Along with a quality dc pump a sump can very quiet.

ReefMaster48 · 12/18/2017, 04:49 PM

Only sound that really comes from a sump is the water crashing into the sump, and or the big air bubbles from the drain popping and not being allowed to escape. This can all be overcome by having the drain empty into the sump just right, and having a break right above the water line for air to escape.

Now the overflow can be very loud! This is where most of the noise comes from. However, depending on the style overflow, it may not even be something you have to touch. But its nothing that cannot be tuned; sometimes it can take a little while to fine tune it, that's all.

05/14/2017, 04:36 PM	#1
BeachVacationer Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Naperville, IL Posts: 546	Please help me find a quiet sump. I've never owned a sump so this will be my first one. You may wonder why I'm posting this thread here in a SW forum but you guys are the experts on sumps. I will be setting up a 75 gallon reef ready tank for discus tank that will be in my family room. I have plenty of experience with discus so I consider myself an expert in keeping discus. But I have zero experience with a sump. I now realize sump gives me the most flexibility in terms of tank maintenance and creating an uncluttered look in the DT. My main concern is sump noise. I've read a bit about sump noise and read that the Herbie design is very quiet. I would like to know which pre-made sump employs this design and which do you guys recommend. I realize a sump for SW vs FW application will be a different. I would like a sump with filter sock(s) and compartment for mechanical filter then an area for bio filtration as that will be the only area for nitrification. I would like to add a nitrate reactor in the return section to lower nitrates as I only do weekly fin level WC. I am a member of discus only forum but frankly you guys know sumps way more than they do. I would appreciate any sump recommdations. This is for discus so I am willing to shell out some serious money if needed. Thanks and happy Mother's Day!

05/14/2017, 05:46 PM	#3
d2mini Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 10,344	Talk to Jeff at LifeReef. He makes very well designed and quiet sumps. They have everything you need with none of the gimmicks. Most of his stuff is geared towards SW, but he's an old school fish guy. He'll either point you to one of his products that will work well with FW or make you something custom. Trickle filter might be your best bet for fw? http://lifereef.com/trickle.html __________________ -dennis Elos Diamond 120xl \| Elos Stand \| Radion G4 Pros \| GHL Profilux Controller \| LifeReef Skimmer \| LifeReef Sump Photos taken with a Nikon D750 or Leica M.

05/29/2017, 11:41 AM	#7
divetoday Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL Posts: 63	FWIW, I upgraded my sump from an eshoppes to a Trigger Emerald for other reasons, mostly space and refugium size. What I got in terms of noise reduction was unexpected and MUCH appreciated I didn't realize how loud the old one was until it was no longer hooked up. I knew I was buying a premium product, but am so glad I spent the money. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk __________________ ******************************** DiveToday: It's not a suggestion. ;-) Current Tank Info: 150 Gallon Mixed Reef

12/03/2017, 05:10 PM	#14
Arcar Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: East Michigan Posts: 122	Im also looking into this, I have read that that Eshopps system people have a hard time getting to the back/return pump? Im looking to get one but thats holding me back. Do you like yours? Thanks! __________________ Setting up a new 120 gallon tank Current Tank Info: New 120 Gallon

05/14/2017, 04:49 PM	#2
Fish'InMN Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: MN Posts: 398	Herbie, Durso, Beananimal, etc., are all methods for getting the water out of your display tank and INTO the sump, they are not a part of the design/construction of the sump. Nearly all of the noise in a system will come from this water movement (display to sump) though so you should focus your research and questions on that part of the system. Especially because a sump as you describe it could be as simple as a 40-gallon tank with a couple glass pieces siliconed in. Melev is always my first stop for SUMPS 101 although he is an acrylic-aholic. http://www.melevsreef.com/articles/what-sump If your 75RR tank is from one of the big manufacturers and not custom, it will likely only have two holes drilled in the overflow and you'll be limited to a Herbie setup anyways without drilling additional holes. Use the smaller hole for a drain and the larger hole for your emergency. And for what it's worth - many discus and other freshwater folks have used sumps so you should be able to find more relevant ideas/experience elsewhere. Not to say we can't help you with ensuring no noise from drain & sump system, but there may be other design considerations for a FW sump.

05/15/2017, 07:05 AM	#4
xtrattitude4u Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: Vancouver WA Posts: 22	Agree with others. My 55gal sump makes no noise. All sound comes from the overflow box in the tank, which is very little. I have the bean animal drain design and that has eliminated the sound that would normally come from the sump. Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

05/15/2017, 01:52 PM	#5
Fcsteve777 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Beloit, Wi Posts: 51	I like the exotic marine systems baffels. He includes some plates that go ontop of the socks that make it super quiet!

05/29/2017, 09:28 AM	#6
JDWells Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2014 Posts: 54	Sump noise is definitely controlled by the method of getting water to it. I read tons before I set my first one up and still couldn't get it right until I actually did it. Like said above, use the big hole for a full siphon and the small one for a backup. The return will come over the top or drill another hole for that. Good luck!

05/29/2017, 02:52 PM	#8
allicassydanny Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: rochester, ny Posts: 62	I have the Eshopps 3rd generation RS 300, very quiet.

05/29/2017, 05:09 PM	#9
luvreefs23 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 758	Get Maggie's mufflers for your drain pipes. Quiets it down very nicely. Been running a set on my 120 gallon dual overflow. Costed $20 bux and took 5 mins

05/30/2017, 06:10 PM	#11
d0ughb0y Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: sf bay area Posts: 5,165	There are two places that can make noise, in the overflow and in the sump. Maggie muffler and similar only silences it in the overflow side. On the sump side, as long as air is sucked in, it will make noise in the sump. I have seen new sump designs where the drain pipe goes into a covered compartment. I have not actually seen this work, but I think this is a good way to muffle the noise in the sump.

05/30/2017, 06:18 PM	#12
steve1981 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2014 Posts: 355	Bean animal +1. Absolutely silent pretty much fail proof. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

05/31/2017, 06:04 AM	#13
Radioheadx14 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Columbus, OH Posts: 1,601	I have an Eshopps RS200 sump and its silent. paired with a dual eshopps overflow and its the quietest tank I have had.

12/17/2017, 08:37 PM	#15
steve1981 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2014 Posts: 355	Bean animal mate, mine is absolutely silent. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

12/18/2017, 08:23 AM	#16
frankv702 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2015 Posts: 132	As long as you run a full siphon overflow, that’ll eliminate most of the noise. Then look for a sump that Aja’s a cover for the drain portion and filter sock portion. That’ll make it pretty much completely silent.

12/18/2017, 04:20 PM	#17
DesertReefT4r Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: Mesa Az Posts: 771	Ime its not the wump so much that makes noise but the overflow drains and return pumps. With the proper type of drain like a durso, herbie, beananimal, and the like drain noise can be all but eliminated. Along with a quality dc pump a sump can very quiet.

12/18/2017, 04:49 PM	#18
ReefMaster48 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2017 Posts: 342	Only sound that really comes from a sump is the water crashing into the sump, and or the big air bubbles from the drain popping and not being allowed to escape. This can all be overcome by having the drain empty into the sump just right, and having a break right above the water line for air to escape. Now the overflow can be very loud! This is where most of the noise comes from. However, depending on the style overflow, it may not even be something you have to touch. But its nothing that cannot be tuned; sometimes it can take a little while to fine tune it, that's all.