My First Sump, I NEED help

I am in the process of buying a 75 gallon (drilled) with a custom made stand. it has room for a 55 standard underneath of it. (Which means it could fit lots of things underneath). is this too much sump? Is bigger better because it adds more volume thus more room for error (which is good seeing as how im new)??? Another thing to consider, my tank is on the second floor of my house on very sturdy hardwood floors, does this matter? (my 55 is currently up here right now).
Also, is reef octopus a good skimmer brand?
Also ehimm pumps?
I have never built a sump (i use a canister filter) and i am looking to purchase and set up this new tank/sump early next week.
also, refugium.... do i add this inside my sump?
does anyone know of any sites that would aid me in building a great sump?
thank you so much
JP

 

the bigger the sump the better, however consider the height as well, if the clearance between it and the stand is tight you wont be able to add equipment easily. I have had to pull a whole sump out before to just replace a skimmer.
no body can make recommendations about the strength of you floors as every house is different, only tell you to put it against the wall, for sturdiness.

reef octopus is a decent brand, people say cone skimmers are better but i don't know about them.
for the refugium you can put it in the sump if you want or above it slightly in another tank.


ehiem is usually a good brand although pricey

 

Hope this helps. Enjoy the ride!!

 

You can also just use the search bar at the top of this site. Search DIY sump/fuge and you should get tons of info. I just did my sump/fuge a few months ago. I used a 20 gal. long and did a sump/fuge split with the return in the middle. IMO Reef Octos' are awesome skimmers. I have the NWB110 Reef Octopus. It is coned near the top which aids in the formation of the bubbles which produce skimate.

 

yes indeed, the links and posts are very helpful. Thank you very much. I dont think i am going to use a 55 sump however, i think i will use a 30.i think a 55 may be more than enough sump size. thanks for the input
JP