but buying a cookie cutter sump sometimes doesn't let you maximum your space under the stand we are always trying to maximize our space in and under the tank. we always run weird size skimmers, returns, how we like to have our heaters. so cookie cutter sumps sometimes doesn't work out.
That sucks. When John is given creative freedom, he tends to screw up sometimes. I've had issues with my sump being really noisy because the filter socks were raised too high and he initially designed the sump for the height of my skimmer, but that wasn't the case and I had to buy a stand from him. I think that's one of the issues when it comes to these custom sumps. He doesn't/can't run water through them to assure they work/flow properly. That's where R&D comes in where a company designs and test their product (e.g. Royal Exclusiv and other sump manufacturers, etc.).