Sump or no sump

DocLiette · 06/25/2016, 07:16 AM

i have successfully had a 34 gal reef tank for the past 9 months. Everything is doing great. Coral growing, fish healthy. Calcium and other elements great. Nitrates, ammonia, phosphates all at zero.
No sump has been used.
I'm wanting to expand to a 75 gallon.
Is a sump necessary for the bigger tank, or just a convenience? I would prefer to stay without one if possible, just less hassle.
Thoughts?

TheFishGuy31 · 06/26/2016, 09:48 AM

I personally feel that they're a necessity if you want to run a skimmer, fuge, filter floss/socks, media reactors, dosers, ATO, and/or controller (too many probes in display).

There are a few HOB skimmer & fuge options, but your choices will be severely limited.

If you do decide to run a sump then DRILL THE DISPLAY TANK! It'll be quieter & it's worth the peace of mind. I was fortunate enough to be home when I had a few accidents with overflow boxes.

eder10986 · 06/26/2016, 10:39 AM

We have a 75 gallon tank and used to run a canister filter. On a whim I decided to get a 20g sump system. To be honest, it was harder to set up, tune, get to know, etc than I thought it was. However, was the BEST decision we made. Not only is our DT water level always the same (we set it since we have a HOB overflow), there is never any scum or film on the top of the water and all of our parameters are much more stable. We also can have anemones without them getting sucked into the filter. I now dose anything into the sump and not directly into the DT. We have a refugium with miracle mud, live rock and sand and cheato with a nano power head. Honestly, best choice ever.

We bought our HOB overflow on eBay and it was a great buy. Have an aqua-c remora HOB skimmer that fit in my sump for now. Total cost for us was ~$600 and changed our reef game instantly.

eder10986 · 06/26/2016, 10:40 AM

Also - trust me when I say it sort of sucks to set up but it WILL be less hassle than you think. We work much less now on our tank with the sump than without.

Reef Frog · 06/26/2016, 11:45 AM

A sump of some kind - either a traditional under the cabinet sump, or the engineered rear sumps in AIO tanks (ala Red Sea, Innovative Marine & others) - are great...even essential...for many technical reasons. The other reason is that they keep the display looking clean and you can avoid all the hassles & compromises you get with hang on the back or in-the display tank equipment.

Go with a sump of some kind. You won't be sorry.

Salty150 · 06/27/2016, 01:46 PM

I am starting up a new 210 gallon dual overflow with two Fluval FX6 canister filters.

They are quieter, less messy, easier to clean, filter A LOT more crud out of the water, there is no evaporation and salt creep all over the inside of your cabinet, it won't rust your metal in the cabinet, etc...

I am thinking about using 1 or 2 Tunze 9012 (or 9004 if I want them to not be seen and put in the dual overflows) skimmers - they skim the surface of the water, etc. and are very attractive.

You can hide everything in the dual overflows (heaters, probes, etc.) and you see nothing in the tank.

eder10986 · 06/27/2016, 01:51 PM

SUMP IT UP! Trust us!

06/25/2016, 07:16 AM	#1
DocLiette Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Posts: 18	Sump or no sump i have successfully had a 34 gal reef tank for the past 9 months. Everything is doing great. Coral growing, fish healthy. Calcium and other elements great. Nitrates, ammonia, phosphates all at zero. No sump has been used. I'm wanting to expand to a 75 gallon. Is a sump necessary for the bigger tank, or just a convenience? I would prefer to stay without one if possible, just less hassle. Thoughts?

06/26/2016, 11:45 AM	#5
Reef Frog Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Maryland Posts: 3,121	A sump of some kind - either a traditional under the cabinet sump, or the engineered rear sumps in AIO tanks (ala Red Sea, Innovative Marine & others) - are great...even essential...for many technical reasons. The other reason is that they keep the display looking clean and you can avoid all the hassles & compromises you get with hang on the back or in-the display tank equipment. Go with a sump of some kind. You won't be sorry. Last edited by Reef Frog; 06/26/2016 at 11:55 AM.

06/27/2016, 01:46 PM	#6
Salty150 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Posts: 1,345	I am starting up a new 210 gallon dual overflow with two Fluval FX6 canister filters. They are quieter, less messy, easier to clean, filter A LOT more crud out of the water, there is no evaporation and salt creep all over the inside of your cabinet, it won't rust your metal in the cabinet, etc... I am thinking about using 1 or 2 Tunze 9012 (or 9004 if I want them to not be seen and put in the dual overflows) skimmers - they skim the surface of the water, etc. and are very attractive. You can hide everything in the dual overflows (heaters, probes, etc.) and you see nothing in the tank. Last edited by Salty150; 06/27/2016 at 01:53 PM.

06/26/2016, 09:48 AM	#2
TheFishGuy31 Registered Member Join Date: May 2016 Location: Mechanicsville, MD Posts: 122	I personally feel that they're a necessity if you want to run a skimmer, fuge, filter floss/socks, media reactors, dosers, ATO, and/or controller (too many probes in display). There are a few HOB skimmer & fuge options, but your choices will be severely limited. If you do decide to run a sump then DRILL THE DISPLAY TANK! It'll be quieter & it's worth the peace of mind. I was fortunate enough to be home when I had a few accidents with overflow boxes.

06/26/2016, 10:39 AM	#3
eder10986 Registered Member Join Date: May 2016 Posts: 504	We have a 75 gallon tank and used to run a canister filter. On a whim I decided to get a 20g sump system. To be honest, it was harder to set up, tune, get to know, etc than I thought it was. However, was the BEST decision we made. Not only is our DT water level always the same (we set it since we have a HOB overflow), there is never any scum or film on the top of the water and all of our parameters are much more stable. We also can have anemones without them getting sucked into the filter. I now dose anything into the sump and not directly into the DT. We have a refugium with miracle mud, live rock and sand and cheato with a nano power head. Honestly, best choice ever. We bought our HOB overflow on eBay and it was a great buy. Have an aqua-c remora HOB skimmer that fit in my sump for now. Total cost for us was ~$600 and changed our reef game instantly.

06/26/2016, 10:40 AM	#4
eder10986 Registered Member Join Date: May 2016 Posts: 504	Also - trust me when I say it sort of sucks to set up but it WILL be less hassle than you think. We work much less now on our tank with the sump than without.

06/27/2016, 01:51 PM	#7
eder10986 Registered Member Join Date: May 2016 Posts: 504	SUMP IT UP! Trust us!