125g sumpless frag tank

[SeymourDuncan]

Basic and simple.
My 2 least favorite words.
However when space is limiting, there isn't much choice.
Every good reefer has to have a frag tank. There needs to be a place for extra corals while growing new ones or rehoming excess. Not everyone has a full basement that they are allowed to (by the rules of the spouse) fishify. That or the basement is the only place you are allowed.

So to start here is the tank.

Here is the light

Here is the pump and heater

And here is my filtration

And

So I use one beastly powerhead.
Live rock
Live sand
Hair algae (scrubber theory)
Mangroves (more cool than useful)
And chaeto (pubes of the sea)

The corals are mostly on plugs on a rack.
This keeps the corals in ace an suspended without losing them in the rock work.

It also allows for flow everywhere.

The rock on the right is probably about 40lbs. I only have a hawk and 2 clowns in the tank to up the docs a little for the corals.

No skimmer as I want the organic compounds to build up and get eaten. I do water changes once a month to replace anything I do not dose.

When I feed the pump blasts the food everywhere until its coral munched or devoured by the fish.

 

[SeymourDuncan]

Usin just 4 crappy t5s on the 6ft tank has done well.
I see decent growth in all my stuff with the exception of a pink zoa.

In the rack I have:
Purple sea whip
Cinnamon grandis
Black sponges

3 types of zoanthid
3 types of palythoa
2 types of leather tree

Another different leather
Galaxea
And ricordia

Snowflake clowns

The hawk

 

[SeymourDuncan]

Here is my in tank submersed algae scrubber (aka hair algae that won't leave so I use it to my advantage)
Also the fat feather duster.

Coolest thing about the tank?
Its waste high. Even kids can get a top view easily!
I turn off the pump or redirect it a bit and the waves die down a bit

 

[SeymourDuncan]

Here is my fish room (still finishing up the 90 so its a mess)

This side will be a couch

This heater got my unheated room through the harshest of winters.
Next challenge will be summer.

And this is the craftsmanship of my stand

Only issue is I dropped my cooling fan on the tank. Killed it. Now I have to leave the top open until I get a new one.
Condensation builds up and had cause a bit of warping. Luckily aquarium stands just don't grow on trees, they are trees. This will be fixed some day. Its not noticeable unless I show you.

 

[SeymourDuncan]

For a sumpless tank to exist more than a simple grow out/ frag tank you will need more than what I have.
70% more rock which means more pumps to make up for diverted flow would be a start.

Gas exchange is the biggest factor with sumpless. No sump-no surface skimmer

You must have turbid surface water to remove the slime coat. This can easily be done by pointing the pump up a little.

Since there is no skimmer gas exchange via surface water is my only option excluding air pumps.

Another idea was to make a 2nd tank above it. With a slow drain. On a timer I would send water up to it for tides. This could stir up he water a bit more as well.

I decided the glass was not worth breaking with the fluctuating weight of water that large of a tank will hold.

 

[SeymourDuncan]

Well I ended up parting out my livestock and in one day of posting on Craigslist I sold 31 frags, 30lbs rock, and a wad if chaeto.

750 richer its time to redo the tank. This time it will be apart of my 90g system for frag grow out and helping the community get more captive grown corals.

Still have a few more things to sell and il be ready to lift the beast ton position it the right way finally.