Beginner hobbyist - HOB/AIO/Sump?

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austin95

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Hello everyone - I am a new hobbyist and am wondering something. Will I be successful without a plumbed sump?

I am starting my very first saltwater tank soon. 55 gal FOWLr is the goal.

Plumbing a sump seems more involved but not impossible for me. But I think I just want to explore the hobby some and go with HOB equipment.

I’m thinking a skimmer, HOB filter, heater and 2 800gph power heads by Secce.

Thoughts?

Thanks, as always. This community has been extremely helpful
 
My first 15 years with saltwater tanks was with hob equipment. I never had a sump until 3 years ago. And I only have one sumped tank, 3 others are still with hob equipment. A sump only makes the main tank look nicer because you can hide the equipment in the sump rather than hanging it off the tank. When you have filter + skimmer + reactor + lights all hanging from the tank it gets busy and a little unattractive, but its still very effective.

Your proposed set up looks good to me, its a simple strategy and simple is good. You can even leave the tank without a skimmer for a while until you have a higher bioload. Good luck
 

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