Brew12
Electrical Gru
One of the most amazing tanks I have seen was a 40B SPS tank. It had a light, 2 power heads, and a heater. 2 part was dosed twice daily as was top off water. 50% weekly water changes.
No SUMP? No problem! You don’t need it. What else do you not need?
- QUESTION OF THE DAY
- Thread starter revhtree
- Start date
- Tagged users None
elorablue
Valuable Member
Well I have a 20g AIO so I’ll let others decide whether that’s a sump or not. I would say no.
I have no skimmer, no refugium and no auto dosers Just an ato which I think is essential. I dose 2 part manually, weekly water change and am very consistent with regular maintenance. Simplicity is key for me.
Aquarium is just over 4 months old. doing well so far methinks and parameters are stable.
I have no skimmer, no refugium and no auto dosers Just an ato which I think is essential. I dose 2 part manually, weekly water change and am very consistent with regular maintenance. Simplicity is key for me.
Aquarium is just over 4 months old. doing well so far methinks and parameters are stable.
Attachments
DH78
Active Member
I ran a 55 gallon with two hang on back bio-wheel filters for about 5 years as a reef tank before upgrading. I actually started the tank as brackish with some Mono's and Scats's and over 2 years slowly changed it to full saltwater. I had only soft and lps corals in the tank. I don't recall having any rela problems with the tank. Just did consistent weekly water changes. I actually think my lack of knowledge contributed to success as I never really tried to "fix" anything. Just let things take their course.
It was the first upgrade with a wet/dry trickle filter where I had just enough knowledge to be dangerous and not enough to avoid chasing numbers where I had more problems.
What you don't need is controllers, dosers, and other convenience items. Don't get me wrong, I love them and use them, but for years a topped off and dosed my 120 by hand daily.
It was the first upgrade with a wet/dry trickle filter where I had just enough knowledge to be dangerous and not enough to avoid chasing numbers where I had more problems.
What you don't need is controllers, dosers, and other convenience items. Don't get me wrong, I love them and use them, but for years a topped off and dosed my 120 by hand daily.
jfoahs04
Well-Known Member
1. Have you ever had a reef tank with no sump and how did it go? Yes! In fact, I'm just starting my 3rd reef and none have had a sump (this is an AIO, so the closest to a sump yet). It went fine. Both prior setups were on the cheap and not at all "custom" (I'm not handy). I had HOB filters with custom media and powerheads to ensure good flow. Healthy fish and coral in both instances. The biggest downside in my opinion was that the HOB equipment, heater, etc. distracted from the look of the setup.
2. What other items, gear, equipment or gadgets do you NOT NEED to have a nice reef tank? I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I'd say a skimmer. Especially on a smaller reef and for easier to keep corals. Less controversial, but automating equipment is generally convenient, but unnecessary. We travel a lot so I've purchased feeders, timers, ato's, dosing pumps, etc. But all of these functions can be done manually without really any difficulty.
James_O
5000 Club Member
YES!
I’ve been running my 29g, with no sump, for about 6 months now. It’s doing better than ever! The coral are thriving and so are the fish.
(I just run a Seachem Tidal 35)
—-
In my opinion, protein skimmers are not needed.
jft
Well-Known Member
Ran tanks with and without sumps for years BOTH WERE succesfull and Only REAL Benefit was to be able to use a Bigger skimmer BUT OFTEN TImes depending on Manufacturer design If you wanted to Change out equipment The sump design LIMITED your selection of skimmers due to space constaints. now use open aquarium like forty breeders and No baffles work GREAT space wise and NO MICROBUBBLES like other state.
jaganshi066
Valuable Member
I don’t have a protein skimmer on my tanks and never had a problem with nitrates. Waters parameters have always been fine and never lost a fish. Only lost one in quarantine hahaI ran my first reef tank without a sump for a long time and some of you may have as well. I also ran my first successful reef tank without a ton of gadgets and gear and had a pretty nice reef! Sumps are great because it gives you more water volume, conceals equipment and gives you more options but the fact is you don't have to have it. Today let's talk about stuff you don't have to have to keep a successful reef aquarium.
1. Have you ever had a reef tank with no sump and how did it go?
2. What other items, gear, equipment or gadgets do you NOT NEED to have a nice reef tank?
Sumpless reef tank image via @myzislow
Waters
"...in perfect isolation, here behind my wall."
Definitely not needed....I view the sump as just a place to hide equipment and add extra water volume. Sure makes things easier though.
Diesel 2021
Community Member
I've been thinking of switching to a canister but Don't want to mess anything up cause it's running so well. And at this point I'm ready to add some coraline to it and see how that goes. I'm still new at this so I'm taking baby steps. Lol
biguebs
Active Member
6 months in for me with 2 AC110 HOBs. Here is my 125 mixed reef. Definitely want to do the sump at some point so I can de-clutter the display but I’ve been testing daily, using RODI, an ATO, and doing weekly 25% changes and haven’t had any real issues. Fish and corals all happy.
Love this question because I think it’s important for folks to see that you can have success without the sump. You just don’t see much info out there about anything besides sumped systems and it’s presented as the “only option for success” most of the time. The fact is most SW hobbyists start as FW hobbyists (including myself) and we have a lot of equipment that can still be used effectively to get a SW tank running.
Love this question because I think it’s important for folks to see that you can have success without the sump. You just don’t see much info out there about anything besides sumped systems and it’s presented as the “only option for success” most of the time. The fact is most SW hobbyists start as FW hobbyists (including myself) and we have a lot of equipment that can still be used effectively to get a SW tank running.
GeoSquid
Well-Known Member
I have 180 gallon with no sump, but I pump water from the tank up to two 10 ish gallon containers, built into the overhead cabinet, that have borneman surges. I put lights over it and grow algae in them also. They serve as a surge and refugium.
Razorp
Active Member
Sumpless Office tank. I have never had a sump, but i do have an aio biocube, which is kind of the same thing. Both have had their challenges for sure. Im actually in the works of setting up a 50 gallon low boy shallow reef with a nice big sump. It will be my first go with plumbing a tank and having a sump, so wish me luck lol.
Heres a pic of my office tank. Its got an aquaclear 110 set up as a refugium, A hob skimmer, and a uv cannister filter with nothing but carbon in it (basically a big uv steralizer, but much cleaner look than an in tank, and it adds flow to the tank).
Heres a pic of my office tank. Its got an aquaclear 110 set up as a refugium, A hob skimmer, and a uv cannister filter with nothing but carbon in it (basically a big uv steralizer, but much cleaner look than an in tank, and it adds flow to the tank).
Karen00
2500 Club Member
I put "Other" only because my tank is a Top Fin AIO which has a sump in the back but it's not as good as an AIO tank built for saltwater or tanks with the traditional sump under the display tank. It's like a pseudo-sump. Clearly the tank was designed for freshwater. What I love most about it is that I can hide all of the working parts (filtration, heating, etc) in these compartments. Now that I have seen the beauty of having a separate area for the working parts of I ever upgrade I will most likely have a sump just so I can hide everything like I am now.
Similar threads
-
- Poll
-
- Poll
