Plumbing Debate on 250L FOWLR tank

[belly14]

Hi All,

New to saltwater but have several fresh tanks at the moment.

I have a 250 Litre tank and will run this with a sump (socks, pro skimmer, media, return (size TBC)) and have a question regarding whether to have OR not have an overflow box. The tank would need to be drilled either way, and my local marine store said not to bother with the box, just have 3 holes. 2 x overflow with the bulkhead inlet strainers and then the return pipe (again drilled rather than hung over the top). I'll ensure sump tank is big enough to cope with a power outage of course.

That tank will be FOWLR for the immediate future so wondered if there is an agreement this will be OK, I am keen on this as will save on some space & £££ my end...

 

[RocketEngineer]

The box does a few things. It limits how much drains when the pump cuts off. It pulls water from the water surface, thus removing the pond scum of proteins that build up there. It improves oxygenation by renewing the water surface. And it spreads the suction out, making it less likely a critter gets stuck.