I think its really a matter of opinion. If you are looking at keeping a high pod population I think a sizeable fuge would be the way to go.
sounds like a great ATS you got there. Any pictures?
Awkward angle to take a photo. The material is hobby mesh. There is a slit cut into the PVC and the mesh is slide into the mesh and then zip tied in place. I think its a 300GPH pump but I've got a ball valve regulating it to about 1/2 flow. It is run by a UFO type grow light that I bought off of Amazon. Don't mind the filter sock - it's hanging on the end of the ATS to catch the stuff coming down from the overflow. This is a DIY 29 long sump. The smaller aquarium inside it holds liverock. The rock on the pump keeps if from tipping over. Just to the left is the return pump to the tank. There are peppermint shrimp, hermits, mollies and a few rogue snails that come down the overflow living in the DIY sump but the shrimp have figured out that they can travel through the water bridge and sometimes I find them in the other sump in the settling chamber. I have 2 sumps and they are connected by a water bridge to self-level them. The other sump houses a roller mat and the refugium chamber has been converted to a settling chamber that I vacuum out about once a week. Dosing goes into the return pump chamber.
That's cool how you fit everything in that sump.. No need for a skimmer i supposeAwkward angle to take a photo. The material is hobby mesh. There is a slit cut into the PVC and the mesh is slide into the mesh and then zip tied in place. I think its a 300GPH pump but I've got a ball valve regulating it to about 1/2 flow. It is run by a UFO type grow light that I bought off of Amazon. Don't mind the filter sock - it's hanging on the end of the ATS to catch the stuff coming down from the overflow. This is a DIY 29 long sump. The smaller aquarium inside it holds liverock. The rock on the pump keeps if from tipping over. Just to the left is the return pump to the tank. There are peppermint shrimp, hermits, mollies and a few rogue snails that come down the overflow living in the DIY sump but the shrimp have figured out that they can travel through the water bridge and sometimes I find them in the other sump in the settling chamber. I have 2 sumps and they are connected by a water bridge to self-level them. The other sump houses a roller mat and the refugium chamber has been converted to a settling chamber that I vacuum out about once a week. Dosing goes into the return pump chamber.
No skimmer - Just the ATS, filter sock in one sump and Roller Mat in the 2nd sump. My nitrates hover between 10&20 and phosphates are .08-.15. I have 20ish fish and feed 5 cubes frozen plus Nori daily. The corals get phytoplankton and zooplankton twice a week, REd Sea AB+ twice and week and reef roids once a week (I dose half dose of Phosphate E the same day as the reef roids). I have carbon in a small bag and I use polishing filters wrapped around both return pumps main filters.
