Do I need a sump?

[Wolf89]

Do I need a skimmer? I ask because I really dont have the money. I have a 90G tank. Would a 20 gallon sump/refugium be enough? I would be fine with like weekly 5-10% water changes if needed. Thanks

 

[will25u]

You don’t NEED a sump but they’re beneficial. I think 20 gallons would be a good idea. We’ve had our tank up for years and don’t have a sump and haven’t had any issues so far.

 

[Dilan Patel]

You don't have to have a sump. I ran a reef tank without a sump and without a skimmer for a long time which grew coral just fine. Then I upgraded and bought a HOB skimmer which is usually a no-no but that worked well as well. I basically use my sumps for storing heaters as well as skimmers now and fish/corals. 20 gallon would be great if you can swing it

 

[Wolf89]

Oops, I meant to say skimmer not sump. I meant to ask, if I had a 20 gallon sump/fuge without a skimmer, would that be good enough for a 90G reef? Skimmers are out of my price range

 

[Dilan Patel]

yes you would be fine. honestly if you worry about nutrients I would do the refugium i would save the money and once you have enough buy a skimmer . I will reccomend the skimz skimmers if you decide later on you want a higher quality skimmer or a bubble magus nice budget friendly skimmer that does an excellent job. I run both so I can get you some pics of what the pull out and any other info you would like

 

[Wolf89]

yes you would be fine. honestly if you worry about nutrients I would do the refugium i would save the money and once you have enough buy a skimmer . I will reccomend the skimz skimmers if you decide later on you want a higher quality skimmer or a bubble magus nice budget friendly skimmer that does an excellent job. I run both so I can get you some pics of what the pull out and any other info you would like

ok, can you help explain how exactly I set up a sump/fuge? A simple diagram would help me TONS

Also, the tank is drilled already, but I'm kind of confused about how you connect the tank and sump. And how does the water get back into the tank?

 

[MaiReef]

Oops, I meant to say skimmer not sump. I meant to ask, if I had a 20 gallon sump/fuge without a skimmer, would that be good enough for a 90G reef? Skimmers are out of my price range

Yes, but the skimmer is added insurance. A Curve 5 would work well for your setup. Save and get that before you get fish or coral.

 

[Dilan Patel]

for sure. Is your new tank drilled for a sump?

 

[Dilan Patel]

also is the 20gallon you will use a standard or long version?

 

[MaiReef]

ok, can you help explain how exactly I set up a sump/fuge? A simple diagram would help me TONS

Also, the tank is drilled already, but I'm kind of confused about how you connect the tank and sump. And how does the water get back into the tank?

This one way with the drain to the right with the skimmer if you have or get one. The next two I put my refugium so it would get good flow.
I used lighting diffuser / eggcrate on the last baffle on the left to prevent macros from getting to the return pump on the last section to the left. Works pretty good.

 

[Wolf89]

for sure. Is your new tank drilled for a sump?

also is the 20gallon you will use a standard or long version?

Yes drilled. 20 long

 

[will25u]

Oops, I meant to say skimmer not sump. I meant to ask, if I had a 20 gallon sump/fuge without a skimmer, would that be good enough for a 90G reef? Skimmers are out of my price range

Oh, definitely save and get a skimmer. We went without one for the longest. Things are much happier with one.

 

[Tautog]

The 20 gal sump is fine. With the sump, it’s a great place to put things, heater, skimmer, Rock, bio-bricks, dosing pump lines, ATO, bad fish, etc. A small pump would bring the sump water back to the display tank. I have my UV light attached to the return line as well. Creating a refuge in the sump is the best idea IMO to remove waste. Remember, removing waste is key, but a healthy combination of Mechanical, Chemical, and Natural sources will usually keep water quality

 

[Dilan Patel]

20 Gallon long will work perfectly for a 90 gallon. Honestly keep the sump simple. For my 180 reef I made the sump complex and after years of maintaining it I started to rip out unnecessary things. For the new build that I have been doing I ended up buyig one since the tank i bought previously for the sump did not fit. But I bought a simple sump trigger seriees ruby and it has 3 compartments. a downflow from the tank section/skimmer section, then a refugium, then a waterfall to the return.

 

[jtl]

You need to put some baffles in the sump to separate it into 2 or 3 sections. Do you know how to do this?

You can run without a skimmer but just watch the "for sale" section and look for a deal. Your lfs my even have something used. Craigs List or your local fish club, if you have one are also good sources.

 

[Jekyl]

I'm in the process of putting a 90gal tank together now. I was talked out of doing a sump and skimmer from an LFS owner. He has 50k gallons in his store and all is ran on an under gravel setup with no skimmers. After talking with him for 20 minutes I was sold. Much cheaper too. Message me if u want more info on how I'm doing it. My build thread just got started a few days ago.

 

[jtl]

I'm in the process of putting a 90gal tank together now. I was talked out of doing a sump and skimmer from an LFS owner. He has 50k gallons in his store and all is ran on an under gravel setup with no skimmers. After talking with him for 20 minutes I was sold. Much cheaper too. Message me if u want more info on how I'm doing it. My build thread just got started a few days ago.

I will be following your progress. Very old school filtration but it can work it you can keep the gravel clean enough to let the water circulate, but not kill off the beneficial bacteria. That was the problem I had but I didn't vac the gravel because back then it was not advised. If you get a dense mat of anything on the sand bed it will not work. Even if you don't use a sump for a skimmer it is still a good place to put the heater and refugium and it increases your overall water volume.