Do you really need a sump?

[saltwaterlover]

Either your dims are off or you mistyped the tank size cause a 60x24x30 tank is 187g, not 136g. Either way a sump has more pros than cons so you should seriously consider using one from the start. Waiting until later might mean having to empty the tank to drill holes for overflow(s) depending on your tank. Sure you can use a HOB overflow but just know the associated risks with them. Without a sump everything will need to be in the tank or hung, which can seriously limit you on equipment selection.

I found a HOB overflow box do you think this would work?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/2722818024...1%26rvr_ts%3Dcaf6e12d1650a99b20c7c4e8fff9605a

 

[atx100r]

I found a HOB overflow box do you think this would work?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/2722818024...1%26rvr_ts%3Dcaf6e12d1650a99b20c7c4e8fff9605a

So you can feel free to look at my progression ( build thread below)...I started small (and still am by some stsndards) and with minimal investment think I would save money....HOB, SMALL SUM0, SMALL TANK, HOB OVERFLOW ETC...But as I have started adding more advanced coral and larger fish I have been upgrading along the way. So in affect I have bought many things twice. But that's how I am sometimes I need to learn things on my own the hard way.. lol. If I did it all again I'd get the biggest sump...not volume but size for skimmer, reactors, scrubbers, refugium etc....Its a real pain to upgrade once you have the tank up...I've upgraded tank, simp, skimmer, added manifold, reactor and scrubber...There really is no right or wrong way just different ones.

 

[atx100r]

So you can feel free to look at my progression ( build thread below)...I started small (and still am by some stsndards) and with minimal investment think I would save money....HOB, SMALL SUM0, SMALL TANK, HOB OVERFLOW ETC...But as I have started adding more advanced coral and larger fish I have been upgrading along the way. So in affect I have bought many things twice. But that's how I am sometimes I need to learn things on my own the hard way.. lol. If I did it all again I'd get the biggest sump...not volume but size for skimmer, reactors, scrubbers, refugium etc....Its a real pain to upgrade once you have the tank up...I've upgraded tank, simp, skimmer, added manifold, reactor and scrubber...There really is no right or wrong way just different ones.

Build thread.....And I'm ready to post my mixing g station and Auto water change...And yes you guessed it it's my 2nd water change station...lol

https://www.reef2reef.com/index.php?threads/329799/

 

[HB AL]

I would definitely get a sump. Drilling the dt for the sump will be much easier in the long run than an hob, but that’s a viable option. Either way get the sump, even a simple one like a 40b, add the baffles for the different compartment yourself, you will save a ton of $ over a nice prebuilt one unless you have the cash for some of thos really neat ones they make nowadays. Once again get the sump

 

[reefes pieces]

That may be on the small side for a tank your size as it says it's suitable for 2500 lph which translates to roughly 687 gph for us in the US. So factor the desired turnover rate you want to achieve and base off that.

I found a HOB overflow box do you think this would work?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/272281802423?chn=ps&var=571102555708&ul_ref=https%3A%2F%2Frover.ebay.com%2Frover%2F1%2F710-134428-41853-0%2F2%3Fmpre%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.ebay.co.uk%252Fi%252F272281802423%253Fchn%253Dps%2526var%253D571102555708%26itemid%3D571102555708_272281802423%26targetid%3D359427365517%26device%3Dm%26adtype%3Dpla%26googleloc%3D9045285%26poi%3D%26campaignid%3D797602469%26adgroupid%3D43920634520%26rlsatarget%3Dpla-359427365517%26abcId%3D1063846%26merchantid%3D113584893%26gclid%3DEAIaIQobChMIlcDLlo203QIVabvtCh2tewa4EAQYASABEgI7pvD_BwE%26srcrot%3D710-134428-41853-0%26rvr_id%3D1664483586001%26rvr_ts%3Dcaf6e12d1650a99b20c7c4e8fff9605a

 

[Marie7]

So I’m new to this hobby as people probably know by my threads [emoji23] but I’m curious on what people think about sumps? Do you really need them?
What are the pros and cons of them apart from they make your DT look neater? I am getting a 60x24x30” (L,W,H) 136gallon tank and I want to know if it’s better and easier to have a sump, a lot of people say different things but I’m just curious about it, as a sump is going to be more money to add onto it all [emoji88][emoji23]

Personally I love my sump I believe that it filters much more water and a faster pace than a regular filter which I don't feel I will use one for salt water, they are not made for salt water. On the sump depending the size you can add more things to help you with the quality of the water and health of your tank as for example, skimmer, refugium the sump pump and even live fishes there, definitely I will recommend a sump I feel it's a must.

 

[Mark Gray]

No you do not need a sump but it will get a lot of stuff out of your tank witch is nice and to me it will make things easier

 

[jgvergo]

My first tank had the sump one floor down from the display tank. The sump was up on a stand so I could work in it while standing up, completely unobstructed. It was heaven!!

 

[aabjones888]

Do a sump, and go slow and take your time, you’ll be happy in the end!

 

[Neo Jeo]

Um excuse me? I was not complaining tyvm I am quite happy to pay out for it but it was a simple question.

It’s 100% ok to be money conscience ! If you spend your money freely you will not have any! Good work trying to save some money while doing a great hobby

 

[Neo Jeo]

Also, I did a tank with no sump and it sucked lol

 

[Paul B]

To answer your question, No, you do not "need" a sump.
I have been in the hobby over 60 years and never had one and still don't on my 125 gallon very old reef.

 

[BedrockIOMC]

You could go ahead and plumb it for a sump and cap the pipes off and then you can start it without a sump and then it would be very easy to do a sump later. all you would have to so is get the sump and the rest of the plumbing to go form where you cap it to the sump. No problems at all. That way if money is a issue. That is how I would do it if I needed to save up for a sump. No problems at all. You could even run a canister filter through the piping if you wanted too.

 

[andrewkw]

Is your goal just to have a few fish and corals or to have a display tank?
If the answer is display then you should have a sump. Do you need it? No, but why would you not want one as much if not more then any other piece of equipment? A comparison off the top of my head is would you want a bedroom without a closet or dresser?

For something under 40 gallons it's a little easier to make do, but for my 10 gallon nano reef which is just one of my satellite tanks. I hate seeing the heater in the display and it limits me to what other equipment I can run on it. A 136 gallon tank I'd guess 80-90% of equipment for a tank that sized is designed to function in sump. Sure you can get external stuff as you've passed the size for most hang on the back equipment but why limit yourself to that? Absolute worst case with the sump is you use it for heaters and extra water volume.

 

[Timfish1]

No. For a reef system you don't need any external filtration, pumps, skimmers, etc. Water movement and light for the corals, corals for filtration and fish for providing corals nitrogen and phosphate. Here's an example:


A system set up with a sump does give you additional surface area for gas exchange, in theory a bigger volume of water is more stable, unlit sumps provide cryptic areas expanding the diversity of a system so they are advantageous, but not neccessary.

 

[Timfish1]

Sorry for the double post!

 

[Andyk]

Many things have changed since I started this hobby nearly 40 years ago when I was 12. But the one thing that remains the same. Great equipment = great and successful aquarium. In my mind the display tank is not the place to put all of your filtration equipment. While it is true the hobby has turned away from having a large biological filtration compartment in favor of letting the display itself serve as the filtration, there are still essential components such as mechanical filtration, heaters, return pumps, and I have protein skimmer, ultraviolet sterilization, and a bio-reactor, and all the wiring, transformers, timers, etc. You want to see as little of this equipment as possible in the display tank. And having an overflow to skim the water surface is of great importance otherwise an oily layer forms on the surface of the display tank. It hides your essential equipment, it allows a place with easy access to maintain that equipment, and it would be very difficult to get the proper equipment of equal quality than hangs off the back of the tank. In my opinion, it is essential.

 

[wmwesty]

A sump I believe is a must! Don’t underestimate the amount of gear you need for marines also if you want to run cheato for nutrient export you will need a place for that also a section for RO water for auto top off, you will need a SUMP

 

[Marco S]

If drilling holes and plumbing is a concern, maybe you should check out a package deal like Red Sea or WaterBox. Not sure if they ship international or what else is available in the UK, but you should have several options that will include the sump and plumbing so you don't have to do any guess work. For me the plumbing and hole placement was very intimidating and the reason I am not going with a custom aquarium and decided to go with a package deal for my first saltwater tank.

 

[Forsaken77]

It's called a "DUMP" for a reason, lol.

 

[Forsaken77]

It's called a "DUMP" for a reason, lol.