Returning hobbyist - 6 year hiatus lol

[MrTre242]

Hello everyone, and think you for welcoming me back into this group. I was a previous meme we but lost account info and slipping back into the hobby brought me back. Just want some experienced opinions on my setup. I’m sure I’m gonna get told I shouldn’t use this, this is a waste of time and many other negative opinions, but I want open minded honesty if possible lol. My setup as it stands right now.

I’m running a 55 gallon sumpless, with 1.5 inch of locally harvested crushed coral gravel. P.S I live I. The Bahamas !!!
For filtration I am running a Fluval 406 with bio media exclusively, accept the main filter sponge. Exchanged the ribbed hoses for smooth lines to avoid detritus collection. 50 lbs of locally gathered live rock. An emporer 350 solely for water polishing and active carbon. 2 hydor koralia, the 1150 reef kit on a hydor wave maker, running 1 minute opposite intervals. A Aquatop Xyclone protein skimmer for a 100 gallon aquarium. And a 5 % water change every 5 to 7 days. Avoiding the nitrate factory loom of canister filters is easy with maintanence. Any ideas or suggestion that don’t involve a sump because it is definitely out of the question on adding one.

 

[andrewey]

Welcome back!

I know you're worried that people are going to be negative, but take a leap of faith You'll find we're a friendly bunch here!

I personally don't see anything wrong with what you are running. The proof is in the pudding- if your fish/corals are happy, then you're running the right setup for your reef! If you notice too much hair algae or you can't keep your nitrates/phosphates down, that's when you'll have to change something- whether that's more frequent water changes, more consistent maintenance on your canister filter, etc. There's nothing necessary about a sump- it's just a technique that has it's own pros and cons, no different then any other piece of equipment