Saltwater reef aquarium help?

adrienne224 · Nov 4, 2017

I am setting up a 150 gallon reef tank but I am unsure about the filter requirements. Do I need a sump or can I use a Fluval fx5 canister filter? If I need a sump how many gallons?

Afteraxl · Nov 4, 2017

I set up a 30 gallon years ago on a canister filter...it ran well for over a year. I would not recommend it now, lots of better ways of doing it that are easier to maintain.

Afteraxl · Nov 4, 2017

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2617534

Afteraxl · Nov 4, 2017

That was the first thing that popped up when I googled the sump question. But a good rule would be to go as big as you can...make lots of plans and a budget.

Coralfuture · Nov 4, 2017

There are a lot of factors in your question but I would suggest the largest sump your comfortable with. Only because it will give you more water volume lowering swings in conditions as well as makes for more space as far as the hobby may take you. That's a large first tank BTW and good luck/WELCOME to Reef2Reef!!!

sbash · Nov 5, 2017

Technically, you do not need a canister or a sump. The basic filtration is pretty much done through the bacteria cultures in the rocks... As long as you have adequate liverock, your system will have the minimum filtration requirements.

Most people use a sump, they are especially useful in smaller systems for adding water volume. I have seen a few successful systems run with a canister filter; personally they are too high maintenance for me...

The huge advantage to a sump (aside from the added water volume), is the ability to add a refugium with macro-algae to aid in nutrient export.

saltyfilmfolks · Nov 5, 2017

Welcome to reef2reef!

You could use a canister ... but.

A sump would imo be a better choice. As far as the size , it's really dictated on how big your stand is honestly and what size skimmer you need for the tank.

http://www.reefaquarium.com/2012/some-sump-basics/

http://melevsreef.com/allmysumps.html

Sumps can be fancy or plain and easy.

In fresh water tanks a canister serves as the biological filter and mechanical filter(strains out poo and food). In saltwater tanks the biological filter is in the sand and rocks in the tank.
If I reccomend canister filers for a reef it's generally just to be for mechanical (floss or pads only no bio media )and a place to put activated carbon or purigen and needs to be cleaned at least monthly , and more I'd you feed heavy.
If not cleaned it puts nutrients right back into the tank.
In marine tanks mechanical filters are generally done with "socks" in the sump

This article is kinda, meh (sorry ), but has some basics.
http://successfulreefkeeping.com/learn/reef-tank-101/

tdileo · Nov 5, 2017

I agree with everybody else! You can use HOB overflow boxes, I use the Eshopps one and it has never lost prime after many power outages, but a drilled one is still your best option. You can pay a very experienced person to drill your tank if you aren’t comfortable and trust me, once you add a sump you will use one on EVERY future build as it makes everything easier from stability to maintenance to hiding equipment.
Here’s a little list of equipment you need vs what you may want for a reef tank.
Need: Heater, powerheads or other flow device, lighting.
Want: Sump, protein skimmer, reactors, controller (ie. Neptune apex), auto top off. I may even be missing a piece or two of equipment.

jsker · Nov 5, 2017

I have used Canister, HOB, and now a sump. All three worked fine but like the sump best for maintenance and a place for my equipment. The sump makes for a cleaner DT without the clutter of probes, heater, and the ability to run different media without having reactors hanging on the outside of the tank. I located my sump remotely in a closet next to the tank instead of under the tank to where I can easly change and clean.

For a 150 I would look at what is going to be required in a sump. A chamber large enough for a good size skimmer, area for media, return pump/pumps overflow, refuge. One other thing would be filter socks. I am using my filter socks less and less as the system matures but they are good to have when I want to stir the bottom/vacuum and the socks catch extra stuff in the water. One of the reasons I located my sump remotely is I put a drain in my sump to easier water changes and cleaning

That all being said I would suggest a sump around 30 gallons and the more room there is the larger sump. The more water volume the less fluctuation in parameters.