Setting up a sumpless 40 Breeder

[Greaps]

Hey, finally getting around to setting up a tank after a few years without a tank. Looking for an approach to managing water quality. Planning on keeping mostly Soft Corals and LPS with a high bio-load. Planning to camp out on divers den to pick up a flame hawk pair, a black and white clownfish pair, a midas blenny, and a six line wrasse (coral pest control). I don't plan to fully stock the tank in one move, rather overtime. I would start the stocking with the two clowns, then the hawkfish, finish with the Blenny and six line wrasse. I don't plan on putting coral in the tank for 6-12 months.

Would you go with a hob skimmer, (Aquamaxx hob 1.5) or an algae reactor (Tunze Mar 3181) (drill tank to secure the pump and return through the back)(have the option to T-Off to add a small carbon reactor) With both methods I plan to do weekly water changes.

Opinions?

 

[Mastiffsrule]

Hello

Depending on how much water you are planning to change weekly, you may not need either. The HOB skimmers always worry me about overflowing but I never used one so tha may not be an issue. If you are going to drill the tank I would take advantages of a sump or refuse at that point.

Sounds like a nice set up.

 

[lion king]

I have 2 40B, one drilled with a sump and one with hob equip. I may have chosen the wrong overflow with the drilled one, because it is loud, yet having the room in the sump for a refuge and all the equip like heaters and such out of the display is nice. The hob model I am using a Seachem Tidal 110 and an Eshopps psk-75 hob skimmer; this tank runs well also. The hob filter I like because it gives me room to add things such as additional bio filter like matrix, and chemical like chemipure, and mechanical to polish the water. I've used the Eshopp hob skimmer on several tanks and it's been a workhorse for several years, the best in my opinion, this skimmer has an overflow which you can run to a reservoir. The macro algae reactor is a good piece of equip, there are also hob refugiums that could be considered; the refuge would require much less maintenance. I also run an ato and temp controllers on both, the hob model requires a bit of diy ingenuity but does work well.