Show Us Your SUMPLESS Tank(s) !

[nemo1017]

I've been on 0 for a while now, maybe a little higher but never anything over 10... I do weekly water changes with good reef salt. I would suggest more frequent water changes? Also, I don't have personal experience with them but I hear canisters will need to be cleaned good weekly otherwise they're nitrate factories. Not sure tho

You have to be very diligent with cleaning canister filters. They accumulate a lot of junk.

 

[jwhann6]

What do you guys do/use to keep nitrates down, or do you run with higher nitrates? My tank usually runs about 20-40 on nitrates. Can't seem to get them any lower.

I ran purigen in my HOB for the first 3-4 months of my tank to help keep the nitrates down through the cycle. Now I rely on my water changes to do the work (10% weekly). Feeding is super important too, I'm really diligent about not overfeeding. I test bi-weekly and am always around 2-3ppm. Seems to be the sweetspot for my lps and easier sps.

 

[AcroNem]

My nitrates and phosphates sit at 0. All the time. That's why I feed the corals so much. I vac the sand every time I do a weekly water change, and change the media in the canister every week or every other. Be diligent with cleaning and water changes is most of my advice.

 

[katguevara]

This is a fantastic thread! I was thinking about drilling my 90g when we upgrade in the summer, only to read this realize that it's possible to run without a sump!

 

[AcroNem]

This is a fantastic thread! I was thinking about drilling my 90g when we upgrade in the summer, only to read this realize that it's possible to run without a sump!

Too many people think it's impossible to run without a sump. Let's describe what it really is. It's another tank under your tank that shares the same water. Yes it gives you more water volume, and it hides equipment better. But really what is it doing differently than anything else? There's still a skimmer in most situations, still mechanical and chemical filtration, and you're more reliant on biological filtration so usually a healthier population of microfauna on top of that. Unless of course you have a healthy fuge in your sump. There, that's my take. I've done both ways, but In my personal systems I like the one I mentioned above

 

[katguevara]

Too many people think it's impossible to run without a sump. Let's describe what it really is. It's another tank under your tank that shares the same water. Yes it gives you more water volume, and it hides equipment better. But really what is it doing differently than anything else? There's still a skimmer in most situations, still mechanical and chemical filtration, and you're more reliant on biological filtration so usually a healthier population of microfauna on top of that. Unless of course you have a healthy fuge in your sump. There, that's my take. I've done both ways, but In my personal systems I like the one I mentioned above

I'm definitely going to take a few ideas from this thread when we buy our equipment. The 90 I have doesn't have any room for a sump, so I was even thinking about buying a whole new set up just to run a sump. Not anymore! After seeing some of the set ups on this thread, I see its possible!

 

[Vahanyos]

I'm definitely going to take a few ideas from this thread when we buy our equipment. The 90 I have doesn't have any room for a sump, so I was even thinking about buying a whole new set up just to run a sump. Not anymore! After seeing some of the set ups on this thread, I see its possible!

I feel a sump is a luxury in this hobby... overtime if you have enough life rock and sand you'll create a good biological system that'll run itself just fine.

 

[Sharkbate]

Hey, nice work guys.....

I run two Nano systems, this one an Aqua One .

50 litres
Maxspect leds (Nano)
A tunze Nano power head
Prizm Hob skimmer with Carbon
Filtration is stock sponge additional nitrate sponge and a bag of ceramic rings
The plan was for mainly a Nem tank!! Plans We now have a hosting pair of clowns one pep shrimp various snails and hermits a sea urchin and a porcelain crab
A few little corals and zoas for that splash of colour !
I feed the fish once a day and the Nems once a week
Water changes I bucket every week and rinse filters , Rhowaphos pouch changed weekly also.
Oh theirs a sandsifter in also (little one)
Keep up the good work

 

[Finatik]

Too many people think it's impossible to run without a sump. Let's describe what it really is. It's another tank under your tank that shares the same water. Yes it gives you more water volume, and it hides equipment better. But really what is it doing differently than anything else? There's still a skimmer in most situations, still mechanical and chemical filtration, and you're more reliant on biological filtration so usually a healthier population of microfauna on top of that. Unless of course you have a healthy fuge in your sump. There, that's my take. I've done both ways, but In my personal systems I like the one I mentioned above

Yep... I've always heard that "successful reef keeping CANNOT be done without a sump - especially on large tanks".

If I had a nickel for every time I've heard that, I'd be pretty rich !

But all of you have somehow proven that to be a myth. You have some awesome, healthy, thriving tanks as evidence that it CAN be done.

Thanks for sharing !

 

[AcroNem]

What a load of garbage. We've heard it all, "it can't be done without a skimmer, period!" Well it can be. "You're asking to fail if your tank is smaller than 55 gallons" yeah ask those with a 3 gallon pico reef if that's true or not. "Your tank HAS to have a sump or it's going to fail" and we all know the answer to that one. I feel like the people who post their build threads with a gigantic order of the highest dollar and newest equipment are always the one's to post a "help me!" thread within about 6 months or so, because they slack on the most basic tasks thinking their other equipment will make it so most maintenance goes away. There are some things you can't get around.

 

[MamaLovesHerReefTank]

Here's my 125 g. Just starting our second year with this tank. Had a 55 g before that.
Filtration is Fluval FX6.
No skimmer
Weekly 20 g water changes
Dose every 3rd day with reef roids - Just started 2 weeks ago.
2 Maxspect Razors LEDs
I rinse filter media once a month and change it every other month. Never any issue with nitrates.
Phosphate is controlled with poly filter.

 

[mkwarner77]

I started a 46 gl in Dec. Oceanc remora protein skimmer. Jbj eh35 canister filter. 2 100w hydor heaters. 1 hydor 425 power head. So far I've got 2 mocha clowns,3mexican turbos, 2 trocus,1 peppermint shrimp, 2narsius snails. 1 green star polyp, 1daisy polyp, 1toadstool, and 1 blue rodactus mushroom.

I started a 46 gl in Dec. Oceanc remora protein skimmer. Jbj eh35 canister filter. 2 100w hydor heaters. 1 hydor 425 power head. So far I've got 2 mocha clowns,3mexican turbos, 2 trocus,1 peppermint shrimp, 2narsius snails. 1 green star polyp, 1daisy polyp, 1toadstool, and 1 blue rodactus mushroom.

 

[zamerico]

40B - Tetra
2 AI Primes non HD
HOB Filter - AquaClear 70 running OEM sponge, bag of CPE and a bag of Purigen
2 Jebao Rw-4 Wavemakers
250 Watt Heater
35 lbs of rock - Scape was epoxied together in two large sections.
40 pounds of sand
JBJ ATO (Homemade)

The tank has been running since August 2016. It was a project my 13 year old son did and it's in his room.
5 Gallon water change every week. I was using RS Coral Pro Salt but recently changed to Reef Crystals. It has improved Alk and Ca readings.
Moderate feeding. Feed only frozen mix of blood worms, brine shrimp, mysis shrimp, reef frenzy and cut nori. The worms and brine are Hikari and the mysis is PE Energetics. Mix it all in a squeeze bottle with RO/DI water, melt and feed. The nori is from the grocery store.

The sailfin and foxface are there temporarily. They are both sub 3" so they have plenty of room. They'll go into a 150 by the summer time.

 

[Finatik]

What do you guys use as a refugium to grow Pods and Chaeto ? (this question is for everyone - just trying to figure out the best way to set up a sumpless system)

 

[Finatik]

Also, do you think it's easier to go "sumpless" on a smaller tank (<90 gallons) or a larger tank (>100 gallons) ?
(more fish + larger fish = greater bio load)

 

[nemo1017]

What do you guys use as a refugium to grow Pods and Chaeto ? (this question is for everyone - just trying to figure out the best way to set up a sumpless system)

Aquaclear 110

 

[Finatik]

Aquaclear 110

Can you elaborate a little on how you use your AC110 as a refugium, how you stack or fill it, and which media you use ? I want to make sure I have a good understanding of how to set this all up before I do it.

Thanks Nemo.

 

[Lowell Lemon]

Love this thread. So many more ways like the Tunze system to run a sumpless tank. I will be setting up one in the near furure. I have a 40 gallon tank with sumpless design that has been a rescue tank for 15 plus years. Going to take it down and move to a larger tank soon. I will post the new tank when I finish building all the components.

 

[Mageau11]

I have an Aqueon 54 Gallon Corner Bowfront without a sump.

The tank is coming up on 10 months old.

I'm currently running the following:

•Fluval 406 Canister Filter (media includes polyfilter, Purigen, PhosGuard, and ChemiPure Elite)

•Aquamaxx HOB-1 Skimmer

•CPR AquaFuge2 HOB Refugium (with deep sand bed, Chaetomorpha, and rubble rock)

•Tunze 3155 Osmolator Auto-Top Off with 5 Gallon Trigger Systems Crystal Reservoir

• 1 - EcoTech Vortech mp10wqd

• 1 - Maxspect Gyre x230

•Apex 2016 Controller

I do a 15 gallon water change weekly and clean my canister filter twice per month.

 

[nascar02]