Tideline sumps .. 2-part question

[Gort]

Part 1 - I'm setting up a 100-gallon reef tank; fish and softies. So far, all I have are the tank and stand. Center overflow, 2 main and 1 backup drain. I was interested in the Trigger Tideline 30 sump. Does anybody have yeas or nays?

Part 2 - correct me if I'm wrong, but my understanding is that after cycling, a reef tank begins as FOWLR before stocking corals. If so, what order should I add equipment like skimmer, fuge / scrubber?

 

[lapin]

They make a nice sump.

It does not matter as far as coral or fish first. If coral first you will need to ghost feed the tank to keep bacteria alive so when you add fish the tank will be able to process the ammonia waste.

You can add any equipment you want at any time. However if you dont have waste/nutrients then adding some things are not really needed

 

[Billdogg]

I look at the first 6 months or so of a new tank setup as the break-in period. After the initial cycle, add the first few fish (least aggressive first) and allow them to settle in and the denitrifying bacteria to grow to deal with the increase in bioload. Rinse and repeat. Then start to add your first corals. During this initial phase you can add/change equipment as needed. On any tank larger than 40g or so, it's a great time to add a skimmer and get it dialed in. Ditto with your other add-ons. That way, by the time you do start adding corals everything should be stable and ready.