Fx5 vs sump

[kenny2064]

hey guys i was on the fence to get into a saltwater tank a couple months ago so a friend who moved sold me his 125 aga non drilled. Not looking for pity or anything so with this great economic situtation we are having ive been unemployed so decided to sell off my rc stuff and i made enough money to so far get a fluval fx5, coralife protien skimmer, 2 150w heaters, 80lbs of dry sand, therm, hydrometer, and a book on how to set up a basic fowlr from animal planet. I'm trying to set up a system just as a stress relief in this time as i remember looking at my fresh water setup for hours in the dark and my ex wife would ask if i was crazy sadly I had to part with the tank as i originally got it for my kids so it stayed when we seperated. As i am doing more research i have been thinking of maybe selling off the fx5 and getting the sump system but since my tank is not drilled i know i can get a a hob overflow but afraid of what could go wrong while im sure its a matter of preference would i be ok in keeping the fx5 and using it or should i really consider selling it off and getting a sump system and are there alternatives to using an external overflow may seem remeadial to some of you guys but again im new to the saltwater thing and have only gone as far as cleaning the tank as i need some other key thing at anyrate thanks in advance guys

 

[kenny2064]

anyone have any input?

 

[russellbravo]

sump is the way to go, if ur really worried about the overflow
see if ur tank is drill-able and ask one of the members to drill it for u
if u need help.

sell the fx

 

[rkaragozler]

welcome to mr.
I have heard of people using canister filters , but maitenance is a big issue with them, and they are what we call nitrate factories unless you clean them out weekly. In my opinion I would sell it and for a couple of dollars buy a used tank and converted into a sump. If you need help just reach out. And as far as hob overflows I haven't heard of any major issues with them, like with anything in a hobby whether its reef tanks, or in your old case rc you still need maintenance. Good luck

 

[jadakiss]

get it drilled

 

[kenny2064]

well on the bottom of the tank it says its tempered glass do not drill so i will assume (trying not to make an ass of myself lol) that it is not drillable unless you guys know something i dont

 

[kenny2064]

also i will see about selling the fx5 it is literally unopened in the box still so will see what i can do about that and thanx for the replies

 

[rkaragozler]

No you would drill the back panel

 

[kenny2064]

ah the back oh ok i see hmm something to think about let me see about selling off the fx5 and moving forward is a slow process but patience is virtue

 

[rkaragozler]

+1 and only patience

 

[dubs]

def get a sump/fuge even tho u not sure what route u want to go once u have a sump/fuge u can grow anything u want... plus u will have some were to put all ur equipment pumps/skimmer/reactors ect which u will see after a little while is going to be alot and u also have somewere to trow fish/crab ect when they start to give troublle in ur dt hope this help a little if u want u can come by and check out my system if u want..and u can get some ideas of ur own lmk i am local

 

[fishman1069]

def get a sump/fuge even tho u not sure what route u want to go once u have a sump/fuge u can grow anything u want... plus u will have some were to put all ur equipment pumps/skimmer/reactors ect which u will see after a little while is going to be alot and u also have somewere to trow fish/crab ect when they start to give troublle in ur dt hope this help a little if u want u can come by and check out my system if u want..and u can get some ideas of ur own lmk i am local

+1 to everything dubs said about the sump/fuge. If you are worried bout the ov box I would just drill it. Its fairly simple. Heres a link of where you can get the bit and it has a video for you to watch on how to do it http://glass-holes.com/ If you decide to drill I would go with a 1 1/2" bulkhead ( 2 3/8 hole) and drill at least 4" from the corner of the tank and 4" from the top HTH

 

[kenny2064]

well great news i found out that i can return the fx5 which i am in the process of doing atm i sent in the request and i will order the sump system once i get credited for the fx5

 

[dubs]

that good news u should also check the for sale thread here there alway nice deal on used equipment if ur trying save some money

 

[kenny2064]

thx dubs i am defintely on a strict budget will do i saw some things on there i can afford

 

[IamRobG]

A little late to this topic but i'm running the fluval fx5 and coralife protein skimmer on my 125. In the filter i have the regular foam filters and in the media boxes numbers 1&2 i'm running clearmax which is the phosphate and nitrate remover and in the 3rd media box i have live rock and cycled crushed coral from my previous tank. Been going on for about 3 weeks now, no nitrates, no ammonia, everything is fine. I cleaned yesterday for the first time