Who is SUMPLESS and loving it?

[Anonymous]

I am going to convert my 90 gallon FW to reef and thinking of loading it up with rock and sand.

Wanted to hear from people who have taken the sumpless route.

 

[lionfish1]

For a 90gal reef I suggest a sump, it can be done without it but not as efficient especially for a 90 tank, cya.

 

[kipreefer]

I have a ninty gallon tank and am curently sumpless. I built my own hang on skimmer but that was a bust right now i just keep up on water changes and try not to over feed. I have 5 power heads in it for circulation and have 90 lbs of rock and 150 pounds of sand. It is possible. After next pay check i am settinf up a 30 gallon refugium next to it though which i will concect a calcium reactor and skimmer to. It works with out one but it will look better and probable work better if you have one.

 

[Anonymous]

I'm sumpless on my 46. I love it. SO much easier to not have to worry about overflowing the sump and spilling water every where.

Glenn

 

[Anonymous]

The skimmer does not present a problem. Dosing is the only draw back I can see right now.

 

[Anonymous]

Glen

Heres the issue after I convert my 90 and move the FW inhabitants to a 55, I will have 7 tanks in the living room and sumpless on a couple will help out.

I want to be sumpless on my biggest just because the larger the column of water is the more forgiving and the larger reaction time.

What downsides have you experienced, how are you dosing?

 

[Anonymous]

Fishaholic,

I did exactly the same thing, only mine's a FOWLR. Reef = gaping hole in the wallet. FOWLR = smaller hole in the wallet, haha. I've never used a sump. I use a strong HOB skimmer and that's it. I've never really seen a need for a sump. I'm not saying no one needs them or anything like that (I'm not trying to start a war!) but I really don't mind seeing the heater and power heads in my tank.

john

 

[Anonymous]

I have a wooden canopy that sits directly on the tank. I just put the doser on top of the canopy and slip it through the back and hook it uder a power head cord to hold it in place. After running a 125 with a sump for a year it is amazing how hassle free this tank is. You have a little more leeway on topping off since there is no sump to run dry. The only thing I don't like is having to put the heater right in the middle of the tank.

Glenn

 

[Anonymous]

Hey John

How are you doing? Have you heard of the Tallahassee Reef club that started up not so long ago? I recieved an e-mail from them a month or so ago.

Glenn

Heaters will not be a problem. I do not use them, I keep my central heat and air at 80 year round.

I thought of setting the doser on the canopy and dripping next to the power head for fast mixing into the water column.

 

[zt allstar]

How is water clarity, (cloudiness) with no sump? I don't have a sump on my 29. I have a DSB, about 35lb LR and light fish load, 2 small percs, a few LPS corals and the water is crystal clear.

 

[danmhippo]

I know of people going sumpless on smaller systems and are quite successful with it. But I'd always prefer to keep a safety margin for the larger reef tanks. Since all tanks are in the living room, is hooking up to other tank's plumbing/sump a problem?

I also go skimmerless...........but that's another story.

 

[bigtank]

My 70 is sumpless. I wanna get me a sump with a Myreef MR-2 skimmer, Myreef calcium reactor, Nurce, overflow, Mag pumps for everything (2, 12, 950), and last but not least, a seaswirl. This would solve several of my problems. It's a dream for now because I don't have $1000+ to spare.

I would use a sump on that 90

 

[J Crew]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by ANEMONEBUFF:
<strong>I go sumpless on my 55 gallon and have had no problems. The closest thing I have to a sump is the CPR aquafuge 18". IMO it is not a sump. I use a CPR Bakpak and I have a nice clear tank.</strong><hr></blockquote>

anything in particular that made you decide on the aquafuge? i'm currently stuck between deciding on the aquafuge or going with like a 10gal refugium under my 55 gal stand. i think the aquafuge would be easier on me to setup and i wouldn't have to worry about a spill accident... but then again for the price of one of these things it seems like i could build a diy 'fuge that would be bigger, therfore, better. just looking for your opinion on this... i've read many of your post and think you give sound advice. peace

 

[Anonymous]

The only downside to going sumpless that I have noticed is that the detritus tends to build up a little more. There is no mechanical filtration on the system so when I clean the glass or rearrange it all just sinks and clogs up the sand bed.

Glenn

 

[aquaguy]

I have a 30 gal sumpless tank with tons of live rock ( I don't remember how many lb I have, but all the back ground is cover by LR, everythink is perfect .... I have a lot of xenia in my tank, they really filter the water! before them I had a lot of problems with my water chemistry now I don't have any problem with it, I don't have microalgae problems either. I have another 60 gal tank with a sump but there is nothing in the sump and the protein skimmer doesn't work propertly. The sump is full of LR, I have some Xenia in this tank too but not enough, I have some hair algae in this tank but is not really a problem . both thanks are full of hard and soft corals (plate corals,torch corals , mushrooms, Sinularias, Capnellas) and some fish. I do a 10% water change almost once every six months!!! believe me I think Xenia is the most powerful filter in the universe

just my 0.1 cent.

 

[mridgep]

Would that be your 10 cents or your 1/10th of a cent : )

 

[Anonymous]

I go sumpless on my 55 gallon and have had no problems. The closest thing I have to a sump is the CPR aquafuge 18". IMO it is not a sump. I use a CPR Bakpak and I have a nice clear tank.

 

[Anonymous]

I chose it for two reasons:
1.the spill factor
2.the pain of plumbing a sump,especially on an already set up tank.

 

[Anonymous]

Any others without a sump want to share how you deal with detritus? My sand bed is getting covered.

 

[Anonymous]

I don't have sumps. I even disconnected one I had. I have never had any detritus. I have lots of scarlet reef hermit crabs and (mostly) snails as well as a brittle star, sea cucumbers, and lots of bristleworms and stuff in my live sand. It has never been a problem. I also have no detritus in my triggerfish tank, which has an essentially "dead" sandbed devoid of anything a triggerfish might eat.

I have a refugium (CPR hang on back) on my reef tank, which might qualify as a sump, but I've only had it since January and nothing really changed in the rest of the tank (except nitrates are pinned at zero now).