jproct March 2, 2015 Share March 2, 2015 Hello everyone! Getting back into it after being away for over 10 years. I had several fish only tanks back then (240, 125 & 68). I recently acquired a 29G and 90G and after several weeks of contemplating I have a plan… I eventually want to have the 90G setup for a lionfish and zebra eel. That is going to be in the basement after it gets remodeled (next year??). I also wanted a community FOWLR for the main floor living area and I was planning to get a 55G for that. So I am starting with the 29G I already have, I am considering making that a mini reef tank after it is established and the inhabitants are moved over to the 55. I started the 29 with a sand substrate this past weekend and am planning to order some base rock next week. I have a Marineland C-220 (freebie) on it and a 250W Ebo Jager heater that was a leftover from back in the day. I am thinking of picking up an LED light that will be sufficient for some coral growth down the road. I know absolutely nothing about corals! So here is one of the issues that I am going to face… I hate sumps even though I never had any overflow or flooding issues. I had a few wet drys in the late 90’s, even converted one to use as a sump for a short time. I really dislike the idea of an open system underneath the tank and that is the only reason. I have read (online) about several people that have successfully kept reefs without a sump so I may give that a shot. Hope to get to know you guys! Comments… Suggestions…. James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami March 2, 2015 Share March 2, 2015 James, welcome back to the hobby! With a small system like that, you can probably manage going without a sump if you pick your corals wisely and keep up with water changes. Colorful zoas, soft corals, and LPS might work just fine and make for an attractive tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind March 2, 2015 Share March 2, 2015 Welcome back to hobby. You've probably noticed a lot has changed in 10 years! It is possible to go sumpless but I for one love a sump. It offers a place to hide things like heaters, reactors, and skimmers while also giving you more room in the tank. Sumps also offer an easy way to surface skim off that bio-film which can build up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruleyii March 2, 2015 Share March 2, 2015 I currently have a 37 without a sump and even have sps's in it. I try to stick to water changes weekly and manually dose every other day (I've been slacking the past week.) In my opinion I don't think a sump is really necessary at that size but it does make automating things a little easier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuffyGeos March 2, 2015 Share March 2, 2015 (edited) Welcome back. One option you may want to look at, that was not as popular 10 years ago, are the all in one tanks. There are a lot of different size tanks where all the plumbing is in a section in back of the main tank. Here is an example: it is an all in one 29g biocube. http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=24537&cmpid=03csegpl&ref=6111&subref=AA&CAWELAID=1317704164&CAGPSPN=pla&catargetid=530005150000135623&cadevice=c Edited March 2, 2015 by DuffyGeos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbartco March 2, 2015 Share March 2, 2015 welcome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHSublime March 2, 2015 Share March 2, 2015 Welcome! Sump not needed, but like others mentioned, it's pretty handy! You've come to the right place to catch you up on the past decade, lots of knowledge here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami March 2, 2015 Share March 2, 2015 Inasmuch as automation is concerned, the one thing that I'd add to the discussion is the recommendation to have an Automatic Top Off (ATO) system on the tank to compensate for evaporation and to keep the salinity in the tank stable. It'll be more stable than if you topped it off once a day manually and you'll enjoy your tank more. This will require that you have a separate fresh water (RO/DI) reservoir nearby to store your top-off water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave w March 2, 2015 Share March 2, 2015 James, a few years ago I also re-entered the hobby after a long absence. To get up to speed I'd recommend reading as much as you have time for. The internet was in its relative infancy back then and now you have access to a gigantic body of knowledge. Look up reefcentral forums also. Just search for a key word and start reading, if you haven't already done so. Welcome back, there is a friendly group of people here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happyfeet March 3, 2015 Share March 3, 2015 Inasmuch as automation is concerned, the one thing that I'd add to the discussion is the recommendation to have an Automatic Top Off (ATO) system on the tank to compensate for evaporation and to keep the salinity in the tank stable. It'll be more stable than if you topped it off once a day manually and you'll enjoy your tank more. This will require that you have a separate fresh water (RO/DI) reservoir nearby to store your top-off water. This so much. This may have easily been the best upgrade I got for my 29 gallon tank, and the cheapest! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jproct March 3, 2015 Author Share March 3, 2015 Thanks to everyone for the warm welcome! I look forward to learning as much as I can before I start buying anything other than fish. Looking forward to attending the next meeting! James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtelles March 3, 2015 Share March 3, 2015 No sump on my 40B and it's pretty heavily stocked with a variety of corals and fish, but I haven't had any water quality related deaths in the year I've had it up. I run a canister filter with floss, chemipure, and rubble, a hob skimmer (absolutely necessary, it pulls out a bunch of sludge), and a HOB refugium (not necessary, but I have a mandarin and need a spot for pods to propagate). Like others, I manually add calcium and alk every few days. Without a sump, I have to do more maintenance and hide my heaters and what not behind the rock work. I also have to manually add rodi water every day since the lack of sump makes ato's a bit flightier and I haven't wanted to mess with them. The biggest P.I.T.A. of having a sumpless system is that I have to clean out the canister filter every week or two or the gunk builds up inside of it and seriously affects my water quality. It only takes 10-20 minutes to do, but it adds up over the course a year, and it's a pretty annoying job. I just incorporate it into the weekly water change and it's not so bad, but a sump would really ease the process considerably. As others have already said, it's absolutely possible to have a sumpless system, but you really have to keep up with water changes and other maintenance. Welcome back to saltwater! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lutz123 March 22, 2015 Share March 22, 2015 I am also perfectly happy to go sumpless and was in agreement, but after understanding what can be done to mitigate risk I find that sumps are far safer with the right setup. FWIW, I have had an hob filter overflow, I have overflowed my all in one Solana, and canister plumbing is no safer than sump (if not less secure). Go visit some tanks of other members and do lots of research. I agree that alot has changed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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