Filtration...

[BRADandSTACEY]

... I'm currently running 2-AC 500s and a powerhead just to move water, with a seaclone protein skimmer, and am just wondering if my setup is ok... They're hanging off the back... I have foam insert in bottom, carbon in middle, and biomax on the top... and through my readings most people don't even check their filters, so what i've been doing is replacing my carbon every month or 2, and just rinsing out my foam until it gets bad enough to replace, and i just rinse my biomax with the tank water...

... I have 45 pounds live rock in an 80 gallon, around 17 various snails, about 8 hermits, and a electric blue leg reef crab or w/e (big hermit)... lawnmower blenny, cleaner shrimp, peppermint shrimp, 12 different fish, no coral...

... Also, i've heard that "you can't run a tank without a sump"... how is this true, or a valid statement?... Can somebody justify this? and the advantages!

[Cutter]

My tank runs just fine without a sump.

I will be running a sump in the future and the reson why I want to do that is to hide my protein skimmer, heater, and HOB filter like you have. Those reasons are purely cosmetic. The other advantage to a sump is that you gain water volume. Water volume helps to dilute the all of the bad things in your water.

Of course when you increase your water volume your total cost of operating your tank goes up especially if you become a member of the "My sump is larger than my Tank Club". Higher salt use, additives, power to heat it, cost of pumps to move the water around.

I've been runnning my tank for over a year now with no sump and everything I've tried to grow has done so. But as you know from being on this site everyone has their own ways of doing things. You just have to find the one that best fits your budget and what works best for your tank.

[jevan23]

Im also running a sumpless setup, a 70gal. Havnt had any problems with algae, my nitrates are a little high, but my trace elements are all added through water changes, i use no additives and everything in my tank is doing just great. I dont want a sump because of the work involved, taking the tank down, drilling holes, plumbing everything.. although a refugium at the back of the display tank wouldnt require much effort and would have a positive impact on the tank. Going to make one for myself, out of a 10gal from PetSmart, a bulkhead and hagen 402 powerhead.:spin01:

[BRADandSTACEY]

... Drilling! wow! i'm out of that!... if my tank dies off, i'll POSSSIBLY drill holes, but seems like recipe for disaster!

[Cutter]

No need to drill holes to run a sump.

You just use an overflow. Lifereef are excellent and the otherone you hear alot about are the CPR overflows.

[scary gary]

All my tanks are sump less although I do have wet dry also known as trickle filtration. These have a very small sump.