expert's help 210 sumpless

[laredo300c]

i have been looking for any advice i can find...looking to build a 210g reef sumpless.....300+live rock, live sand....a really good hob protein skimmer....any help...hiding equipment is not an issue,,,,,at least no with me...thanks for your help

 

[Scoobaman17]

From all the advise I have ever gotten on making my 240 reef was not to skimp on skimmer "meaning huge" that takes up nearly over 12X12 inches at the base. Then you need a refugium to supplement the tank. I'm building my 240 "actual 210" right now and I have about a 30 gallon fuge and I consider that just enough. Yet alone the 80 gallon sump, classic 400 skimmer "possible" which treats 400 gallons and is only 40 bucks more then the 250. Basically, if you want a nice common clean way to run your reef, hide the sump in the stand. There are many DIY for stands here. Good luck by the way.

 

[steve the plumb]

A sump will help alot.You need more volume of water.Its a plus to have a fuge.If not you will need a phos reactor and a denitrate reactor for sure in the future.Maybe not now but a few years down the line nitrates will rise.Its only a matter of time.Sump with a dsb that can be changed will help alot aswell as calerpa.

 

[swimboy123]

A sump is going to be a much better way to get things done. And I don't know of a HOB skimmer that could handle that size tank adequately. Overkill on the skimmer is the general rule of thumb. Not vice-versa

 

[laredo300c]

swimboy, i was thinking of 2, possible 3 skimmers rated at 240g each....(overrated sure, but 3) what are your thoughts on this

 

[DirtySouth056]

I would get 1 really nice skimmer rather than 2-3.

 

[Solitaryensis]

Yeah, not sure if i would go the HOB route. Im sure you could DIY something that would/could be adequate but might not give you the performance that you are looking for. Id definitely suggest going with a sump. Are you concerned with noise? Whatever your concerns, im sure there are a ton of threads on the forum that have addressed them and will be be able to help you through. Good luck!

 

[jmccown]

Sounds like you're wanting to make something more difficult than it should be. Trust me, sumps are SIMPLE. I use to think the same thing, not wanting to use a sump, but they are very nice. Trust me, you'll be glad you did.