Is an overflow neccesary?

SkyJunkie

New member
If I upgrade from 55 to 90+ is an overflow necessary? Sump? Can I get by with a good skimmer, filter, LR, and LS alone?
 
well you would only need a overflow if you are going to have a sump. you don't necessarily need a sump but it sure makes things a lot easier
 
Overflow needed only with a sump. And if you want to enjoy a good reef tank, you'll want a sump.
 
Use the old 55 gallon as a sump. I'm sure with the upgrade you'll have fore fish/coral and that means heavier bio load. With that in mind, you'd want less maintenance and to achieve that you'd want the sump. It's a good way to hide all the equipment as well as adding extra volume to make the parameters more stable.
 
My first tank of decent size was a 95 without any overflow.
I made it work with a HOB skimmer and a small HOB fuge, and everything did fine, but having actually done it I'm MUCH happier now to have a tank with a proper overflow drilled in and a sump underneath. The look of the DT is so much cleaner without the clutter. It also makes it easy to change or add filtration or top off water, or other stuff without disturbing critters or deal with the canopy or lights in the way.
And I can actually have my tank scooted back to the wall now instead of leaving a 6-8" gap which was really weird.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top