Is having a sump essential to a reef tank?

S

Stevenlatham01

New member
I have been going through the instructions of setting up the pipe work of the 6ft tank and 4ft sump I want to get and been thinking of all the things that can go wrong if I don't fix the pipes correctly with the cement.

It got me thinking, do you have to have a sump for a reef tank? Or are the benefits just so much greater than not having one?

I have space for a bigger tank of up to 7ft so would rather go bigger so the extra water of a sump is not so much of a factor.

I'm not going to be stocking that many fish in the tank:

2 clown fish
Blue Surgeon Tang
Royal gramma
Fire Angel
Yellow tang
 
A sump is absolutely not needed... but it certainly has benefits..

But gluing PVC is drop dead simple and VERY hard to screw up.. If thats not something you can do well then I'd just recommend sitting in a corner drooling the rest of your life :p It really is easy.. Pull out swap (q-tip) applicator.. Run it around the female fitting.. push male in quickly/firmly..
Hold 10 seconds.. Done..

Even threaded PVC connections are simple provided you use proper PVC thread sealant and not teflon tape..
 
I like the sump for the extra space to throw all the extra nonsense I don't want in the display tank. The protein skimmer the return pump that helps with flow. Filter socks for when the tank gets cloudy and they clear it up in now time. The heater. It's a real mess down there. As for the cement for the pvc personally I don't use any at all and my tank never has any issues. The cement is more for accidentally knocking something loose. If you're careful and don't knock them loose then you won't have an issue. I'll post a picture even though my sump is a train wreck. Also it's a good place for extra live rock so you can have your display tank more open. Throw the extra 40 pounds in the sump and forget about it.
 
Vbwjjeep said:
As for the cement for the pvc personally I don't use any at all and my tank never has any issues. The cement is more for accidentally knocking something loose. If you're careful and don't knock them loose then you won't have an issue.
Click to expand...

In my opinion this is absolutely not a good piece of advice. If you're only using friction to hold your pvc together you're begging for a disaster. Why would you want to run this risk?



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Turbomark said:
In my opinion this is absolutely not a good piece of advice. If you're only using friction to hold your pvc together you're begging for a disaster. Why would you want to run this risk?



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Click to expand...

I've done it for years and never had a single issue. It takes quite a bit of force to pull out the pvc. It depends on what kind of connections we are talking about. I use clear tubing for the returns and attatch them with clamps to the tank and they just fit around the t pipe in the sump. I never have any leakage or issues. But the return pvc pipe in the overflow box it is just pressed in and sealed very well.
 
Vbwjjeep said:
I've done it for years and never had a single issue. It takes quite a bit of force to pull out the pvc. It depends on what kind of connections we are talking about. I use clear tubing for the returns and attatch them with clamps to the tank and they just fit around the t pipe in the sump. I never have any leakage or issues. But the return pvc pipe in the overflow box it is just pressed in and sealed very well.
Click to expand...
It just seems like an unnecessary risk to avoid a $3 tin of pvc cement and a couple extra minutes when assembling. I just always plan on the fact that I'm going to do something uncoordinated when performing maintenance.

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But to answer the original post, in your case I'd definitely want to do a sump. You're not going to find a hang on back skimmer that's going to be able to keep up with the bioload you're going to be placing on the tank. Also being able to place equipment in the sump and keep it out of the display will give you a much better looking tank. In reality plumbing is easy compared to almost every other step in the process.

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As the instructions for the pipe work say use their supplied cement I think I would need to use it. That's if I go the sump route though. I like the thought of a sump and the nice clean look but have a bigger tank is also appealing.

Wouldn't this skimmer be up to the job with no sump: Deltec MCE600 Hang-On External Skimmer
 
I never ran a sump on my old system, but once I upgraded to a 155, I decided to use a sump. It is so nice to have the skimmer, heaters, etc. out of sight. Plumbing was nerve wracking at first for me, but I learned so much from doing it and am glad I did.
 
That skimmer is rated up to about 100 gallons from what I've read, I have a 40 gallon display and a much lower bioload than what you're proposing and I use a skimmer rated to 120 gallons or so. Also the thing with hob skimmers is that they also present an overflow/flood risk. I know you're thinking about going bigger with no sump, why not just go bigger with a sump?

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Main reason would be cost. So the money saved from no sump could go into bigger tank. Are there any good external or hob skimmers in that price range or maybe a bit more that would be suitable for a 180g tank?
 
Anyone with any suggestions? If I have to have an external skimmer I'm thinking of putting it in a cupboard next to the tank so it will be mostly out of view. Not too bothered about the heaters in the tank.

What about water changes. Does having a sump make them easier?
 
The biggest risk with hang on the back or external skimmers is overflowing. Should an external skimmer overflow, all of the water will go on your floor, etc. There's always the risk of draining a fair amount of water from the tank from overflowing. By having a sump with an internal skimmer (one that can be placed in the water), any overflowing will stay in the system. I and many others can say they have experienced overflowing skimmers. Sometimes they just get out whack and overflow, power outages, and the skimmer can be affected by something was dosed, etc.

When I was doing manual water changes, I would shut off my main pump and let the water fill the sump. I would then place a Mag5 pump in the sump and drain it. Once drained, I would put the same Mag5 in the mixed barrel and fill the sump back up. In my opinion it is much easier to do water changes from the sump but I'm sure others will say it is just as easy to do them from the DT. It's mainly a preference.
 
If you want a bigger display tank save up a bit longer and do it right with a sump. If you're thinking about setting up a tank as big as you are don't half *** it, do it right the first time.

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Put it this way: not having one is a problem in feeding corals, feeding dragonets (if you want them), keeping nitrate down (which corals hate), keeping phosphate down (which corals hate)---the latter two because of problems housing equipment that can do this effectively---and in aeration (hang-on skimmers don't do it as well) which can affect fish as well; it is also a problem in removing detritus and keeping tank clean, because using a filter sock is a problem outside a sump. A sump is where you keep and do the ugly things that make the dt pretty.
 
I agree with these points, there's just not any good hob type equipment made for a tank that large. I can't think of any reefer that I know that has a tank larger than 40 gallons without a sump. Therefore, very few companies will make equipment for that purpose. Anything that you find that's hob to support a tank that size is going to be directed towards the freshwater market.

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Also, you didn't mention whether you plan on keeping corals, if so you will need a sump. No doubt about it.

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Plumbing with PVC is super simple as mcgyvr mentioned. And please do use glue for slip fittings. I've had a few that I dry fit and can't get them apart again so figure they don't need glue. They always (every single time) end up either leaking water or messing with my siphon by letting air in.

I 100% agree that a sump is the way to go. A reef can be done without one, but it's just so much easier with a sump. A few resons:

Most tanks I see without a sump have nitrate issues.

The majority of equipment for the hobby is designed for use in a sump.

Need a sump to do algae turf scrubber (ATS) or refugium (unless doing a remote fuge).

Heaters are ugly.

Increases flow and aeration as Sk8r mentioned.

"Safe zone" for micro-organisms as Sk8r mentioned.

That's just a few. And just my opinion :wavehand:
 
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