Questions about my setup (55g w/o sump)

[Shaar]

i'm new to the saltwater thing and i bought a penguin 350 for water movement/carbon for my tank. i removed the biowheels. i also have a seaclone skimmer that i got for free that will be hanging off the back along with the penguin. i currently have starboard siliconed down to the bottom and plan on putting a ssb on top of it ( i put the starboard down just in case i decide to go barebottom someday.)

heres my question. i dont plan on running a sump.. what are the obvious problems you see with my setup? the tank is empty right now (salt water is in containers) and i need to start the cycle once i buy some live rock. it will be a FOWLR tank for a while.

is there a really really simple way to get a sump set up for my tank? i have an empty 10g tank in the stand under my 55g... i dont have any money right now honestly... so whats my best plan? i want to get this set up right before i put the water in and live rock. thanks

 

[bertoni]

If you might want a sump in the future, I'd get the tank drilled now so you won't need a hang-on overflow. Beyond that, you should be able to set up a nice system without a sump.

 

[Shaar]

can i drill it myself? and when drilled, can i plug the hole safely until i decide to get a sump?

 

[Shaar]

btw, this is my foam rockwork i finished today to hide heaters/powerheads/intake tube of penguin350. my skimmer will be visible as far as i know unless its hidden behind live rock.

 

[bertoni]

Well, some people drill tanks themselves. Acrylic probably isn't very difficult to drill. The DIY forum is a good place for help.

Plugging the hole is very easy, IME. I just use a bulkhead and a cap.

 

[bertoni]

Hmm, cool foam!

 

[Shaar]

my tank is glass. acrylic is easy to drill i made an overflow box a couple months ago and it worked but was noisy. so i trashed the idea plus i had a few tiny overflows while testing so i was wanting to go sumpless for less worry and less humidity also (its cool and dry in my house) lots of evaporation