Sump or not

[gareth.hubbarde]

My 300l (80g) tank doesn't have a sump, I use a good hang on skimmer and internal pump to flow through filters. It was originally a freshwater tsnk. I have space under the tank for a sump but obviously no holes or plumbing.

A few questions,

Would a sump be beneficial?
Would I have to drill the tank to make holes or could I put pipework hanging on the back of the tank?
Is there anyone in the UK that could help do this?
How much would it cost, have to weigh up cost vs benefits.

Should I just stick with what I have? It seems to be doing very nicely at the moment, only 2 months in, just used really good live rock so its matured quickly.

Thanks

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[Vinny Kreyling]

An overflow box would do the job without drilling (providing you use the right one).
Benefits of a sump include space to keep things out of the tank like heaters. extra water volume & bigger skimmer if required.
Now when I say "the right one" Lifereef brand comes to mind because they don't loose siphon on a power outage. CPR brand is the worst, requiring a pump to purge air from the box itself. Then you need a pump to get water back to the tank. Do your homework, I ran a 220 gallon for years this way & never had a problem.

 

[mcgyvr]

I vote "NOT"

The "juice is not worth the squeeze" for you IMO...

 

[JWClark]

Plus 2. My first tank was a sumpless 55 20 yrs ago and it did great. When I got back into the hobby I only went the sump route for convenience and the reasons Vinny pointed out.

Looks good so I'd save the money for the next build/upgrade and maybe go with a sump then.

My first system getting back in a few ears back was a non-drilled 125gal. Used 2 lifereef overflows and they worked great. Just had to clean the J tubes every few months if algae growth got thick in there. Obviously had to re-establish the siphon after this--used airline tubing to suck the air out of the J tubes after they were put back in place. Never once lost a siphon due to power outage or anything of the sort.

 

[Uncle99]

I vote "NOT"

The "juice is not worth the squeeze" for you IMO...

I'll second that!

If it works, don't play with it.

I have not had a sump in 27 years.