Sump size vs stand size

[Vogon poetry]

Hey everyone. I'm a newbie poster to this site but have been reading it for a long time.

Just bought reef ready 60 cube deep blue with stand. Old tank which was HOB and no sump leaked overnight a month ago and lost 80% of water and all livestock but that's another story!

A long time reefer pal of mine thinks I should have gotten a bigger stand as the larger the sump, the better. I def want a refugium. Current stand can only fit max MAX 22" wide sump. I really don't want to spend more money on a larger stand and I am def not a DIYer! I also do prefer skimmer as well contained within sump. I do not want any hang on back stuff except for maybe a return pipe.

Although there are 10-20 gal sumps such as the expensive Ruby 20 Out there, My questions are:

- can I maintain a very healthy display tank?
- can I maintain a healthy (and dare I say nice to look at) refugium?
- if I do decide to buy say a reef ready 30" wide stand, can it easily work with my 24" cube considering placement of display tank drain holes and weight of cube tank on slightly wider stand???

That's it. Sorry for diatribe. I'd appreciate and would be grateful for any advice. Just itchin to get started.

Cheers!

 

[JammyBirch]

Ok so a big sump is not always better, it depends on what you are trying to do. The reality of a sump is that it's a functional tool, it's a place for "stuff" so you don't have to look at it. Such as, skimmers, return pumps, heaters and yes a refugium if you want one. I will bet I have the smallest refugium on this website, 4g, and against popular opinion it works, for what I want it to do. I use my sump for additional rock that increases my bio-filter without jamming the rock in the DT, I also have Algae growing in it and a turf scrubber...the place is crawling with life...so yes it's a refugium that does work and houses pods.

The answer to your first two question is yes, without any problem...

My advice to you is to find the largest aquarium, go to pet smart, that will fit under your existing stand. Start off with skimmer, return and heaters...if you want a refugium then add some rock to make a pocket/wall to keep your macro algae out of your skimmer and return pump.

There are many options and more than one way to do all of them.

Welcome, to the hobby it's a good one. If you are a straight up noob then please read the sticky's at the top of the pages and don't be afraid to ask question before you start doing something you're unsure of. There is a wealth of experience and knowledge on this site...these guys are really good.

 

[Xxero]

Unrelated, but I enjoyed having to Google the word "Diatribe".

Thank you for that. :bigeyes:

 

[Vogon poetry]

Ha ha. Thanks Xxero. I'll try to keep this diatribe brief. And thanks verrrry much Jammy for your super useful reply. My inkling is to keep my current setup as is. Glad to hear your refugium is full of life! Question: so you're saying no need to put compartment dividers in the sump tank other than live rock acting sort of as a divider?

I'll keep you guys posted and most likely will stumble a bit along the way but all part of the journey!

Cheers