Tank without a sump?

[MOOSE1504]

6' long 1.5' wide 2' deep

pm sent

 

[JDS]

calling people dumb is not need either

I agree.

 

[MOOSE1504]

that should of been "needed" lol but you get the point

 

[adamfajge]

I have a 46 gallon with no sump for 4 years and it looks great. For a 125 with no sump you need a good 100 LBS of LR and get rid of your conister filter. They do nothing good. Just get a good skimmer. I use a in-tank refugium for Chaetomorpha but it does not look great. It works great though.

 

[MOOSE1504]

I have a 46 gallon with no sump for 4 years and it looks great. For a 125 with no sump you need a good 100 LBS of LR and get rid of your conister filter. They do nothing good. Just get a good skimmer. I use a in-tank refugium for Chaetomorpha but it does not look great. It works great though.

any pic? Thanks for the Info

 

[sirreal63]

I got a Fluval 305 Canister filter (rated for 70gal),

I got a Marineland 350 with bio-wheels (rated for 70 gal)

I got Supreme Skilter 250 Aquarium Filter & Protein Skimmer (rated 125 gallons as the protein skimmer and supplemental filter)

It would appear your LFS used you to unload all of the worst equipment that didn't sell.

The Fluval is ok for running carbon and PhosBan but take all sponges, ceramic rings and any other device out of it and keep it clean. I have used a canister for carbon for many many years.

Bio-Wheels are counter productive with a reef, they are highly effective at growing bacteria that leave as an end product...nitrates. Your live rock negates the need for this device, and honestly, it creates more issues than it solves.

Skilter? Five minutes with google and you would not have made that purchase.

Drilled tanks are safe, and that sump you are trying to avoid is your friend. Using a HOB overflow in the future will work, but at some point as your experience grows you will discover that undrilled tank, the Skilter and the Bio-Wheels were just a bad choice. It is ok to ask here about equipment choices before you buy. We all may not agree on what is best, but I doubt any one would have said go ahead and get the Skilter and the bio-wheels. Research is a good thing.

 

[bradjc]

I think your equipment choice will lead to a maintanence nightmare. Canister filters are a pain to clean. If you think in the future you may decide to get a sump you really need to think hard about that now. If you are worried about overflowing issues then you do not want to get an overflow box ever. You want the tank drilled. Of course now is the time to drill the tank. I think a lot of the people out there get too worried about nitrates. I sat through many presentations at MACNA where they are trying to get corals fo spawn and heavier nitrate loads help this. Heavier nitrate loads create issues for algae and bacteria though but I think the negative impact on corals is overblown. I've had bio wheels in my sump in the tidepool sump for over 7 years and I have no complaints. Of course I also have a good skimmer and a good sized refugium with lots of algae growing.

For a reef tank the canister filters are a poor choice. For a fish only tank they would work however having 2 just doubled your maintanence and doubled your chance of a leak. Also anything hanging over the side of your tank (ex. skimmer) will increase leaking and overflow chances even more. Many people have in the sump skimmers. If the skimmer cup overflows the water ends up back in the sump. This is common when you first get skimmers and are trying to adjust them. In your case it will end up on the floor.

Everyone makes poor choices, you have made some here but that doesn't make you dumb Your smart enough to post here and get some better advice. Good Luck. Happy Reefing!

 

[Hudzon]

Only wanting advice that suits you is very counter productive to solve your issue, and yes you do have an issue as you were sold a lot of crap you don't need or that is very sub par for your purpose.
You might want to really think about returning what you can an asking in some forums, what will I need to be able to have a successful sumpless 125g with the hope of keeping a Mixed reef.
And when you get the replies a good HOB skimmer look up some reviews before you chose, then for lights do the same, do you have a RODI system if not you will need one, you could use your Fluval 305 for when you need to run carbon or a phosphate remover, but without any foam, or bio media and only as needed.
And no mater how tempting do not add livestock untill the tank is done it's cycle and then start with a small clean up crew and then add one thing at a time wait a week or two between each addition, you most likely will not be adding any livestock for about 60 - 90 days

 

[MOOSE1504]

Ok I think I'm going to go with a CPR CS102DX Overflow with AquaLifter Pump. I just dont want to drill the tank.........
What size sump do you need for a 125gal? I have limited room under the tank it has doors and cabinets. I could reconstruct alittle bit if I had to but this is a brand new stand. the area I have to work with is 40"long 17"deep and 2' tall is this big enough for a sump?

I need to know what Protein Skimmer to put in the sump?

Getting the tax check soon and I really want this tank to be right, after all its the wife's tank and if she not happy no ones happy lol

 

[sirreal63]

The CPR is not a good choice, it relies on that little aqualifter to keep it primed, and aqualifters have a tenancy to fail. If keeping water off the floor is the objective, then CPR is not a good choice. Some have used them with no issue, but it is a poor design and prone to failure. Don't take my word on it, google or search here on cpr overflow failure. If you have no choice but to have a hang on overflow, a u-tube design will work if matched to a proper pump. The cpr has no mechanical design to allow for any bubbles to pass through, it must have the aqualifter to do this, a u-tube design allows for the bubbles to pass through with a fast enough return speed. The chances of a drilled tank failing are very remote.

You have plenty of room for a sump, there are many commercial and many DIY ones and look at the Octopus line of skimmers, they are affordable and simply work.

 

[bradjc]

Wow, I am really surprised that someone who was so worried about leaking and overflowing would choose an overflow box. Trust me you want the tank drilled. I have had the CPR overflow box and aqualifter pump for many years. It is the casue of my tank overflowing many times. I've been through 3 aqualifter pumps (tank overflowed each time they failed). I actually think the CPR overflows are less reliable than the standard overflow boxes however they all can fail.

Overflow box: you rely on siphons.

Drilled Tank: you rely on gravity.

Guess which one is more reliable. Get it drilled!

Later,

 

[frankpayne32]

You're worrying about nothing. There's tens of thousands of drilled tanks in this hobby and you don't read daily reports of people flooding their homes simply because the tank was drilled.



That was dumb. Canister filters are antiquated pieces of junk and have no business in a salt water tank. Nothing but a nitrate factory. Waste of money.



That was dumb too. Bio-wheels are nothing but nitrate factories, just like that canister filter you bought. Waste of money.



Not big enough. You should have bought one rated for a 250 - 300g tank. Waste of money.



Not enough rock yet. Don't know why you are bothering with making your own rock. You can buy dry, clean base rock from BRS for about $2.50 per pound.



Thats the first smart thing you did so far.



2 smart things in a row.



Yes, you can make it work without a sump, but your choice in equipment leads me to believe you did zero or very little research before wasting all that money on worthless equipment



You didn't mention lights. Do you have any idea what kind of lights are needed for an anemone? Do you have any idea how those types of lights will clash with low light zoas, mushrooms and hammers?

Anemones shouldn't be placed in tanks that have not been running at least 12 months. I am going to go out on a limb here and predict massive nitrates in your tank, due to your equipment choices. You'll kill an anemone quicker than you can sneeze in a barn full of dry hay.




That was dumb. You should have spent some more time reading these forums and asking questions before you spent all that money on worthless equipment.




I think thats pretty apparent.



Good luck with that.



I think you will be darn lucky if it runs for more than 6 months without killing at least $250 worth of live stock and raging hair algae problems.

You asked.....

Again, you should have done more research. You seam like the type that thinks they are smarter than everybody else, so you went ahead and did what you thought was best, instead of spending the time to read up on current tank husbandry. Not very patient, are you? :lol: Good luck!!!

You are the epitome of what is wrong with this forum...

 

[bradjc]

Moose1545 its actually pretty easy to drill a tank. If you go to www.glass-holes.com you can get a drill bit and some bulkheads. I recently drilled a 20 gallon for the first time and it was a lot easier than I thought. You just have to be patient. The guy at glass-holes has a video on youtube that shows how to do it. You would need a least (2 x) 1" bulkhead for the drain and (2 x) 3/4" bulkheads for the return lines. So you need 4 holes. It should make your system very reliable. You should also get an overflow box that will fit inside the aquarium. It would have been easier to buy an already drilled tank but the extra time now will save you many headaches in the future. You can't drill into tempered glass though so make sure your tank is not tempered. Also when you are setting up your return lines make sure you drill a good size hole to break the siphon early in case of a power failure and limit the extra water going down to the sump.

Another tip would be to line the underneath of your aquarium stand with acrylic or another type of waterproof plastic and seal it with silicone. This could give you an extra 1 or 2"'s of cushion before it hits your floor in case you spill some water.

 

[lisafoster]

I have been running my 125 sumplessfor 2 years. The only reason I have this is because when I bought my stand and tank from someone I had no idea what a reef ready stand was well mine is not i also had no idea about reef ready tanks either.That is why researching is important but I like to just jump into things. I tried to put a small 20 gallon long with an overflow box and it was a disaster kept overflowing. I use a super reef lx 2000s hob costs $379 but is well worth it if you do not drill. If I could start over I would have the tank drilled and have gotten a reef ready stand so I could have a refugium and a place to hide my skimmer . Someday when I get the drive to dosmantle my whole tank I will do this. I do not have a problem keeping lps, softies even sps when I don't neglect the tank.Start the right way now so you do not have to be thinking about starting over. For lighting I have 3 240 watt MH.

 

[EllieSuz]

Choosing to purchase an external overflow box is a perfectly acceptable way to incorporate a sump to your system. The CPR overflow is not the best choice, however. Please look into the LifeReef overflow. It doesn't depend on a pump to sustain the siphon. I've used one on my tank for a little over a year and it has never lost its siphon, even though I stop the return pump for weekly water changes and live in an area prone to electrical outages. Jeff at LifeReef will tell you exactly what you need to set it up and it comes with exacting instructions. If you search RC for the LifeReef Overflow, you will find countless testimonials for this product. I made some purchase errors when I was starting out too, not because I'm "dumb", but because I was not aware of sites such as Reef Central and relied on my LFS for advice, which was founded on making money, not helping me do things right. You've made an important step in asking for advice. Don't let a few rude people discourage you.

 

[MOOSE1504]

Thanks gays and gals for all the good info. My wife is taking the ful305 back as we speak. If you all think it will be the best to drill the tank thats what i want to do. I got this tank at petsmart how do i know if it can or cant be drilled. I dont think im going to try to drill it but i might see if the LFS will.
Can you drill just at the top and skim the top of the water? Or does it have to be on the bottom of the tank?

 

[Allmost]

Thanks gays and gals for all the good info. My wife is taking the ful305 back as we speak. If you all think it will be the best to drill the tank thats what i want to do. I got this tank at petsmart how do i know if it can or cant be drilled. I dont think im going to try to drill it but i might see if the LFS will.
Can you drill just at the top and skim the top of the water? Or does it have to be on the bottom of the tank?

Moose, good decision, the external overflows increase the chance of flood.

drill at the bottom, and install a bulkhead on it, and a pipe, the height of hte pipe is height of the water, this is a simple method, there are millions of better ways, and you can find them here or on google. just search internal overflow box and plumbing for drilled tank and you will have alot to read

PS. if you check out better LFS than petsmart, they mostly do have pre drilled tanks as well ! with overflow box and everything installed.


good luck you are going the right path now

 

[gorey]

If you dont want a sump thats cool, I had a tank with no sump for over a year, Just get a hang on back skimmer. They work pertty good. Also I have had an Anemone in my tank for a while and I only use a 2 bulb t5 fixture over my 75g. Another thing the holr they drill for the sump can be at the top of the tank so only whats above it would leak out, and if you have a big enough sump no water would end up on the floor.

 

[Eurobeaner]

MOOSE

im local...(ish) in indianapolis. 99% of our local fish stores SUCK!.

if i were you, id come down to premium aquatics this weekend, friday or saturday. talk to the guys here, get a feel for what is and isnt needed. they have a TON of stuff in stock and can help you out. (only open 2pm-5pm on friday and 12-3 on saturday) ill be there friday (tomorrow) so if you want to meet up we can talk. just let me know

http://premiumaquatics.com/store/merchant.mvc

also, i have a "wet/dry" sump laying around. NO, you do not want bio balls in it, but you could mod it into a decent little sump. skimmer/refugium/return section. i could even help you if you would like.

heres a local club. BEFORE you waste any money RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH!!!! ask people who OWN these items before you buy anything. ask local guys, look at their tanks, BEFORE you buy. i studied for 3 months before i set mine up and STILL got it wrong. finally put money into the right things and my tanks is finally clean and making me happy. now comes the more expensive part of getting corals! haha.


http://reefcentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=255

any questions PM me. if you text/email then PM me and ill give you my number

 

[Fig]

Lifereef overflows are the best if you don't want to drill. I've ran them for 10+ years and never had a problem.