To start SW...

S

strictly

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I have been in the fishkeeping hobby for a few years, my latest venture being a 75 gallon African Cichlid aquarium which I have been running for a year and a half. I have sometimes flirted with the idea of starting a SW FOWLR aquarium, but have always been frightened of dealing with a sump (I have no idea where I'd even start...I wouldn't feel comfortable building one) and dealing with an RO/DI system.

1) Do you really need a sump to run a SW aquarium or can I substitute it with a canister filter? I would use a HOB protein skimmer if so.

2) Can I use tap water and add salt or do I need to use RO/DI water with salt for a FOWLR setup?

I am still thinking about the possibilities. Any feedback at all would be appreciated.


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Last edited:
So to answer your questions. No you do not need a sump. Ive been running my tank for almost a year. Below

2d1c4e5b8655dc1b97cd952023e8fad8.jpg


I have no sump and only use the HOB filter you see in the pic. I have no problems keeping my fish or anemone alive so far and see no future problem of doing it. The only thing i have is still new tank issues brought on like normal which is GHA. I use tap water and treat for chlorine and have had no problems so far of course i tested my tap for nitrates, nitrates ammonia and other things that all came back in standards. Please see the stickies on tank start up and that will help a lot. Best of luck in your tank and enjoy. What works best for one person isnt always an option for another and this hobby is filled with learning and growing.


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Welcome! I made the leap to saltwater last year after much consternation. I think it's a challenge many of us freshwater folks feel the need to attempt at least once. Will we ever be satisfied until we do? I don't think so!

That said, I think you can keep things as simple as you want if you stock the tank correctly and maintain the correct maintenance schedule.

I'm still learning a ton and may modify with time, but I run a 33 long reef with no sump, no protein skimmer. I just have a wavemaker, live rock and do water changes. I also keep my fish and coral selection low-maintenance, which fits my general take on things.

I vote for no canister filter and yes to RODI water! No tap water!

Good luck!
 
You don't need a canister if you have sufficient live rock. Using tap water can be anything from a small to insurmountable handicap depending on the quality of your water.


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You can get away without...but cleaner water makes things easier, and more water in the system makes things easier...so if you got the space and the time, don't be afraid...RODI and sump are not that rough...and probably worth it...(yeah yeah, fish only...will that last through a couple trips past the frag rack?)
 
Can you? Sure.
Should you? Only if you want to add difficulty to an an already exacting process.

Conditioned tap water, which you are already used to using, can work just fine. You don't need a sump, a canister filter and HOB skimmer would work for a small bioload in a FOWLR.

But consider the advantages of both items.

RO/DI removes the chemicals that water conditioner only neutralizes. Marine chemistry requires a delicate balance between many substances that the unknowns of city or well water make more difficult. Also an RO/DI can be tapped to provide RO drinking water for your house.

A sump can be as simple as a converted aquarium or a sophisticated as a multi-chambered, custom built acrylic masterpiece. It provides space to hide the not-so-pretty mechanical contraptions that keep your beautiful marine tank alive - skimmer, heater, pump, filtration, carbon, GFO etc. It will also provide space for a larger water volume, meaning more stable water parameters.

You already have a head start on many new SW junkies, with your FW experience. Read some more, ask questions here and decide for yourself.

Best of luck.
 
I would find out if you have a store nearby that sells salt water and ro/di freshwater. I would never suggest anyone start a tank with tap water unless they plan on doing a fowlr tank in which case algae can be minimized by simply having weak lights.

I own my own ro/di but rarely use it anymore -- I like going to the LFS and ~$1/gallon for natural seawater is really not that expensive for the convenience of not having to make ro/di then mix salt.

If you don't want to run a sump, consider an AIO. I just bought a used Redsea max 250 AIO tank for $500 on craigslist -- http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forum/index.php?threads/xcry0xs-rsm-250-build-thread.97223/ -- works great.

I personally would never run a standard tank w/o a overflow/sump. I think all the visible hang on back stuff is tacky looking and really distracts from the tank, but to each their own.

A cannister filter is not equivalent to a sump. Cannister is for filtration, sump is for holding all of your equipment (Heater, protein skimmer, media reactors, adding top off water, dosing, maybe a small refugium). What some people do is throw a large Aqueon HOB filter onto the back of their tanks and put filter media, heaters, etc in there.

That said, you can definitely use a cannister filter, it just isn't something on the list of "things you should get for your saltwater tank". You can run carbon/gfo/whatever in it, or just fill the entire thing with bio media, like seachem matrix: https://www.amazon.com/Seachem-Matrix-Bio-Media-Liter/dp/B0002A5VIO

If you plan on growing corals then a good light, a good powerhead and a good skimmer are all more or less need to have items.
 
I was doing SW for a long time, but I also kept a FW system running. My last FW tank was a group of Frontosa. Way cool! had them for many years. Remember that SW will be about 10X the cost of FW, even Africans.
 
To start SW...

I am fine with dropping the money to start a SW aquarium. Although I love my Mbunas, I always thought that I would make my way to saltwater eventually. I have always wanted to move to SW, but I have always hesitated due to worries of how complicated that it could be. I would like to state that my trepidation of adding a sump to a possible setup is my discomfort of drilling a tank. I am not a DIY guy by any means (I hope that may change one day), but I am not comfortable taking the tank's construction into my own hands. If there were pre-drilled tanks or commercial sumps that are recommended, I would 100% consider it. I want to one day have that comfort to build my own set-ups, but I am young (in my mid-20s). I have time. :)


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I don't know where you are, but I would recommend that you find your local reefing group. Ours frequently has reef ready tanks for sale. I've also bought two of off Craig's List.


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Long-time FW fishkeeper here too. I started with a 12 long salt, no sump, then a 40b. Then I got a 57 rimless and added a 20 long sump, no baffles. I didn't drill either - I just used a Lifereef overflow (highly recommended) and Sicce pump (great pumps!). I really liked the extra room for equipment down below. I even used my HOB skimmer on the sump so the display looked clear of equipment.

I since upgraded to a 75 drilled with a sump - I'll never go back to sumpless/skimmerless!
 
I'm a lifelong FW keeper. 125 g African filled with blue coral keeping ph at 8.2 for ten years. A dozen generations of Duboisii. 30 g Rainbow tank with a 12 inch Butterfly Pleco.
Started a 90 g salt when I couldn't refuse the tank and sump for free.
Bought a 50g a day RO system under 200 hangs on wall next to tank.
Very easy. Overflow to sump. Filter sock as mechanical filter. Wash every three days (I like to feed my fat fish). Protein skimmer in sump.
My hang on back skimmer overflowed ten gallons onto floor twice. Other half of sump has my little pump for the GFO (phosphate control) and my return pump and my cheato and gracilaria macroalgaes. With that a 20% water change every two weeks and a half shot of vodka for me and half for the tank daily keeps nitrates down.
Man cave with three tanks all stable



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strictly said:
I am fine with dropping the money to start a SW aquarium. Although I love my Mbunas, I always thought that I would make my way to saltwater eventually. I have always wanted to move to SW, but I have always hesitated due to worries of how complicated that it could be. I would like to state that my trepidation of adding a sump to a possible setup is my discomfort of drilling a tank. I am not a DIY guy by any means (I hope that may change one day), but I am not comfortable taking the tank's construction into my own hands. If there were pre-drilled tanks or commercial sumps that are recommended, I would 100% consider it. I want to one day have that comfort to build my own set-ups, but I am young (in my mid-20s). I have time. :)


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Click to expand...


There are lots of tanks that come saltwater/sump ready. Some companies have entire setups that you can buy that are reef-ready off the shelf. I have been keeping freshwater planted, and added a reef in May. 3 months in, there are definitely more steps involved in saltwater and there is a learning curve, but once you get into saltwater habits, it's not too bad. Feel free to ask lots of questions.
 
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