CJohnson Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 So I have a 70 gallon tank and I am wondering if I need a sump or if there is an alternative.I am eventually going to get one but is there anything i can use until then? (Btw im 14 so i am on a tight budget i have payed for everything i have)I had a fowlr tank for about 2 years and sold it and i want to step it up to a reef I just want a little advice from experts.I have read many books but I am a little confused on if i need a sump right now. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoly Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 It depends. Lets start from the top: What do you want to keep in the tank? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJohnson Posted December 8, 2014 Author Share Posted December 8, 2014 Assorted mushrooms,candy cane corals xenia etc. I have a 250w metal halide with an actinic blue bulb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoly Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 Ok, those are all relatively low maintenance species. As long as you dont mind the look of heaters and pipes in your tank, you dont need a sump. Sumps just give you extra space to house equipment without cluttering up your display tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJohnson Posted December 8, 2014 Author Share Posted December 8, 2014 Well im going to get a sump set up in the next 1 or 2 months but i was just making sure it wasnt required that i have one right away.Thanks for replying Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 It's not required but if you need to drill the tank, it is infinitely easier to do when the tank is empty. I've done a horizontal overflow on a full tank, but I wouldn't recommend doing it if you can avoid it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJohnson Posted December 8, 2014 Author Share Posted December 8, 2014 I have a 30 gallon I am not using but I am iffy about building a sump. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neon Reefer Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 Hi So just like the FOWLR you are going to need some circulation and filtration. Set the tank up same as you did for the FOWLR as soft corals like the mushrooms will like the same water quality as you most likely had with the other tank. If you are trying to purchase items which you can utilize in a sump / display tank down the road then for the tank I would think about a power head like a Koralia 850gph for circulation in the display ($25-35). For filtration you could utilize a backpack style skimmer on both the display now and the sump later on ($100-125). Of course you know you'll need to drill the tank for drain and return line to utilize a sump. You can use a siphon type overflow box but most really try to avoid them as they are not the most reliable. And then you will need to plumb the overflow to the sump and buy a 750 gph return pump ($75 - 125). You'll need a heater and controller ($40) and you should have a good start. Look on the hardware for sale sections here on ARC. There is a lot of items for sale there for much less than the retail prices I quoted. Good luck and feel free to ask questions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJohnson Posted December 8, 2014 Author Share Posted December 8, 2014 Thanks for the advice and warm welcome into the hobbie. I think I will try and get a sump set up in the next few weeks, I will post pictures once it is set up. Thank you so much Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJohnson Posted December 8, 2014 Author Share Posted December 8, 2014 I understand that a siphon type is not reliable but I might have to go with that for for now(I dont have alot of money and my parents like me to pay for my tanks) will the siphons just randomly stop siphoning or get clogged? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 Something like this might be a good alternative: http://www.glass-holes.com/700-gph-Overflow-Box-Complete-Kit-gh700kit.htm I think you can find similar ones on ebay for cheaper as well. The club has a hole saw and I think there's a few members that drill holes for a reasonable fee. I'm personally not a huge fan of siphon type overflows. Too much risk during a power loss IMO, but I do know there's plenty of people that use them successfully. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJohnson Posted December 8, 2014 Author Share Posted December 8, 2014 How do you drill a hole in the tank do you need any special tools Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jolt Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 Check this link on drilling. There is a video link near the bottom of the page. Welcome to the club BTW http://reefercentral.com/home/?p=78 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJohnson Posted December 8, 2014 Author Share Posted December 8, 2014 I found this also Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJohnson Posted December 8, 2014 Author Share Posted December 8, 2014 Thanks alot for the warm welcoming I really appreciate it I will be posting my progress on to this account. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJohnson Posted December 8, 2014 Author Share Posted December 8, 2014 Deluxe cpr overflow box is actually a siphon overflow box but it has a pump that keeps the water siphoning so you dont have to drill I might go with this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 Deluxe cpr overflow box is actually a siphon overflow box but it has a pump that keeps the water siphoning so you dont have to drill I might go with this. Yeah, as long as you have an aqualifter going, they're pretty foolproof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJohnson Posted December 8, 2014 Author Share Posted December 8, 2014 Thanks for helping me come to a conclusion! I will have pictures up one of these days. I might start a discussion over aquascapes tonight or tomorrow. See ya around Bye! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MantaFan Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 I really liked this article on aquascaping... It helped me design a look that wasn't just a pile of rocks. http://fish-etc.com/aquascaping-main/on-the-rocks-how-to-build-a-saltwater-reefscape Good on ya for building it all yourself. Welcome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJohnson Posted December 8, 2014 Author Share Posted December 8, 2014 Yeah before I start I am trying to study up and ask as many questions as possible since I am on a tight budget I dont want any expensive trial and error and you guys are helping me so much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoly Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 heh, if you don't want expensive trial and error, you might want to take up knitting instead of reefing. I've collected many hobbies, and reefing has by far the most expensive mistakes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 Welcome to the addiction! To answer your first question no, but there are advantages to having one. Here's a system I maintain that does not have a sump or any external filter or internal filter box: I would encourage you to get Delbeek and Sprung's "The Reef Aquarium" Vol III it has a huge amount of info in one place and they are the only authors to explain the various filtering methodologies from the sumpless and pumpless system by Lee Chin Eng and Dr. Juabert to very elaborate systems like Dr. Adey's Mesocosom approach. I believe it's available on ibooks in the $20-$30 dollor range. Another excellent book is Forest Rohwer's "Coral Reefs in the Microbial Seas", the Kindle version is just $10. And keep in mind there are thousands and thousands of animals available but whatever you do there will be animals that won't like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJohnson Posted December 15, 2014 Author Share Posted December 15, 2014 Hey guys I got my sump, pump and utube for the return ordered. It is an eshopps r-100 2nd gen. I am getting a cpr siphon overflow so the chances of it overflowing are slim. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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