No sump 46g bow,possible?

[rtague]

While I know a sump is the way to go,is it possible to run a 46g bow with 60-70lbs of lr,3 koralias for movement,hob skimmer, emperor 400 biowheel filter and lighting will be a 36'' nova extreme pro with 4x39w bulbs., I intend to keep soft corals and acouple of small fish,water changes will be 25% weekly with ro/di system,budget is tight and I have this equipment on hand.I just saw a video on youtube titled ''no sump 46g bow''and it looked great ,to me anyway,lol.I know it's not ideal,but seeing this youtube tank gave me the idea,any input would be greatly appreciated,thanks.

[dzfish17]

You dont need to feel guilty for running your tank without a sump. There are alot of people that dont use one and have beautiful aquariums. With the equipment you listed you shouldnt have any problems and may not need to do such large water changes... 10/15 percent a week would be fine.

[rtague]

Originally Posted by dzfish17

You dont need to feel guilty for running your tank without a sump. There are alot of people that dont use one and have beautiful aquariums. With the equipment you listed you shouldnt have any problems and may not need to do such large water changes... 10/15 percent a week would be fine.

Thanks for the confidence booster,I was expecting to hear it was a big no-no.

[AquaticFins]

Sure, it's absolutely possible.

The only real benefits to a sump are the added water volume and the fact that it gets most of the equipment out of sight.

Personally, I wouldn't use the Emperor on a reef tank - you've already got plenty of water circulation and that much live rock will handle your biological filtration needs easily. Provided you clean it often, having the power filter on the tank won't hurt anything...but it's one more thing to clean and one more expense in a hobby that has enough of those, in my opinion.

[dzfish17]

Im not using a sump on my tank and it works just fine. I used to feel the same way... like I was doing it wrong if I didnt have a sump. I realized that there are alot of ways to set up a successful tank. Sump or no sump... it really doesnt matter as long as you have a system in place to keep the occupants healthy. I didnt have room for a sump because I have a raised platform all the way around the back of the tank for easy access to the top. I set my skimmer next to the tank and it works great.

[rtague]

Originally Posted by AquaticFins

Sure, it's absolutely possible.

The only real benefits to a sump are the added water volume and the fact that it gets most of the equipment out of sight.

Personally, I wouldn't use the Emperor on a reef tank - you've already got plenty of water circulation and that much live rock will handle your biological filtration needs easily. Provided you clean it often, having the power filter on the tank won't hurt anything...but it's one more thing to clean and one more expense in a hobby that has enough of those, in my opinion.

Cheers budgood point about the emp,but I might use it anyway,lol.

[rtague]

Originally Posted by dzfish17

Im not using a sump on my tank and it works just fine. I used to feel the same way... like I was doing it wrong if I didnt have a sump. I realized that there are alot of ways to set up a successful tank. Sump or no sump... it really doesnt matter as long as you have a system in place to keep the occupants healthy. I didnt have room for a sump because I have a raised platform all the way around the back of the tank for easy access to the top. I set my skimmer next to the tank and it works great.

Great!,I can get started sooner than I thought.

[Mike31154]

I've been running my 77 sumpless for quite a few years now, works fine. Have a canister filter running empty except for a bag of carbon as a kind of mini sump I guess. There are actually some pros to running sumpless. Less power used due to no requirement for a return pump. Less plumbing and potential for leaks. No worries about noise from overflow or microbubbles from return. Of course there are cons as well, but certainly no show stoppers.

[clowntriggerfis]

will be fine and makes it look better if you dont have a canopy because based off every thing I know there is know way to fill your tank up all the way witha sump with out it risking water spilling if your power goes out

[Ponytrix]

I set my 46 bow up sump less as well. Can filter Rena fil star xp3, 3 koralia 750s on a wave timer and an aquamaxx hob. I've had it up for a month and a half and barring some non lethal rookie mistakes, it's running great. Params are all good and maintain well. Don't worry about the hof, just make sure to get that skimmer breaking in. Are you planning a wave timer? If so, take into account reduced gph on the power heads from the offtime.

[reeftanknewbie]

for many years I ran my tanks sumpless with just a simple plenium, two powerheads, and a inexpensive HOB skimmer. Tanks were some of the best I ever kept. I am a firm believer in the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) method.