90 gallon setup... need some help

[00accordvtec]

i got a 90 gallon cichlid tank which is setup now and want to turn it into a saltwater tank. It has a Fluval FX5, and Aquaclear 110, Koralia 4, Koralia 3, and a 216W T5 light which blue moon leds. It is not drilled though. Can i use this equipment to run a saltwater tank with no problems or the only thing i will be able to use is the light and koralias. Ive heard that drilled tanks are better, but also have heard you can use overflow kits. All information will help.. Thanks

[Brian-1977]

The have kits for overflows.

http://glass-holes.com/main.sc

[mthomp]

you are going to need a skimmer, ditch the canister, you dont have to have a sump but it does make life easier. get yourself plenty of live rock. i run a 55gal sumpless tank using nothing but a skimmer and liverock and a couple power heads and have great success

[00accordvtec]

so i dont really need a sump? i plan on starting off this tank as a FOWLR and want to know what skimmer, uv sterilizer, etc i would need for my 90

[wickedfish]

Unfortunately your budget is what matters most here. If you just do a fowlr set up you can get away with what you have plus a HOB skimmer so you dont have to do a sump. If you have the cash flow just buy another 90 gal drilled it cost me $340 with fittings and starfire front glass from my lfs. The sump, skimmer, and whatever else you want will be the expenditures.
I run my fowlr with a canister, hob filter for carbon/oxygenation, hob cpr, leds and t5 vho for lighting on my very few softies (in there cause they were over running my sps), and I also use some koralias for flow. Its only been up for 2 months but I have hit some issues with algae, a loss of a fish, and a bit of ammonia I believe it was due to my vaccumming of the sand .

[00accordvtec]

what kind of hob skimmer would you recommend?

[gonpostal]

Originally Posted by Brian-1977

The have kits for overflows.

http://glass-holes.com/main.sc

+1. You can run the tank without a sump, but IMO, you're probably going to want a drilled tank eventually. I ran a 56 gallon tank with no sump and a HOB skimmer for about a year, and it did well. But...my skimmer was always putting out microbubbles, and I was always trying to get rid of that film that forms on the water surface. I was on the verge of drilling it, but wound up getting a larger reef-ready tank. The advantages of having a sump are that it adds water volume, it allows you to get some equipment out of your display tank so it looks cleaner, and you can get a better skimmer.
Having said that, If you're going to get a HOB skimmer, I hear good things about the Octopus skimmers.