Tank w/o sump...

[Terryz_]

I am thinking of setting up a tank without a sump due to space constraint... Would it be advisable to have sump... Can a canister sudsitute a sump... Would there be any disadvantages of not having a sump...

[hammer99]

It will do, however, you probably have to clean your cannister more often.

A sump is better than cannister; an a cannister is better than overhead filtration and an it is better than no filtration at all.

[JuzzMarine]

IMO, the best mechanical filter is a good skimmer, with lots of LR and a DSB as the natural filter. With these two, it should be sufficient. By the way, how big is your tank?

[riot]

You might want to check out this (or was it last? ) months RC TOTM. Running on hang on skimmer & fuge. Looks like doing well too.

[Terryz_]

4ft(L) x 2ft(H) x 1.5ft(W)... So without a sump also can... My filtration system will be like only have skimmer and refugium only... Will a IOS(Internal Overflow System) help in anyway...

[Virus]

Sorry for adding.. i think some of the reply here is kinda misleading to terry.. maybe some expert would like to explain more deatils to him. I'm not one for sure..hhehe

[ReeF_LoVeR]

look @ seahorse tank w/o sump too but still

[SharkBait]

The advantage of not having a sump would be that you can place all your equipement , probes and what not in there effectively hidding the equipment from view. It also adds to the total water volume.Your choices of skimmers also falls drastically without a sump.

[CalciumReef]

iNCREASED WATER VOLUME = Higher stability

[riot]

Having seen all the other posts, you might want to note that not having a sump doesnt mean your tank will fail. Having a sump doesnt guarantee you a perfect tank either.

The advantages like what sharkbait & clacium reef said are true, but you can work round it without a sump. You need to think about what exactly is the purpose of a sump, what you intend to use it for.

A canister does not really function as a sump, unless you have a super large capacity cannister with minimal filtration inside. The cannister's purpose is to carry the biological filtration material, but hey you have live rock in your tank already, why would you need that? You cant put a skimmer in your can, perhaps only chem filtration like rowa & gac, but it is hell to change.

Go for a good HOTB skimmer, get a HOTB fuge if you have extra cash, spend your kaching on live rock and ample PHs to produce good flow to maximize your live rock, and you are set.

[Achilles Tang]

Yup! Riot's right on the nail.

A sump is supposed to carry extra water volume and a place to dump your equipment like pumps, probes, drip your calcium reactor/kalk reactor effluents and chemical filtration.

A canister is really restricted.. and you can't increase pump sizes too.... to increase water circulation in your tank.