Effectiveness of Ios tanks

[ianmphua]

Hi, i’m planning to start my first marine tank after keeping freshwater for about 1 year+. I don’t really want to sacrifice the additional space of having a sump tank so I was going to opt for a 3-4 ft ios tank. I’m hoping to get some opinions about the effectiveness of an internal overflow sump for FOWLR saltwater tanks. Is the compartment provided sufficient to hold enough bio media to filter larger tanks going up to 4ft? I know ios tanks can’t fit a large enough protein skimmer but i’ve read that it isn’t necessary as long as I keep up with the weekly or biweekly water changes? Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

 

 

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[Indeco]

No experience on 4FT tank but a 2FT tank can be done without skimmer.

Water change schedule is 1 to 2 times per week at 20% depend bioload.

4FT tank u may need to change about 40 to 60L of water per week, in the long run can be expensive.

Skimmer not only help u export nutrient but also help to provide oxygenation and maintain PH in the tank.

U may explore on how to use refugium or ATS to help u on nutrient export. Got reefer use them to replace skimmer.