200 to 300 gallon sump alternative

[laredo300c]

well i've had my 55gallon for about 3 months know and tons of patience and great advice has made my aquarium the hightlight of my apartment (recently married). since i live upstairs (apt) i decided not to get involved with a sump for the time being....i have a emperor 400 , deluxe prizm skimmer 45-55 lbs of live rock and live sand...my question is that my wife and i are currently building our dream house....and we are seriuosly considering a large grand room aquarium 200-500 gallons ( depending on budget) my question is if it is possible to avoid a sump for an aquarium of this size......i have seen several aquariums of this size online and they have a whole 10 x10 ft room for equipment......are there large biofilters , giant skimmers are is sump the only way to go........any advice would be appreciated thanks

 

[keith burn]

A 200-500 gal tank,what live stock? how much l/r? how much l/s?
I think a sump is the best way to put together skimmer,refu,cal/re,and all pumps.
With out it how will you get all of it to be the same water???

 

[sfe]

God Doesn"t Exist>

 

[sfe]

mods you never learn. Just bann me from this sn.. What is stopping you? This forum is gay enough. There are better ones out there. Just bann me and I might not come back but chances I will just so you can try to find me. muhahahahahahahah.

 

[laredo300c]

what i mean is it possible to run a 200gal tank fowlr with a power filter(s) and a skimmer(s) and not worry about plumbing, drilled holes, sump-refuge...or any of that stuff....just a the basics that i have in my 55gal...filter-skimmer-ls-lr-powerheads-heaters???

 

[keith burn]

Originally Posted by laredo300c
what i mean is it possible to run a 200gal tank fowlr with a power filter(s) and a skimmer(s) and not worry about plumbing, drilled holes, sump-refuge...or any of that stuff....just a the basics that i have in my 55gal...filter-skimmer-ls-lr-powerheads-heaters???
It was working on 55 will not work on 200-500gal
I guess all hang on the back ?
You will need more flow.
I do not thank a hang on to back skimmer will be big enough.
You need a refuge as well.
In a word no.

 

[maeistero]

simple answer, no.
with only 3 month's experience i doubt anyone could accomplish that. i don't doubt that a retired person with 8hrs a day to devote to maintenance could pull it off with a couple grand in lr filtration, but it seems like the equipment would be much cheaper than time.
imho....

 

[saltfan]

IMO I think yes you could. If you have enough Live Rock to filter the water for you, it can be done with just power heads and a couple of skimmers on a 200g tank. Technically, and I mean technically, you don't need a sump, if you have enough live rock, it does it for you with water movement through it.

 

[saltfan]

200g tank I'd go with 400lbs lr, and 300g I'd go with 600lbs. Your going to need some good power heads to move the water. I'd also go with 2 skimmers for this size tank (300g) I don't really think one would be good enough, but your going to hang em off the tank back, so 2 isn't a problem.

 

[acrylic51]

Forget the powerheads they aren't really the right choice for that application IMO.....If you need good water movement to keep things suspended in the water column for your skimmers to function and run the system, you would be better served having the tank drilled for a closed loop to get the additional circulation you'll need....JMO, but don't think PH's are enough......
With a tank this size and you'll spend a pretty penny why skimp and try to run it without adequate filtration.....Again JMO

 

[robchuck]

Tunze Turbelle Stream pumps and/or a Tunze Wavebox would work well for moving ALOT of water without having to drill any holes.

 

[bawood]

A sump on it's own doesn't provide any filtration, it's dependant on what you put in there, i.e. macro-fuge. A sump simply allows more storage for these things. There's no reason why you need one. It does make for easier storage for somethings, but it's not a requirement.
I recommend a closed loop or spray bar on any tank as it seems to help flow more than a ph set-up. Ultimately it tends to be more efficient for the flow too. You'll have to have your heaters in tank(ugly), your pickups for your skimmers, the returns for you skimmer...
Basically there may be a more cluttered assortments in tank intakes, returns and hang on devices.
Also you may still want to consider an in tank refugium so you get the nutrient export and ph buffering if you counter light cycle.

 

[saltfan]

I don't know, i have a 135g with no sump. If you put a backing on your tank, it hides most of the back hanging stuff anyways, with exception of the devices that actually go into the tank. I have a Prizm Pro Deluxe 300g Skimmer, a Emperor 400, a Nu-Clear Canister filter (1537gph) and 2 300w heaters. I never have any troubles with my tank. Routine maintenance is all. A 200g can't be that much different, don't you think? And I only have 65lbs of LR with a 3" CC floor.