Filtration system..

[eddiegman]

Hey im brand new to this forum, i want to start me up a reef tank. i went a local pet store and got some very useful information, one thing i want to know is do i need to have a sump? im really not trying to spend a bunch of money, only what i have to spend, i got a 45 gallon tank and i would like to know some filters that would work well for my tank. thanks

 

[aquaguy24]

no a sump is not needed..u'll be fine with 50lbs or so of live rock and a hob protein skimmer....just get a good cuc and keep up with water changes...

 

[eddiegman]

so live rock and a protein skimmer would be fine for my tank?
so i dont have to make other threads, if i want to start up my tank here soon would getting my live rock/sand, heater, lights, salt and powerheads be enough to let my tank cycle? i heard you should let it cycle for something like 3-4 weeks?

 

[privatejoker]

You don't need a sump but it is nice thing to have. You can put a fuge, your skimmer and heaters in it. All you need is a 10 or 20 gallon tank and make your own.
You may need to cycle a little longer than that. I got lucky, I had so much live rock it took least then two weeks to cycle.
A hang on the back skimmer is fine but you have watch out for overflows and draining your tank other than that they work fine.
I will tell you that once you start this hobby you'll want to get into SPS, LPS and all the other corals. If you do you'll find yourself needing or wanting to upgrade in the future.

 

[jallen32c]

U can cycle without the lights. But everthing else is needed.