Sump or HOB?

[seahorse11]

Hi
I havent set my 120 gallon up yet cause I am sooo confused!! The last couple of weeks I have spent like 100 hours in this forum and I am STILL lost!
I really dont want to set up a sump under my tank. We lose power here alot and I am afraid that I will come home one day to a flooded house. I would really prefer a filter that hangs on the back. Can anyone suggest a really GOOD HOB filter? What do you think of a Skilter combo with a filter and protein skimmer all in one? I dont mind buying a separate skimmer to hang on the tank but I am more concerned about a filter.
I saw a Mega Flow filter from All-Glass that looks like everything I need. Anybody have one?
What are the bio-balls for?
I will be setting up a 15-20 gallon quarantine tank. Do all i need are some LR, filter, light, and maybe a heater?
Am I rambling? Sorry but I have a million questions going thru my head.
Thanks all for reading my post
Seahorse

 

[jr1053]

For ease of service and upkeep I would definately go with the Aquaclear 500 for a HOB filter and get the Remora Pro as your HOB skimmer. I have used the Skilter COMBO myself in the past and while it does a decent job of filtering it is a second rate skimmer at best. Go with the two products if you've definately decided to go with a HOB setup. Good luck.
John

 

[birdy]

If the sump system is set up correctly then it would be very very hard to oveflow the system a properly set up sump will hold all the water that would overflow before the siphon breaks during a power outage.
With a tank as big as a 120 I would not do HOB, you have a much wider range of GOOD skimmers when you use a sump. I also prefer the refugium to a wet/dry, especially for a reef or FOWLR community tank.
DIY refugium/sumps are the way to go IMO, unless you are going with an Aggressive tank, then a wet/dry is just fine.