Originally Posted by youareafever
hi, i have some questions about a sump and refugium. i have some knoweldge of what these two are. but i was wondering do u need two diffrent tanks or containers for each?
No, you can have one tank or container with a dividing wall (baffle) separating them.
and if you have a sump or refugium do u need something like a canister filter?
No, in fact most people with them do NOT have a canister filter.
also i read that if you dont initially have a whole drilled in your tank an overflow box would be your best option. but these boxes over flow and malfunction frequently right?
Yes, if you don't have a drilled tank (reef ready), then you're best option is an overflow, but no, if set up properly they are pretty reliable. I have two tanks running CPR overflows and I've never had a flood.
As long as you don't run them at more than 80% of rated capacity, then weir designs like CPR and U-Tube designs all work pretty good.
i searched for overflow boxes and this one Tom Aquatics Pro Series Surface Skimmer Overflow Box with Aqua Lifter claims that it can prevent the possibilities of a spill
This is a false claim by a lousy manufacturer. No overflow design is "flood proof" as they claim.
The aqua lifter (made by Tom also) is used in the Tom overflows, and CPR also uses them on theirs. These manufacturers claim that they make for flawless operation, but the problem is that if the aqualifter clogs or otherwise fails, which DOES happen, and you're not paying attention, they can flood.
That said, I use a Tom aqualifter with a CPR overflow. The CPR overflow is much better than the Tom one. I replace my aqualifters proactively every 6 months or so as over time their performance degrades. The biggest thing you need to do is pay attention. Check the overflow for accumulated air every few days, etc and take appropriate action. ALWAYS have a brand new, spare aqualifter on hand.
so do i need to get my tank drilled? im having trouble deciding how to go about choosing the best filteration method.
IMO drilled tanks are the way to go. While I speak well of my overflow setups, I am only in that position because I aquired the tanks for good deals or free. I'd never BUY a tank without built in overflows. They are pricey but they come as close to flood proof as you can get and they are more attractive as they hide the plumbing.
i would like to in the future have inverts (of course much further in the future) so if i was possibliy able to get the right filteration method that will help me transsision smoother in the future that would be great.
Then what I'd be doing is pricing out a drilled tank and a sump/fuge setup, and plan for lots of live rock (1 to 1.5lbs per gallon) and you'll be golden. If price is a sticking point, then skimp on the live rock for now, and add a couple of $20 HOB filters on the back of the tank to supplement, and remove them as you add more live rock.
