Can I get away with using a filter only, no sump?

[castrojc]

I have a 46g bow front tank and this will be my first tank. I was told I would be fine with just a filter, live rock, live sand, and fish. Then I started thinking I needed a sump with skimmer and all that... I went to my LFS and they told me I should be fine with just the filter for now to avoid the headache. I am confused and don't know what I should do. I have a used fluval 404, not even sure if it works but if it doesn't I plan to by a similar one. I will not be having corals any time soon and when I do I am sure I will need a sump. But that won't be until I move out of this apartment. So since it will be only fish with live rock and, is a filter good enough? Also, what lights should I use?

Jaime

[steelwrap]

I would ditch the filterand invest in a good HOB skimmer

[castrojc]

So if I get a skimmer instead, is that all I will need for now? no sump or anything else?

[Kennedy1]

I leave the filter and add a HOB Skimmer. If you are just having FOWLRLS you'll be fine with filter and skimmer. No sump needed.

[kfisc]

With a fish-only, you could get by in a 46g with a good schedule of water changes and strong flow in the tank, saving for when you move. You'd need to check basic chemistry- alk, ca, mag. Without corals, the only thing that matters regarding lighting is whether you like the color. The fish could care less, and don't require any sort of strong intensity lights. Good luck-

[castrojc]

thanks for the replies... would I be able to use that same hob skimmer later on in a sump if needed?

[zoolover]

Either a hob skimmer, or hob skimmer and filter would be fine.

[kfisc]

You could, but a sump is a good place for a larger, more efficient skimmer. You may find you don't need or want a sump at all for a tank that size.

[Kennedy1]

No, the layout for a sump skimmer and HOB are different.

[Steve Wright2]

Just wanted to add, the skimmer would be a wise investment
the cannister filter could also be used to house Carbon and GFO chemical media rather than biological media - not as good as having a reactor, but better than nothing IMO

the cannister if you use it, will require cleaning, rinsing with aged tank water at water change time, to remove the captured detritus and prevent your nitrates building up I do mine which houses Carbon, GFO and Purigen, every other week.

you will want to keep your stocking levels under control, the sump with its extra volume of water and additional surface area, does increase to some degree the stocking potential of your set up, if it where my tank, I would stay within the general guideline of 1 inch of fish to every 4 gallons of water

lighting - a couple of T5 tubes would be adequate for veiwing purposes, if you are not adding corals

[castrojc]

Will I be needing a heater? my house temperature is usually low 70's but it does vary a bit... and as I mentioned I don't know if the filter works, to check this, is it as simple as plugging it in and see if it runs?

[Steve Wright2]

You will probably need a heater thermostat , 70 would be a bit low for most of the tropical fish species we keep

you could plug the filter in quickly and listen for movement, but it needs to be quick on and off, as they do not appreciate being run dry

better to fill it with water and then run the inlet and outlet in your sink, then plug it it
(making sure the outlet is secure, weighted down and cannot snake out of the sink and cover the place with water)

[zoafarm]

If you are going to limit your tank to fish only; then filter, rock and sand should be fine. However, I've learned this hobby is very addictive with so many beautiful things to put in a tank. You might find it hard to stay with fish only. :) (I did) So if you can, I would recommend adding the sump and skimmer. Advantage...more water volume and cleaner water. So, should you decide to add coral...you're ready.

[Kennedy1]

+1... It will happen. Corals are in your future lol

[saltburns]

I had a 55g for 4 years with hang on back filter and hang on back protien skimmer, powerheads and live rock and grew coral from small frags. Tank was overcrowded with coral after 4 years. Had to buy a bigger tank!

[Chris27]

It's common for a newby to not fully understand the difference between a "filter" and a sump.

A sump is not a filter, a sump is merely a tank below the display tank to house equipment and keep the water level in the display. It can hold things to filter the water, but it's not a purpose built mechanical / chemical / biological filter like an HOB is.

Your "filter" is the live rock and sand....do a little research on the Berlin Method and you'll get a better understanding.

As for your hang on filter, use it for mechanical and chemical filtration, meaning use a pad or floss to catch large particles, and use some chemical filter media in it to address things like toxins, yellow water, and phosphate.

[Ryand63]

years back I had a 46 bowfront, mainly just fish with a few corals and I ran skimmerless, just a HOB filter and everythign went fine. BUT I had to do weekly water changes and was always worried about water quality. I would just go for the skimmer bc down the road it'll benefit. Just my opinion. I started my most frequent tank (29 FOWLR) and didn't buy a skimmer for it, now 6 months later....I'm buying a skimmer lol

[castrojc]

Thanks guys, this helps... I think given my current living situation I will start with the filter and hob skimmer... once I move, I will do the whole sump thing and get a bigger tank