is it ok to run sump w/o a fuge?

[igot2gats]

I'm in the process of setting up my 75g, 20g sump tank.

Would it be harder to maintain a tank with a sump that has no fuge? I'm not sure if I want to put the work into putting in baffles, etc.

I plan on having an SPS reef.

[bnumair]

sps are sensitive and require pristine water conditions. requiring nitrates under 5ppm and phos under 0.05ppm. all that is achievable by mechanical fiteration like sulfur denitrator or coil denitrator or bio pellets or carbon dosing like vodka sugar or vinegar dosing but requires all that expensive bulky reactors or dosers etc.
having a fuge in sump with a simple 6500k light bulb and growing chaeto can help reduce nitrates and phos for lot less effort or money.

[Palting]

Regardless of whether you plan a fuge or not, baffles are still a good idea. You need a constant water level for your skimmer, and this is best done with baffles. Bubble traps are also a good idea, also best done with baffles. If it's a good idea to have baffles for the above reasons anyway, might as well get a larger sump and have a refugium section. Just sayin :).

Easy enough to put baffles in. Just take your tank to a glass shop and have them cut the glass baffles to size. Right angle rulers, silicone, duct tape......done. Doesn't have to be pretty, either, since it will reside inside the cabinet.

[Selkoner]

Doing a sump and then later on switch to refuge is a big pain in the butt so do it now and waste the head ach

[batgo]

You need the baffles for skimmer and return pump. You can skip the fuge and run a GFO reactor and a high quality skimmer. Don't over feed and do regular water changes.

[zoafarm]

As many have said, the baffles are a must. Do you need a fuge? I definitely think they have their purpose, can be beneficial, and much easier if you plumb everything in the beginning. :) With that said, I have a predominantly SPS in a 72 gal without a fuge and everything does okay. However, my color can't compare to some of the more experienced people on this site...but that could be a number of different reasons besides a fuge. My phosphates sit a little high (.14) compared to many others (<.03). Also, the SPS I keep are relatively easy SPS. Hope this helps.

Happy Reefing

[igot2gats]

Regardless of whether you plan a fuge or not, baffles are still a good idea. You need a constant water level for your skimmer, and this is best done with baffles. Bubble traps are also a good idea, also best done with baffles. If it's a good idea to have baffles for the above reasons anyway, might as well get a larger sump and have a refugium section. Just sayin :).

Easy enough to put baffles in. Just take your tank to a glass shop and have them cut the glass baffles to size. Right angle rulers, silicone, duct tape......done. Doesn't have to be pretty, either, since it will reside inside the cabinet.

Ok, thanks. And thanks to everyone else.

The biggest sump I can have in my stand is my current 20g. I bought a 30g, thinking MAYBE it might fit in the stand....nope. So, the 20g it is.

I'll just use the 30g as my QT.

[Fish_King_25]

Refugiums are never a "requirement" in the hobby but it would definitely make things cheaper for you in the long run definitely as stated above..baffles are a lot less work than most think, and looks don't matter

[Palting]

oops. Wrong thread. Sorry

[Maivortex]

If you cant devote atleast 2ftx 2ft area to fuge it is likely a wase of time and more for show IMO

[ganjero]

I disagree, baffles are not required nor a refugium, specially a tiny one in a sump if its main purpose is nutrient removal.
My sump doesn't have baffles and many experienced reefers also run sumps without baffles. IMO it makes things easier...easier to clean, easier to get equipment in and out and if upgrades to equipment like skimmers is required you wont need modifications or be limited by space.

I do run a Tunze osmolator that keeps the water level steady.


....many ways to approach this hobby

[Fizz71]

I disagree, baffles are not required nor a refugium, specially a tiny one in a sump if its main purpose is nutrient removal.
My sump doesn't have baffles and many experienced reefers also run sumps without baffles. IMO it makes things easier...easier to clean, easier to get equipment in and out and if upgrades to equipment like skimmers is required you wont need modifications or be limited by space.

I do run a Tunze osmolator that keeps the water level steady.


....many ways to approach this hobby

+1 on that. I think there was a terminology gap in the beginning as baffles are not synonymous with fuge. A fuge is just a place for flora and fuana to grow without predation.

You can run without baffles and have a fuge, but you need to make sure your floura doesn't impede your return pump. And you can baffles with no fuge as a lot of people do. I run a baffleless sump but currently it's only a fuge for fauna (lots of live rock rubble).

The key is...no baffles means you need a top-off system with near zero deviation of water level or your in-sump skimmer will not work right. Mine is gravity fed via a float.

[examiner]

Agree that there are many ways to skin the cat. I run a no baffles SPS system, no fuge either. No problems with my tank. I do have an 8" high rubbermaid container inside my sump that my skimmer sits inside of to maintain a constant level for the skimmer. So I guess you could call that a type of baffle system if you really wanted. I also have a good ATO system, but I think that's pretty critical even if you do have baffles.

And there is legitimate debate about the effectiveness of a small fuge. I'm in the "keep it clean" camp and I try to eliminate places for junk to settle, not encourage it. But again, different ways to skin a cat. I've been around the hobby long enough to learn the only two things you "must" have to be successful are a watertight box and saltwater. Good luck.

[Dapg8gt]

IMO with a sump that small you should put in at least a form of a bubble trap. With a long larger sump the bubbles mainly have time to rise to the top so baffleless is a no brainer . In a small sump you don't have the luxury of distance to get rid of the micro bubbles so a trap should help out. Dialing in your return to have no bubbles (syphon) will help and also the quality of your skimmer.

And on the fuge you Def don't need to run one in fact some with low nutrients have issue growing macro algae. You can cover all bases of filtration with reactors and filter media and filter socks or sponges.. As said before there are a lot of ways to do it and most work as long as you have good husbandry. Having macro roaming free with a skimmer and return pump unprotected is not a good idea FWIW.

But you will drive yourself nuts if you have constant micro bubbles through the tank. If you plan it out and minimise the bubbles and run a slower flow through the sump you may not have an issue but then again that's just my opinion and experience. Things work for some and not for others so best way is to know what works for everyone or experiment to see what works for you..