A sump nec. for 30 gal FOWLR?

dcparker1432

I'm Old Gregg!
Apr 25, 2008
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Is a sump an absolutely necessary thing to have? Im starting a new SW tank in my old 30 gallon tank and am wondering if i really HAVE to have a sump. thanks.
 
needed not at all, nice to have definitely. Any time you can increase your water volume it is a good thing.
 
You have to be careful because a sump/fuge increases the water volume which means you can have more fish even though they are kept from the sump/fuge. What this means is a display could have a bunch of fish in it looking like it's full of life. If you try these same densities in a a non sump/fuge system you will be treading on thin, fragile ice.

So no, you don't need a sump/fuge. You will have to have fewer inhabitants than you could otherwise. If you don't need the packed-full-of-life display you won't have a fragile situation without a sump.
 
You have to be careful because a sump/fuge increases the water volume which means you can have more fish even though they are kept from the sump/fuge. What this means is a display could have a bunch of fish in it looking like it's full of life. If you try these same densities in a a non sump/fuge system you will be treading on thin, fragile ice.

So no, you don't need a sump/fuge. You will have to have fewer inhabitants than you could otherwise. If you don't need the packed-full-of-life display you won't have a fragile situation without a sump.


I kinda disagree with that..

Stocking levels, in my opinion, should be based on the display tank volume / size. As an example, if i have a 30 gallon aquarium, and have a 100 gallon sump, does this mean i have fish which are suitable for 130 gallon system? No, i cannot, i can still only have stocking levels of a 30 gal tank...it just means that having a sump on 30 gallon tank i get better filtered water by employing nutrient export of the sump / fuge. I do not base any recomendations for stocking on whether someone has a sump or not. A cursery look over the net, this forum, and you'll find loads of tanks which are crammed with life, are very stable and have no sump....

Just my opinion of course.... :)
 
Niko has a good point, stocking is more about reaching a balance in your tank than an amount of fish per gallon. I have had 10 gallon tanks with one or two fish, and I also had a nano reef with five. It depends on a lot more than volume.
 
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