Hello all

[Doc]

everybody has you covered. welcome to the site

-Doc

[fatman]

I would think about the sump as it gives you the most options for growth. In sump skimmers are inherently cheaper and less accident prone than stand alone or hang on skimmers, Just about any turbo type skimmer is a lot of bang for your buck. I personally like Aqua C and Turboflotor but a lot of good things are being said about newer turbo skimmers. All turbo skimmers are basically needle wheel/venturi skimmers. Little differences is engineering but big differences in materials and costs. I personally would not buy any skimmer but a turbo type or a Beckett type skimmer. Any price over $200-250 for a skimmer under about a 300 gallon tank capacity tank anymore your paying for name, just thicker materials and an easier cleaning system and cheap add ons like Johnny Quest fittings for ozone or calcium generators.

[jhnrb]

Welcome To The Site

[fishbait]

welcome to living reefs. like everyone has allready said, a sump isn't required to have a nice reef tank, but they do help. they add water volume that is displaced from all the live rock, give you a place to cultivate "pods" that become food for fish and corals, and is a good place to hide equipment. another plus of a sump is that you will not see the water level drop in the tank from evaporation. that will all take place in the sump.