yea, i think that they would be fine if your willing to do the work it takes to keep one in good shape, cleanings and new media all the time, the remora or rena or whatever the x3 thing that i took off my tank when i built my sump cost me right at $100 to fill up, and that was every month, with weekly hand cleanings... my sump, costs me nothing, no media, and only a basic syphoning when i see gunk in the bottom.. thats it.. not to mention that i'm super frikn lazy when it comes to tank maintainence, so anything i can do to make my work easier, i'm all for...