sump partitions?

[WarmWaterDiver]

This may seem like a dumb question but it never occured to me before... Is there any reason that a sump needs to be partitioned? I ran a 20gal sump with no partitions for years and had no problems. I grew mangroves and macroalgaes no problem. It also was home to my pumps, skimmer, and filter sock. I'm starting a new tank now and want to start off right but would prefer to use most of my old setup.

 

[marcah]

I never believed a sump "has" to be partitioned couple of reasons why are:
microbubbles, helps to disperse them so they dont come back into the tank, it keeps them trapped in the sump seeing they float they get stuck behind the walls of the dividers..
seperate compartment for return pump, so you can see exactly how much water is being lost to evaporation..
refugium, so you have a compartment in the sump for a refugium..
I ran my sump without dividers for awhile but found I needed to add a couple due to the fact the microbubbles were getting back into the main.. I have a seperate refugium and external pump so didnt feel them necessary to put in.. Due to the high flow I had going through the sump (about 2000 gph) it was causing alot of microbubbles..

 

[little_fish]

Also the skimmer should be in a constant amount of water, and without baffles it can be hard to make that happen.