Sump, Hang-on, or AIO: Which Aquarium is Best for You?
- Sep 11, 2021
- Anshika Mishra
- 211 0 0
In this article, we answer what type of tank is best for a new reefer: glass boxes, reef-ready, or all-in-ones. At the end of this article, we are confident that you will be able to make the right decision for your desires.
There are three basic options:
- Simple Glass Box
- Glass box plumber to a sump down below, also known as reef-ready
- All-in-one or AOI, which has the sump incorporated in the back of the tank
About 80% of the multi-year reefers out there have an aquarium with overflows that go down to a sump where all the filtration is, or a reef-ready tank, that's often more of a journey than it is a starting point.
Simple Glass Box
Usually, beginners opt for a simple glass box with some filter. It is dramatically common because it is less expensive when you look at the total system cost. With the no sump approach, the filter hangs on the back of the tank. Heaters and other equipment go directly into the tank.
Usually, not the most attractive approach, but it could be less than a half to a third of the cost and eliminates the complexities of plumbing a tank. Thus, it is an easy and affordable path to starting reefing.
Reef Ready Tank with Sump
The second option is the reef-ready tank with the overflow and the sump. This approach will achieve the following three things:
- You will get all the heaters and most of the cords out of the tank, as well as all the hand-on the gear, and hide them down below the tank in the sump.
- The sump or reef-ready approach will allow you to use higher performance gear, different types of filters that don't work, and the hang-on versions, like refugium, larger protein skimmers, filter socks, and fleece rollers.
- It increases the water volume, which makes the tank more stable. In the smaller tank, it can increase the water volume by as much as 50%.
That effect tends to scale down to be less pronounced as the tanks get larger. There are two common ways to do a sump-based tank. One, buy it with a reef-ready tower installed already. Or drill a tank and add an external overflow.
Drilling a tank is really easy, and there is numerous guide available, so don't let it intermediate you. So, you have to make a choice, do you want a tower in the tank which takes up space but can enable you to mount the tank flush with the wall, or do you want an external overflow where there is almost no footprint insider the tank itself, but the tank will be placed a few inches from the wall.
It is your choice, but you should normally take the time to drill the holes and go external just because you can find the larger towers to take up more room than you would like in the tank.
All-in-One
In the AOI, the sump is in the back of the tank or a hybrid approach. In this case, it is a compartment in the back that houses most of your pumps, heater, and filters. It also makes running backs of carbon of other filter media easier, even filter coaks to UV down the road.
AOI tank costs a lot more than the standard tank of the same size but is much cheaper than an overall sump-based approach.
What is the Best Choice For You
End of the day, a simple glass box aquarium, reef-ready with sump or all-in-one, it all just comes down to what you want to put into this in terms of times and resources. However, the highest percentage path to success, not just in terms of a thriving reef tank but also avoiding the cost of perpetual upgrades, you should go to an AOI aquarium from reliable manufacturers.
They come with all tools, look clean, avoid the complexities and noise of plumbing a tank and other thank sand, rock, and a heater, come with everything needed to get started, so a new reefer doesn't have to get lost in all the gear choices.
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