[rodwhsa]

New to saltwater,

I have a 50 gal. corner tank with two powerheads, and a 350 canister. great MH lighting, and a protein skimmer. My tank has been set up for about a month and I am beginning to add a few fish. Eventualy I would like this tank to be a reef tank, once I gain some experience.

Do I need a sump or will this equipment be sufficient?

[NATIVEVAMAN]

As your bio load increases you will need a skimmer,sooner is better,and a sump is the best place for a skimmer and a refugium.

[alwmalon4]

For a reef you will need a refugium in your sump... do not mess with a canister filter because that will definitely not work with a reef setup.

[NATIVEVAMAN]

In reef tank your primary source of biological filtration is the live rock and sand.A skimmer is the mechanical filtration and aeration.A canister is simply not as efficient as a skimmer,and if not cleaned properly or regularly they actually become a detriment to the reef by releasing nitrates into the tank.Running a canister in tandum with a skimmer is simply a waste of good electricjty.

[Tonz of fun]

What happens is the canister filter removes nitrates but it still keeps them in the water so it is pointless...IMO

[gimmito]

Definitely go with the sump. Check out marc's hidden treasures on how you can make one. Some aquarist use a canister filter once in awhile to polish the water (eg. carbon).

[carmanimports]

sump hands is the best in the world of reef

[rodwhsa]

Sounds like I will need a sump and scrap my Magnum, this will be dificult because I have a small base that is chuck full of equipment already, but I may be able to pipe it into an adjacent storage room. I will check out this website. Thanks for the assist, I am sure that I will need more once I start figuring this sump out.