just can't decide

can I just use a 40 gal. aquarium for a sump? I thought they needed baffles.
sticksmith, I have a couple of guys who will buy the fish and wood. actually, I'm now leaning towards keeping it for a while. I just can't seem to get the sw off my mind. I should probably delete this forum, lol.

 

Good lord that tank is beautiful! I would take that over a FOWLR salt tank any day!

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Maybe you should start with a bio-cube or something small not too expensive and a good way to get some SW in you

 

What about putting chaeto in both empty canisters making 2 mini fuges

 

reef4life, I had a 24 gal. nano reef. I want to have a larger tank for more fish.
chelltom, sounds interesting but does'nt chaeto need light?
blackraven, thank you, but I look at this tank all day and it's not that impressive to me anymore. actually, I just removed all the wood the other day to clean. I re scaped the tank. looks pretty much the same but I gave the festivum's to my grandson. they were taking over the whole front of the tank. now the discus are roaming all over again.

 

Sure just rig up a clip.on light

 

I'm missing something. I have two cannisters, not hob. how do you get light in a cannister?

 

Another vote for 'keep the beautiful tank,' but I'll also put in $.02. You do probably want some separation in your sump depending on how you will set it up. I think there are a number of ways to do this on a budget and with minimal tool use. My route was a cheap tank on craigslist, a brief sketch of what I wanted and measurements of the tank. The width was the only one I had to be precise about. The local glass shop did all the cuts and the only thing left to do is silicone the pieces in place.

If this seems too daunting or if your back problems make this difficult. I bet someone from a local reef club would be willing to help. There might be someone here too.

Although most people here seem to hard plumb their system, there is no reason I can think of that you couldn't get away with vinyl tubing. Although I don't have enough expertise to comment knowledgeably, but I would imagine you would find the canisters quite limiting. Considering the obviously high standards exhibited on the freshwater side and - like most of us your probable obsessive tendencies, I'm predicting you would have many regrets about not building in as much flexibility as possible up front.