When I first got into saltwater, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing and just took the advice of the guy from the store. I ended up with a sumpless tank and although things were good for a while, there were just too many pollutants settling in the tank. It ran for over a year with no serious problems and no major fluctuations in water quality. I woke up one day (new year's day last year) and noticed the water had become murky. I still don't know what happened to cause this but noticed almost all of the fish gasping for a breath. It was actually quite upsetting because I had went to sleep watching them swim merrily around the tank. I did a huge water change and thankfully, there was only one casuality. I decided on that day to go for a sump system. I was also worried about flooding but once you figure out the levels, it's foolproof.
I've been running a 180 with a sump now with no concerns. The tank is a lot clearer/cleaner and the rocks do not have that fuzzy garbage settling all over them. Use some filter socks. Besides, you can hide your skimmer and CA reactor in the sump which will give it a much cleaner look.
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