Intoduction and skimmer vs. sump or neither

[Troy F]

Hi George, welcome to the board. I'd suggest both a sump and skimmer if possible. Build your stand tall enough to fit all of your mechanical equipment below and out of sight. In sump skimmers, as a general rule, work better than HOT skimmers. Sounds like you have a pretty good grasp of what you are doing. Read everything you can get your hands on and ask around, we have some really knowledable reefers that frequent the board. www.reefs.org has a fantastic library.