Setting up a drilled 180g questions......

[carey]

So i recently purchased a used 180g tank which is drilled with two holes on the bottom glass. The spillway, or overflow is a large piece of thick glass that is currently not attached. My question is:
Should I plug the holes that are drilled or work with a regular drilled tank setup?

VERY important note, this is for freshwater. I am posting it here as it is equipment and was originally a salt water tank PLUS I love you guys over here in the salty side and figured you all would be able to help.

If I plug up the holes I would use the filter, an fx5 that is on the 125g cichlid tank. The 180g also came with a beautiful sump which I could use if I utilize the holes for the filtration.
So what would you guys do? I'm stuck right now as far as moving forward as I don;t know which way to go with this tank. lol

I also received in the stuff I bought two of these

Ocean Clear In-Line Filters

These would be a ton easier to use if I went with a sump. But not sure what else I would do with the filtration if I go sump. Filter socks, sure but what the heck else do I run in a freshwater setup? lol

Let me know your thoughts and opinions guys. Tell me what you would do and why.

Also, I keep african cichlids so they get rather large and have a pretty large bioload. I figure this info would be important.

thanks so much everyone for reading!!!

 

[ScaryFatKidGT]

Being it's drilled and came with a sump I would use the sump, I mean why not?

Now if it wasn't drilled I would say FX all the way, I personally don't like sumps but your tank is drilled and you have a couple hundred dollar sump and stuff to go with it so why not use it.

In the sump you can have carbon or purigen, tons of matrix or other biomedia even a freshwater refugium. A lot of stuff is marketed to salt water, I have a 6 T5 HO light on my tank that only comes new with marine bulbs, and you can use a reef keeper on a freshwater tank you know, its all just what you want to do.

Coralife light with a reefkeeper on a drilled and sumped tank still works fine with fresh water lol.

 

[carey]

A freshwater refugium? What would go in something like that? It sounds intriquing.

I just sold off my reefkeepr elite, I had it for a few years but never really utilized it to its maximum potential so the money i got was better than the use I got out of it. LOL

Thanks for the reply btw.

 

[ScaryFatKidGT]

bio balls, matrix, algea scrubber? It wouldn't be like a giant thing full of live rock like SW but similar.