sump or not to sump this is my question

[DC6972]

I have a 90 gallon Fresh water tank. It my first large tank. I have had 20 gallons in the past. but large tanks are new to me. it came with a emperor 400 and an eheim 2217. Should I build a sump for it? if so how big?
So do I run these filters or a sump or both. My goal in brilliantly clear water and one water change during the course of my lifetime

[fort384]

All the sumps or filters in the world won't eliminate the need for regular tank maintenance, including water changes. If you want it to be brilliantly clean and healthy, the best thing to do is regular water changes.

What are your goals for the tank, and what would you use the sump for? Is the tank drilled already, or would you use a hang on back overflow? For a FW tank, there aren't a ton of benefits to going sump, especially when you already have a canister filter to utilize.

[jetajockey]

Just think of a sump as a giant non-pressurized canister filter. The biggest benefits are that it adds water volume and gives you a place to hide equipment, but that's about it. As mentioned in FW it's kind of a toss up, I have some tanks that have sumps and some that don't, the maintenance schedule is all basically the same.

If you are looking for a no-maintenance solution I suggest looking into a 24/7 water change system. I'm setting one up later this week on some of my rack tanks. It's still going to require gravel vac to get debris out, but water changes aren't necessary since the water is being constantly replenished.