Sump or no sump?

[celly]

Been in and out of the hobby for a while, getting back to my passion for Discus. Got a fish room with multiple tanks and a complete air system, all tanks individually filtered and air-driven. Recently had the pleasure of getting a Gabe Posada Discus from Jack Wattley, been reading about him and Discus Hans for years. Setting up a rack with 8 x 20H's. Initially thought of running a sump to trigger spawning pairs, but for now, it's just one pair. Got R/O water and can heat it to match the system, so water changes and cleanliness are covered.

My question is, to sump or not to sump? I've got a sump that could make water changes and medication easier, keeping the system around 200 gallons. Or, I could skip the sump, drill the tanks to overflow straight to the drain, and avoid another pump.

The Setup:
8 x 20Gallon Highs (4 per shelf)
Option 1: Sump with central filter, heater, and fill.
Option 2: 8 x 20 Gallon Highs (4 per shelf), multiple heaters, individual tanks, potential issues with smaller water volume.

[abbeytone]

Re: Sump or no sump?

Quick question, I'm genuinely curious - what led you to believe that a sump system would trigger another breeding pair to spawn, simply because one pair is already going at it?

Developing a breeding pair from scratch is no cakewalk, let me tell you - getting them to mate and then successfully raising the fry is a monumental task, not something to be taken lightly. It's easy to get the wrong impression when you see some of the seasoned experts on this site sharing their experiences, but trust me, it's anything but easy.