Do you need a sump??

[fishdance]

Used to own 9 retail aquarium shops and still have the quarrantine and commercial breeding facilities which I now use for my own personal hobby as that's how it all started.

It's amazing the huge numbers of people that arrive and leave the fish keeping hobby. Mostly through bad experiences or boredom. A sump may be perfect for you or it may be the source of frustration that kills your new interest. It's good your asking questions. It's not that hard to add a sump later. Tanks can be drilled in place without having to remove fish.

 

[Potato Patatto]

As someone who just decided to do a sump, it is relatively simple once you get the gist of it. Most important thing in my experience is the flow calculation but if your tank isn’t drilled, it makes it more of a deterrence. Sumps don’t have to be complicated, mine is very simple and cheap. Do some research yourself and make a decision. I ultimately did it cause my tank was drilled and my bio load is very heavy, the extra water flow/volume definitely helps. I noticed the water quality difference immediately, especially with all the filter pads. And as others stated, cleaning is a breeze compared to a canister.