DIY sump: do you have to have chambers?

Every sump I have seen is very system specific. I see the sump as nothing more than a place to run a skimmer or scrubber, heater...etc. More importantly I view the increase in overall water volume in the system to be most valuable. Right now I'm running a temp sump wth no chambers at all. Water drops in one end and goes up the other. I have a scrubber processing down there.

 

the baffles also help to serve as bubble traps.

 

depending on the skimmer you use, you may need to set a chamber at a constant water level for better skimmer performance, and bubble traps help!

 

That's exactly what a sump is for, to hide all the equipment it takes to run a reef. There is no one right way to set one up the only issue you MAY see with no baffles is micro bubbles returning to your tank. Most research says their harmless to livestock, just not nice to look at in your display. A refugium is not the same thing as a sump and not required to run a successful reef. I don't run one on my 350 and it is only stocked with SPS corals. Some combine the 2 into the same tank to save space, you won't be able to run a fuge with sand or algae if you have a skimmer sitting in it the baffles separate the 2. Be sure to use washable filter socks on the drain line into the sump before the skimmer to make the sump a lot more efficient at polishing the water, 200 micron felt socks are best.

 

+1
Skimmer I use can benefit from a constant water level and I don't have an ATO so the baffles are needed to maintain level as well as keep chaeto out of my return.
-Eric