Wet/dry filter help.

[maddsquabbles]

I have a 75 fish/ reef, non reef ready tank, with a ehiem canister filter. Everything is going good, but I would like to upgrade to a wet/dry. I have heard of a few people having trouble with their sumps overflowing. I have looked around a bit and I like the Eheim Pro Wet / Dry Canister Filter 2229. Have anyone heard anything good or bad about them?

[ed102475]

IMO, wet/dry filtration is not best for a reef system . Just a sump and skimmer will do better. As of the sump overflowing get a u tube over flow box for your sump. It hangs on the back of your tank no need for a reef ready tank (drilled).i have used one for years no problems yet.

http://a1272.g.akamai.net/7/1272/1121/20071017165806/www.drsfostersmith.com/images/Categoryimages/normal/p-32885-43205-fish-filter.jpg

[dbrann11]

agree. I use 2 wet/dry on my FW tanks with hang on overflows. If you plan accordingly you can avoid issues like overflowing tanks and overflowing sumps.

1) if the return pump stops for any reason make sure the siphon breaks before overflowing the sump. I drill a hole in the return right at my waterline in the main tank, this allows the air in and keeps the return from draining your tank down to the return spout. Also make sure there is enough extra room in your wet/dry to hold what does get siphoned

2) make sure your main tank water level is low enough to hold all of the water that can be pumped out of your wet/dry if for any reason the overflow stops working.

3) watch the u-tubes to make sure they don't collect air bubbles at the apex, if they collect enough they will slow the flow and could break the siphon causing the overflow to stop working.

For my reef I also use a hang on overflow, but just a sump and a skimmer, no wet/dry. General opinion is they collect too much junk and cause nitrate issues. You can actually get a 20g tank and some glass to make baffles for less than on of those acrylic wet/dry filters with bioballs. I got my glass at Lowes, cut to size for about $10 and use a left over 29g tank for my reef sump.

Of course we are assuming that you use a significant amount of live rock... I use ~70lbs in a 45g tank.

[maddsquabbles]

Thanks for the information. Let me be honest, me and my wife have had FW tanks for years, and always liked the look of SW, so when we got a really good deal on a 75 gallon some one was using for SW we jumped on it.

The guy we bought it from still had it runnig without fish. He gave us everything, rock, food, five gallon bucks and the water. We set I up and have been winging it from their. Over the last eight months I have bought about 60 pounds of base rock and about 30 pounds of live Caribbean rock. The problem with the live rock is I got it straight from the LFS and through it in the tank. I didn't cure it or anything. I have eight fish, and about six different types of soft coral and everthing seems to be doing great. Does curing the rock help with filtration, and does base rock help either?

[dbrann11]

Curing rock happens no matter what, you cured it, just happens that you cured it in an active tank with fish. The curing process is basically just the rock recovering, the die off finishing it's process and the re-growth of all of the bacteria to handle that load. Cooking the rock on the other hand is done in a dark tub to kill off any nasty light loving critters like alga and such. Plus it helps clear out all of the nooks and crannies in the rock as you rinse and brush and shake out the rocks. I've never cooked rock, but it is supposed to make it more efficient. The rock is an excellent de-nitrator.

There is not much in the FW world that will de-nitrate other than a device you buy/build or chemicals from what I have found.

Do you test your SW for nitrates? You're rock will be all cured and cycled by now so you shouldn't have any ammonia or nitrite. Do you do regular large water changes, regular small water changes, or infrequent? I change 10% weekly and have minimal nitrate, i also have a low bio-load right now.

You could probably hook up a sump and slowly turn down the volume or remove media from the canister and rely on the rock for your bio-filter.

For me personally I wouldn't use the bio-balls on a reef tank, but just my opinion based on reading and reading and reading here, and personal experience. I'm sure they will work, they just may give you a nutrient issue down the road.