Curious about wet / dry filters

[jarrodaden]

I am curious about how many people here on the box are using wet / dry filters instead of the cannister type.

I have no experience with wet / dry. What are the main pros and cons?

Thanks.

[Darbex]

IMO wet/dry pros
1. Oxygenation of the water
2. Easier to clean out waste build up & no priming
3. Better for Nitrogen cycle
4. Easier to add chemicals and filter media

Cons
1. Bad for CO2 systems due to oxygenation
2. overflow if you set the water level to high
3. Need to make sure in/out flow tubes are secure
4. Noise if not done properly

In all for anything other than planted CO2 I like wet/dry

[ssrprelude]

I have W/D running on all of my tank with canisters for extra filtration. Much easier to clean and maintain. What I like the most constant water level, you only need to top off the sump.

[myjohnson]

+1

Use both.

Wet/dry suck at mechanical filtration.

[snookfish]

Really depends on your application. and fresh or saltwater. Everybody i know with saltwater only uses wet/dry. for freshwater tanks, especially big tanks with heavy bioloads wet/dry is better. by bigger, i mean 55g or larger. and the planted issue, you dont want higher o2 levels because it will slow the growth rate of your plants by ridding the system of co2 more quickly, not always a bad thing! unless you like pruning. I went to wet/dry a few years ago and don't think I'll ever use anything else. The mechanical filtration, done correctly, is just as good as any canister or HOB.

[freespool]

thanks for bringing this topic up. I have been very curious about using on for my 110 gal tall. I have seen some set up well for some mechanical. I use my canister filters for biological filtration anyways.
Not to hijack, but what size tank should I build mine out of for a 110gal tall (48" wide x 30" high) so as not to overflow if power goes out. and what size return pump.
Thanks

[myjohnson]

Return pump depends on the u-tube you want to use (one or two).

The among of water that will drain will depend on how high your return pipe is in the tank.

It's common practice to drill a small hole right under the waterline in the return pipe.

I don't think my tank drains more then 2-3g when the lights go out (on my 75g).

[myjohnson]

The mechanical filtration, done correctly, is just as good as any canister or HOB.

I have seen some set up well for some mechanical.

Do explain further.

Thanks.

[cichlid1409]

Do explain further.

Thanks.

filter socks fooo!

[freespool]

I have seen filter (floss like) material placed above the trickle tray (above media) and some filter foam placed in a chamber before the return pump. I think this filtration does more than my current canister considering all I have in my main canister in biomax ceramic rings. I don't have any "floss" in either canister on my 110 long. it is very clear.

[myjohnson]

filter socks fooo!

Wait until you see Jim's tank.

My 75g was the same way when I had the petro famulas in there.

NLS 3mm leaves tiny little bits behind. Made the water look yellow from far away.

Up close, it's millions of tiny little bits.

The filtration on my 75g couldn't handle it.

[jarrodaden]

Thank you for all the feedback. I researched extensively last night and I have some other thoughts and comments

1) added benefit - components like heaters can be taken out of the tank and put in the wet / dry out of sight.
2) mechanical filtration - I think one reason that mechanical filtration is not great on these is because the system is generally designed to take water of the top of the tank through an overflow. Most "stuff" in a tank that would be filtered mechanically probably isn't going to be floating in the top couple of inches of a tank. I have a side note to this later which address an idea for an overflow box modification.
3) noise if not setup properly - Someone please elaborate on proper setup for quiet operation. What is the key?
4) siphon - Has anyone set this up without the box on the outside of the tank at the receiving end of the u-tube siphon. I really don't want to have another box on the back of the tank. I like my tank as close to the wall as possible. Without this second box, starting a siphon would be a bit of a pain. I am also trying to avoid drilling.
5) overflow - What if the overflow was setup in the typical wall with the box and "teeth" at the water surface but the overflow box had a tall and skinny shape? A few small holes could be placed vertically along the lower part of the box so that the water would pull from various depths in the aquarium. The u-tube siphon would still be setup the same way so that the siphon would stop during a low water condition.
6) potential to overflow aquarium or burn up pump. Has anyone set their wet / dry up with a low water cutoff switch? If so, can you tell me where to get a specific part and set this up?