Pros and cons about using wet dry filtration on a reef tank

[Ncts]

Any feedback on using a wet dry filtration system on a reef tank. I have heard pros and cons about it. Any feedback?

 

[CleverBs]

old dated technology

 

[Ncts]

what would you suggest?

 

[CleverBs]

what would you suggest?

A sump instead.

 

[Ncts]

Perfect. That's what I thought. Making a 10 gallon sump this weekend... Thanks!

 

[carey]

I have a berlin sump setup on my 90g and a refugium sump on my 125g. Both seem to be working well and they are pretty easy to put together.

How big of a tank are you looking at setting up?

 

[Ncts]

55 gallon corner tank

 

[Ncts]

Already set up. Been running for 3 years.

 

[carey]

cool. Just thinking of updating the filtration then? You may have a rough time fitting a skimmer in a 10g sump, do you have a 20g available? That would be ideal in my opinion.

 

[Ncts]

No room for a 20 gallon. Skimmer is a hang on side skimmer.

 

[carey]

Ahh too bad. But the 10g will be an ok choice. I am also being forced to use a 10g sump on my new 60g rimless cube tank, it's the only tank that can fit in a 23 inch stand. LOL

I would recommend a filter sock on the input into the sump, grab up the small particles before it runs back to the tank.

 

[Ncts]

Excellent! Thanks for the advise. I will take a picture when done and post..

 

[Wy Renegade]

While many consider the wet/dry to be dated technology, they are (if properly maintained) just as a effective as a sump. Additionally, you can hide equipment within them as well.

Personally I'm not a fan of small sumps. Unless you have a auto topoff, they are constantly out of water and there is very litte room for a heater. The height also does not typically allow for an insump or HOB skimmer. The minimum size I would consider is a 20H.

 

[Ncts]

Don't you have the same problems with a wet/dry?

 

[Wy Renegade]

Don't you have the same problems with a wet/dry?

Absolutely, I'm not a fan of a small wet/dry either. I was simply pointing out that they do work just as effectively as a sump if they are properly maintained.

 

[Ncts]

Cool. Like the idea of not having bio balls. Want to put a mantis shrimp into sump..

 

[Ncts]

Wy Renegade what would be the proper maintenance for a wet/dry?

 

[MacDracor]

Never used a wet/dry myself, but I'm a huge fan of a refugium sump. Not only can it help with nitrification (ammonia -> Nitrite -> to Nitrate) if done right, it can even remove the nitrates. wet/dry can be very efficient, but can also create a lot of nitrates.
I use a DSB and lots of macro in my fuge and my nitrates and phosphates are goofy low.

 

[Wy Renegade]

Proper maintaince mean physically removing half of the bioballs every month and rinsing them clean in old tank water when you are doing water changes (don't use freshwater as that kills the beneficial bacteria. I always also liked to clean out the debris that accumulated at the bottom of the bioball chamber - if you run a filter pad, that will help cut down on debris accumulation, but be sure and change it out often so that you dont get decay occurring in the pad.

 

[Wy Renegade]

Never used a wet/dry myself, but I'm a huge fan of a refugium sump. Not only can it help with nitrification (ammonia -> Nitrite -> to Nitrate) if done right, it can even remove the nitrates. wet/dry can be very efficient, but can also create a lot of nitrates.
I use a DSB and lots of macro in my fuge and my nitrates and phosphates are goofy low.

Absolutely agree with almost everything you said . Just a point of clarification on the sentence above in red. Wet/Drys only create nitrates based on the amount of raw materials (ammonia, food, nitrites, dead algae, etc) in the system - they cannot create them. If you're getting a lot of nitrates out of the wet/dry then you have another issue that you need to go looking for. In a normal reef tank, further conversion of nitrates into harmless nitrogen gas will occur in the LR in your DT. Keep in mind that a fuge only eliminates nitrates and phosphates out of the system if you are physically removing algae from the system. If you are simply allowing the algae to grow, these components maybe bound up in the algae, but they are not gone. If/when that algae begins to die off, they are released back into the system.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for a fuge system - much easier and cleaner when properly set-up IMO, I just like the whole story being out there. Fuges aren't magical, just like the wet/dry, they need maintanence.