wet-dry filter?

[mbaker82]

hi i have a wet-dry filter for my 55 gallon salt water tank. i would like to know more about these filters(pro"s & con's). in line with my filter i have a 25 watt uv light. it seems to work well. but i see that it dont pick up stuff thats floating around the tank unless it close to the overflow . i hope i am explaining my self clearly. i would like to know how to fix this problem.
thanks
michael

 

[seaham358]

there good units but the bioballs trap waste over time breaking down and causing high nitrates. Most have LR in the tank and take out the bio balls over time.
UV inline??? not sure what you mean here.... Is it hooked to your return pump? If so you should look into putting it on its own pump. A UV is not 100 effective unless you run water through it at a slow rate.
UV is used to kill bacteria, parasites, free floating algae... If there are particles of sand, crap it will do nothing to them just passes through the light.

 

[morphviper]

This should help

I bought a wet dry system from www.aqauplumbers.com and they where very helpful in fixing the particles in the water. They recomended using cotton pieces in the overflow and replace it about every 3 to 4 days and if I wanted less work then use power heads and create a counter current which stirs the particles around and allows the overflow to pick it up. I did both and my tank is perfectly clear! As far as nitrates I have very little because I use a light on my wet dry filter and the algea grows under my tank and not in it and keeps the nitrates at zero. I also use a protien skimmer in my sump. my tank has been perfect for about 6 months. The UV is a good thing. I don't use one because I don't have very many fish, mostly coral.

 

[jamielaxsw]

I also use a wet dry system. Off and on I have had a high nitrate readings. Water changes are usefull. But bio balls used in a wet dry system are nitrate factorys which is fine if you are using your tank for fish only and are regular with water changes. I've even heard that after about 4years or so one can have a complete failure if not very carefull. I have had my tank up and running now for a little over a year with fish and live rock and now am in the process of converting bio balls for live rubble. Somthing you might look into.. Aloha...

 

[mbaker82]

sounds great.
all info very helpfull. what type of live rock do i use for my wet dry and how much? do i use a light on it? if so what type.
thanks again
michael

 

[seaham358]

No light needed..... Get LR rubble cheaper the LR... check with a LFS for rubble.

 

[mbaker82]

so small peices would work? cool about how much should i put in the filter?
michael

 

[RMPD109]

how much lr do you have already? ideal amount is 1.5 to 2 lbs per gallon. the more the better anyhow. fillup the chamber if possible. just remember that the LR rubble needs to stay submerged and not just wet.

 

[lando]

I have removed all of the bioballs from my we/dry as well. Fill up the bioball compartment with LR rubble. You can buy this pretty cheap (somketimes free) at some LFS. It is the small little chunks left in the bottom of the curing tanks or in the boxes that the LR come shipped in. They do not have to be big. Surface area is the key. a lot of little rubble peices will give you more surface area for bacteria growth then, say, one big chunk of rock. I have a pic in my gallery of my sump with the LR rubble in it if you would like to take a look.