Good Wet/Dry filters?

[Fishy Steve]

Recently my wife and I got our first aquarium (20 gal), but have had some trouble getting our tank to cycle. After doing a littler research, I think getting a wet/dry filter would help a lot. The power filter that came with our all-in-one kit is the type that hangs on the side/in the tank, but the filter media is completely submerged. Any suggestions about which one to get?

[Fresh2o]

For a FW tank I would skip the wet/dry filter. You would have to provide some way to get the water from the display tank (your 20g) to the sump below the tank (where the wet dry media resides). This can be accomplished by drilling the tank and creating an over flow using pipes or by adding a hang on back (HOB) style over flow. Lastly, you would need a pump to move the water from the sump to the display tank. I've done that before but on a larger tank (55g).
You could simply use an HOB filter on the back of the tank. Takes up no room inside the tank, provides decent circulation, and mechanical and biological filtration. Some have a built in wet/dry chamber in them. Many sizes and brands to choose from. Common brands include Fluval, Marineland, Aqueon, and TopFin.



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[brennae]

I would recommend Fluval C series or the Fluval Aquaclear personally and I second skipping the wet/dry filter. Did you cycle with ammonia? Or a fish in cycle?

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[Fishy Steve]

Maybe I'm a little confused as to what a wet/dry filter is. I was thinking of a bio wheel or bio balls - something that provides a moist, oxygen rich environment for bacteria to grow. Is that not a wet/dry filter? I'm still learning. Maybe the filter that came with the tank would be sufficient?

We're trying to do a fishless cycle, but after a month of waiting for ammonia to drop and no sign of nitrites or nitrates, I'm considering doing a traditional fish-in cycle.

[Fresh2o]

Originally Posted by Fishy Steve

Maybe I'm a little confused as to what a wet/dry filter is. I was thinking of a bio wheel or bio balls - something that provides a moist, oxygen rich environment for bacteria to grow. Is that not a wet/dry filter? I'm still learning. Maybe the filter that came with the tank would be sufficient?

We're trying to do a fishless cycle, but after a month of waiting for ammonia to drop and no sign of nitrites or nitrates, I'm considering doing a traditional fish-in cycle.

Traditionally, a wet/dry filter was a separate tank/container with bio-balls or other trickle media. This is placed below the main tank with overflows and return lines.
There are some HOB (Hang On Back external) filters that try to mimic this activity. One of them are the Marineland/Emperor/Penguin series that use a rotating cylinder of pleated material AKA the biowheel. Another is the Fluval C series that has a wet/dry compartment.
It can be debated if these filters are any more effective than any other HOB filter in terms of processing ammonia and nitrites.
IMO I would add a second filter such as an AquaClear 50 HOB filter. Keep your current filter running until well after the cycling has completed.
You may need to obtain seeded filter media from your LFS or another tank owner to jump start you system. There is an AA member who sells seeded filter media as well.


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[NigelK8485]

How much ammonia did you put in the tank and what are the levels now? You're using a liquid test kit, correct?


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[Fishy Steve]

Yes, I have a liquid test kit. Ammonia is at 4 ppm, ph is 8.2, and nitrites and nitrates are both at 0. Seeding material is a good idea. I'll try to get some from our pet store. I got a marineland bio-wheel filter today (fluvals looked really nice, but are a bit pricy for our little starter tank) but I'll keep our first filter going until it's totally cycled. I'll let you know what happens. Thanks for the help!

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[Fresh2o]

If you cannot find seeded media from the LFS one member that has sold it in the past is MrFisher. I would PM him in case you are looking for seeded media. He sells it as filter sponges which can be cut to fit for your filter. This can cut the cycle time down to days.
A month is not unreasonable for an unseeded tank. It can take 6-8 weeks.


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