wet dry filter

[sharkeye]

I have always been a HOB filter user, was really interested in the old diatom filters but back then could never afford one. A few yrs ago purchased my first canister filter a Rena xp3 which I really like. recently I've been looking at wet dry set ups, and from people I've talked to, they say this is the best filtration system with minimal maintenance. My biggest tank is a 55, this is what I would be using it for. Wondering if this is worth the expense, also I've heard horror stories of flooding with these systems if you lose power, is there any way to avoid this.

 

[Rare]

I have two megaflow overflow in the aquarium and this is where the water goes to the filter. If the power goes out it doesnt flood the cause it's marked where the max & min water is at. If I fill pass the max, then thats a difference story if power goes out. I do fill a bit more but that due to evaporation but it still stays on the edge.

 

[Feanix]

Never had one, but looking into using them, as you are. From what i understand, you need to have enough capacity in your sump to hold the amount of water that is in the plumbing from tank to filter, to avoid a flood. When the power goes out, your overflow will stop once the water level gets below it, but the siphon will continue until pressure is equalized. There are charts online that show how much water will be in a certain diameter pipe per foot and such. Hope this helps.

 

[bshenanagins]

You won't overflow as long as your overflow is High enough that the extra water will not overflow the sump. Is your tank drilled or your looking for a non drilled setup, which is what I'm attempting to build

 

[sharkeye]

I am going with an external overflow box, the main thing I want to know is this type of filtration worth spending more money. I do like how minimal the maintenance is compared to a canister filter.

 

[bshenanagins]

I am going with an external overflow box, the main thing I want to know is this type of filtration worth spending more money. I do like how minimal the maintenance is compared to a canister filter.

Is this a fresh or saltwater? Either way sumps are great and have tons of room for biomedia. In addition, it increases water volume, which in turn makes it easier to maintain proper parameters.