Bio media

[jcardona1]

Oxygen is necessary in the reaction to breack down the harmful waste/chemicals. Wet/Dry filters add more oxygen there for the bacteria flourishes and does its job extra well. Typically though moving water absorbs enough air ambiently. A wet/dry filter is not necessary its sort of a novelty for a Extra Extra clean tank, or to have a smaller filter handling a larger bioload.

The excess oxygenation is required because of the poor surface area of the plastic media used. Submerged ceramic media will always be superior to exposed bio balls.

Apparently ceramic media must be doing something right




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[Laticauda]

Is that you?

 

[jcardona1]

Is that you?

no those are old pics that have floated around MFK for years

 

[dasani]

i have my pond matrix submerged in a 33g sump. I have a spare air pump and few airstones so i added that near the media. Im not sure if it will help but fi my fish equipment is laying everywhere the old lady will throw it out lol.

 

[West1]

Nice pics J
The second pic I like a lot! Not a fan of the skeleton stands that show the bottom but that one in the 2nd pic has a nice touch to it...

 

[akskirmish]

It all has to do with the type of media used, and their relevant surface areas.

Bio balls and pot scrubbies are basically solid pieces of plastic, therefore they don't have tons of surface area. Hence, they are used in wet/dry applications where the water is dripping over the media. The high levels of oxygen allow the bacteria to grow on colonize better than if they were fully submerged (lower levels of oxygen).

This is why you would not want to use pot scrubbies or bio balls in a canister filter. Canister filters rely on highly porous media (like ceramic rings) that have TONS of surface area. The vast amounts of surface area give the bacteria more room to grow in an environment that would have less oxygen than a wet/dry application. Low levels of oxygen and not good surface area = not the most effecient form of bio filtration. 1 liter of Seachem Matrix for example, has the surface area of 170 liters of bio balls!!

Me, I like to have the best of both worlds. The benefits of a sump, and the vast amounts of surface area offered by ceramic media. So my sumps are not your typical wet/dry setup. I have no baffles, no dividers, and no drip trays. Just filter socks and a basket of ceramic media. I'm convinced this is the most effective setup in terms of mechanical and bio filtration. There really is no way to argue against it

I am looking to due something along these lines....I have some ehiem media along with a load of ceramic rings.....Looking to replace bioballs

 

[nes999]

I'm sure it would work great. High levels of oxygen + highly porous media = WIN. Although due to the weight of the media you may need to reinforce the eggcrate/floor that supports the media.

One day i may just try this. but id be louder then submerged :/

 

[smitty03281964]

I have always heard that when the media is exposed to the actual air it increases the bio load. But by how much a don't think anyone can really stake a claim to that question.

 

[rhodes_96]

Im just curious, what if you put a high porous material, for example, matrix in your wet dry would it work well.

I personally am a fan of submerged sumps, so simple.

It works fantastic. I have used all sorts of bio media over the years and without a doubt matrix in my testing is the best. My wet dry setups all contain more than 20+ litres of matrix or pond / pond matrix. All my tanks have 0-5ppm of nitrates all the time and never a rise. Even in a oxygen rich environment of a wet dry filter, the internal pore structure of matrix is capable of housing enough denitrfying bacteria to consume the nitrate load of my tanks.

 

[akskirmish]

It works fantastic. I have used all sorts of bio media over the years and without a doubt matrix in my testing is the best. My wet dry setups all contain more than 20+ litres of matrix or pond / pond matrix. All my tanks have 0-5ppm of nitrates all the time and never a rise. Even in a oxygen rich environment of a wet dry filter, the internal pore structure of matrix is capable of housing enough denitrfying bacteria to consume the nitrate load of my tanks.

appreciate info