Cleaning a wet/dry

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slapnutz

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Jul 8, 2009
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So I made a wet/dry for my 75g a couple months ago. Everything has been working great, just as I need it. My sump is designed just like jcardona's (http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=246132).

My problem is that I haven't had enough mechanical filtration from the start, and now I have a mixture of food and crap at the bottom of the middle section, where the bio media sits. Not a lot, just a thin spread over the glass. Should I worry about cleaning this? And if so, I definitely need some ideas on how to clean. I can't pull the sump out of the stand, it was put in there before the tank was setup.
 
slapnutz;3780631; said:
So I made a wet/dry for my 75g a couple months ago. Everything has been working great, just as I need it. My sump is designed just like jcardona's (http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=246132).

My problem is that I haven't had enough mechanical filtration from the start, and now I have a mixture of food and crap at the bottom of the middle section, where the bio media sits. Not a lot, just a thin spread over the glass. Should I worry about cleaning this? And if so, I definitely need some ideas on how to clean. I can't pull the sump out of the stand, it was put in there before the tank was setup.
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Check this thread. I had the same problem, except mine built up over about a year. This mulm breaking down can cause pH problems, in addition to being a nitrate factory. You want to keep it as clean as possible. Here is one way of cleaning out your wet/dry without having to remove anything other than the drip plate (don't want the sump pumps running while you do this).

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=295443
 
Be careful not to disturb the bio any more than you have to & keep it wet at all costs while cleaning. Have you added the filter sock(s) at the sump inlet like cardona?
 
No I have not. Don't have a way to use them right now. I'm gonna go pick up a cheap pump from petco or something and grab some hose from lowes. Thanks for the help!
 
What I like to do is have a powerhead that is constantly disturbing that bottom area so that debris or mulm cannot settle to the bottom of the sump.

Honestly, I have not seen a sump yet that doesn't have a bit of this build-up at the bottom. The problem is that there is a trade off between how fine your media is and how often you want to change it. Finer media will help prevent this.
 
Pharaoh;3780915; said:
Honestly, I have not seen a sump yet that doesn't have a bit of this build-up at the bottom. The problem is that there is a trade off between how fine your media is and how often you want to change it. Finer media will help prevent this.
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This is very true.
 
I suppose I didn't think about it that way. I did pick up some AC50 replacement sponges today and put them between the first and second compartments to grab some of the waste before the filter pad. I am trying to find a cheap water pump, couldn't justify spending minimum $40 at petco/petsmart today.
 
I have my sump setup in a way that I can gravel vac it. Although I have only done this once. I also have a power head forcing water circulation across my bio media. I also have a ghetto filter sock.

I cut the top off of a 2 liter bottle, and then cut a section out of the side of the bottle. I then used the blue bonded filter mat wrapped around the inside of the bottle, I then put the pipe down the center of the bottle on the inside of the filter mat. Its working very effectively, I could add micron level filtration you get from filter socks by using finer filter media such as the 5 micron pads that you can get for the Rena Filstar.
 
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