If your looking to do a fuge as a nitrate romover/reducer I would look into doing an algae scrubber, http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=180385&highlight=algae+filter Im not sure how efficent they are in FW but it dose seem to be lower maintinance than a full fuge. Im incoperateing one into my new build for sure, if it dosent work out so well then oh well but it seems to work to well to not give it a shot.youngbuckfl;3507045; said:
diy wd /fuge
- Thread starter youngbuckfl
- Start date
If you wanted the wet/dry and fuge in the same tank, the wet/dry will have to come after the fuge.
In the pic, water enters on the left, and goes threw a baffle, this is not needed, but allows you to have a good prefilter/bubble trap. It then over flows and fills up the "fuge" The fuge then over flows to the wet/dry, the wet/dry has to be held out of the water, which is the reason it comes after the fuge, you cant do it the other way unless you want a really shallow fuge.
after it overflows to the wet/dry side, it hits the drip plate and water trickles over the medie(giving you your wet/dry) it then flows over one more small baffle, (again, not needed, but sets a constant water level below your wet/dry so you dont hear "rain") and then gets pumped back to the tank.....
In the pic, water enters on the left, and goes threw a baffle, this is not needed, but allows you to have a good prefilter/bubble trap. It then over flows and fills up the "fuge" The fuge then over flows to the wet/dry, the wet/dry has to be held out of the water, which is the reason it comes after the fuge, you cant do it the other way unless you want a really shallow fuge.
after it overflows to the wet/dry side, it hits the drip plate and water trickles over the medie(giving you your wet/dry) it then flows over one more small baffle, (again, not needed, but sets a constant water level below your wet/dry so you dont hear "rain") and then gets pumped back to the tank.....
very nicely done, when im make my stuff im just gunna come on here, post a thread titling " best design contest" and whoever has the best design that i like best ill use, now of course you wont get any money, but when i post pics of it ill give credit to the designer lol
That is a pretty slick sump design, but IDK If a fuge is really worth it in a FW set up for me, I might try to come up with a design that has removeable slots/trays so I can put a plethora of media in there.
wouldnt it male more sense to have the wet dry portion of the filter before the refugium?
the bio media converts the amonia into nitrates, then the plants feed on the nitrates. if you have the plants first, that kind of defeats the purpose of the wet/dry.
the bio media converts the amonia into nitrates, then the plants feed on the nitrates. if you have the plants first, that kind of defeats the purpose of the wet/dry.
No, I'm "assuming" the fuge will remove a large portion of the food for the bacteria, ultimately making it less effective.
Where by having the wet/dry first, the bacteria still gets the bulk of the ammonia and nitrites, and the fuge still feeds on the nitrates (and whatever traces of the other stuff are left)
Where by having the wet/dry first, the bacteria still gets the bulk of the ammonia and nitrites, and the fuge still feeds on the nitrates (and whatever traces of the other stuff are left)
Just a thought: a shallow post-wet/dry fuge could still be very effective if filled with potted fast-growing emergents such as peace lilies, pothos, dracaenas, etc. interspersed with floating plants large enough not to cause clogging issues- water hyacinth, water lettuce, frogbit, etc.
Emergent and floating plants are likely to be good nitrate sponges, as they are not limited by the low availability of CO2 in the water. They may however require more frequent fertilization.
If you choose to use an algal scrubber as a supplement to, rather than replacement for, the wet/dry, you could simply use the trickle plate as the algal substrate. Rough up the surface and shine some low-K CFLs on it, and you're set!
Emergent and floating plants are likely to be good nitrate sponges, as they are not limited by the low availability of CO2 in the water. They may however require more frequent fertilization.
If you choose to use an algal scrubber as a supplement to, rather than replacement for, the wet/dry, you could simply use the trickle plate as the algal substrate. Rough up the surface and shine some low-K CFLs on it, and you're set!
i guess that could be true, but if you do it the other way around, even if the plants "spontaneously die", it will have no effect on the ammonia and nitrite levels.
