I have a question . When doing a water change is it better to empty your wet/dry down past the bioballs or let it fill up? I know if the bio filter dries up the bacteria will die and it takes me a while to do a water change so i always fill my sump up. do I loose bacteria since this is a wet/DRY filter?
loosing bacteria during a water change?
- Thread starter dodgefreak8
- Start date
When I used to do water changes on my tanks with wet/drys I would let the sump fill up but if you look at most wet/drys the area with the bio media is protected from drying out because you have the filter media on top and the water on the bottom.
Im not sure if filling up the bio balls with water is good idea because it might cause the balls to gather more dirt and this will make the bio balls a nitrate producer.
If youre doing a water change for an hour or two, then the balls should be damp enough so that the bacteria doesnt dry off.
If youre doing a water change for an hour or two, then the balls should be damp enough so that the bacteria doesnt dry off.
The wet towel works well, rinsing the bio-balls frequently is fine too, but my favorite method is filling up the filter, covering the bio-balls, and putting an airstone below, to keep the bacteria well oxygenated during the water change. Just my 0.02... 
Best regards.
Daniel.
Best regards.
Daniel.
thanks everyone. Just curious, I haven't had any ammonia doing this but I understand the nitrate point.. thanks again
