my mechanical filtration is failed on my DIY W/D?

[billm90]

I made my own wet/dry tower and sump put of rubbermaid or whatever. basically I have 2 towers like this

They sit in a rubbermaid tub. water level is at the top, of the bottom drawer.

the upper 2 drawers are filled with diy cut to fit filter material. The Blue and the white floss. I have 2-3 pieces in each drawer.
(large bottom drawers are bio filters)
I change/clean the filters weekly

the material is layed in like a pocket (think coffee filter) so all water has to pass through the filter.
I poked holes in the bottoms of the trays, mostly 1/8th" some 1/4" or slightly bigger incase of plugging. they NEVER overflow.

Why does my sump have all sorts of sand/waste/and or food in it?

Do you guys have totally clean sumps?
if so, how do you keep it that way?

I am looking for ideas, or maybe some other layouts for me to use?
what about foam, then filter pad?

I also was wondering about filter socks like the reef guys use? maybe yank it everyday and clean it?

I used a power head last week in the sump to recycle the crud back to the tank and hopefully back to the filters. 5 days later and it is forming waste on the sump bottom again. Obviously something is bad, or this is to be expected?

 

[dmopar74]

ive got the same setup and problem as you, and i use quilt batting, which is finer material on top of the blue/white pads. my tank is always dirty

 

[Mattyou]

When I do my water changes I drain my sumps right before refill to get rid of all the crap that accumulates in it.

 

[Dr Joe]

Filter socks will work, but need to be cleaned regularly so the detritus isn't eroded and passed thru the filter.

Start with a course filter and clean regularly, followed by medium and fine filter material, There are several grades of felt that can be used but clog easily (ie work well) so pre-filtering is a must. The felt is much denser than the poly-fil which slows down the water flow (volume) without back pressure (water height).

Watch for channeling too.

Dr Joe

.

 

[cchhcc]

I just use a big filter sock that I replace every couple of days (rotating it out with clean ones...... I cycle through four or five between washings).

 

[billm90]

Over the weekend I thought maybe the little bit of water filling up in the trays (drilled into drip trays) needed to drain faster. so I opened up the holes and now I have uneven drips. I guess I will be building this thing again.

So I got to thinking about a vortex/sediment chamber. I am limited on room now. I have about 15" above my refugium, so I thought maybe I could make a 4" abs pipe chamber.

I could have the water enter about 2/3 the way towards the bottom, and have the top plumb into the filter. make the bottom of the chamber a 2" drain to empty. I dont know if this would be enough 'area' to get the job done.