New at this: DIY wET/dRY FOR 300G

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
R

remme

Candiru
MFK Member
Jan 28, 2009
109
13
48
NJ
Attempting to build a wet dry for my new 300g wide tank. Was planning on using my 90g tall (48x18x24) for it. Drew something up, let me know what you think? Also, will 2 300w heaters be enough to heat the 300 w/ the heaters in the sump? I also have a fx5 sitting around. Could I leave the media (such as carbon) out of the wet/dry and just run the fx5 with the media in it (carbon, etc)? What wattage u.v. sterilizer would you recommend, Im looking to do about 1500gph (realistic?) out of this sump so i was thinking 35-40 watt u.v. sterilizer. Will 1/4" plexi be thick enough to do the dividers with and is standard aquarium silicone strong enough to hold them in place? I think thats all the questions I have, Thanks and dont mind the amatuerness of these questions, Never built a wet/dry before...Mike

wetdry.png
 
you want your mechanical (sponge) before your biological (bio). so ur set up is great but just reverse the bio and ur sponge. you can do it that way but your tank will take a lot longer to extablish. so just switch tem and keep us updated
 
or I can keep the biological out all together because I do have the fx5 i can just jam pack with carbon etc. Whats a reliable 1200gph pump?
 
I have a commercial built wet/dry I purchased off Craigslist that uses an identical configuration to what you have drawn. It works perfectly! I do not use and do not see a need for the submersed media under the bio balls. I do run an air stone on a small pump where you have the submersed media to supply a constant flow of fresh air to the bio ball chamber. I agree that the sponge you show is kind of redundant to the filter pads in the drip tray... but my sump came with a sponge in the same spot and I have always used the sump with it in place. What benefit it provides I don't know.

I would think 1/4" plexi would be sufficient for the partitions. I have never used plexi in a glass sump but I have heard that silicone does not adhere as well to plexi as it does to glass. If it were me I would use the 1/4 plexi and silicone and just make sure I had a healthy bead of silicone holding the plexi in place. If the silicone should fail it would not cause any sort water leak so you should be ok.

I run the return line from my sump through a DE pool filter. I always have crystal clear water and the DE filter is supposed to (and seems to) filter out the same parasites and algae your UV is supposed to kill (I have never had a fish disease in my tank since I started running the DE).

Here is a possible drip tray for you: http://www.amazon.com/MCS-11114-14-...UTF8&qid=1358274640&sr=8-3&keywords=box+frame
 
Buy bulk rolls of filter padding off of eBay cut to size and lay it over the drip tray. I think more bio material the better so if you have submerged media in there that's great as well as bioballs. Definitely put an air stone or small water circulating pump inside. I'm sure a lot of us on here will tell you the bottom of the sump over time builds some nasty sediment and is a ***** to clean out Silicone will not stick to plexi. You need glass cut eventually your dividers will just fall apart. You may want to just try to run sump with a 1800gph- 2400 gph pump without fx5. 90 gallon sump is a nice size for a 300. If you are just looking for water movement get a couple circulating pumps. The use a hell of a lot less electricity than the fx5.
What is the overflow setup? You didn't mention that
 
wetdry.pnghavent recieved the tank yet, my understanding is it has two built in over flow boxes in either corner and both are drilled. by curculating pump do you mean like a power head facing down and towards the main water pump to stop sedement from collecting under the bioballs? i thought you didnt want air bubbles in the main body of the sump or did i misunderstand that? I revamped the picture and added what you guys said. what do you think? should i replace the yellow sponge with media? or maybe ad media underneath that in the same section? thanks

wetdry.png
 
The price is rite on that filter, cheaper than an FX5. The only concern with the pool filter is how many watts/amps the pump will draw. I read the all the specs and didn't find how much power it draws. Call Hayward maybe they can tell you. They recommend installing 1.5 foot below the pool surface, so if it's mounted under the tank flow may be reduced. There is a bio media made for sand filters called Filter Clay and is supposed to be superior to using sand. You may need additional mechanical filtration if you have too much suspended particles in your tank. You could drain your tank through filter socks into a sump containing your heaters then into the Hayward. Leave space in the sump below the input to the Hayward and the sump could act as an additional settling chamber.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom