Thanks to raiders on mfk i got my hands on a really nice sea clear Wet/Dry to replace my DIY WD. The DIY made out of tubs worked great, kept my tank pretty clean , great temp place to house fish, and didn't make much noise with the proper water level. The major downsides were water evaporated at a good rate, it wasn't so easy to clean as a normal WD, had spots where dirt could settle or be hidden, def not enough bio ball (the recycle line ran to a seperate bin of pot scrubbers) and was ulgy.
For all young or poor fish keepers, id say use a DIY. Just take your time setting it and use any of the many cheap items found at many local stores (PVC, egg crate, plastic canvas, broken acrylic, etc). I rushed mine due to fish health so it came out sloppy.
I also personaly reccomend fluidized bed filters, helps keep my tank really clean. Once i added it, the water was cleaner, the algae stoped growing on the pvc, and ive never seen the PVC in the tank so white.
Here are pictures of the DIY and the new Wet/Dry.
I add a PVC frame to the WD to raise the bins that hold the bio balls a few inches so i could add a few more layers of pot scrubbers and bio balls. My pump fills the tank faster then the two 1" drains can work, so i have to recycle some of the water back into the Wet/Dry. That is why there is an extra tube and valve. Part of that has to due with the fact that my large silver aro broke the return bulkhead and its caped till i can drain the tank or fix another way.
BEFORE
AFTER
For all young or poor fish keepers, id say use a DIY. Just take your time setting it and use any of the many cheap items found at many local stores (PVC, egg crate, plastic canvas, broken acrylic, etc). I rushed mine due to fish health so it came out sloppy.
I also personaly reccomend fluidized bed filters, helps keep my tank really clean. Once i added it, the water was cleaner, the algae stoped growing on the pvc, and ive never seen the PVC in the tank so white.
Here are pictures of the DIY and the new Wet/Dry.
I add a PVC frame to the WD to raise the bins that hold the bio balls a few inches so i could add a few more layers of pot scrubbers and bio balls. My pump fills the tank faster then the two 1" drains can work, so i have to recycle some of the water back into the Wet/Dry. That is why there is an extra tube and valve. Part of that has to due with the fact that my large silver aro broke the return bulkhead and its caped till i can drain the tank or fix another way.
BEFORE
AFTER
