should i change my w/d or stay with what works

[ozpkchris]

well ive been running my wd on my 180 for a while w/out any problems but it not really dry. about 80 % of the bio media is wet. my sump still has enough room for a power outage

heres a pix of my setup

its really 2 15 gallon w/d put together

i use alot of carbon to control the fish tank order

my nitrates are 5ppm

the water level is high, most the media is under water

i feed the w/d with a 1.5" durso thats drilled on the bottom of the tank

the return is 760 gph thats split via a ball valve, cause my over flow cant handle it

should i fix what isnt broken, the tank is well maintaned but im 80% wet

do you think there would be a beneifit to lower the water level and how should i go about doing it

or am i crazy for even being concerned about this?

sorry bout the double post

 

[FSM]

If you want to add some unsubmerged media, all you have to do is add a chamber that sits above the sump and drains into it, and move where the water flows in from the tank.

The pump seems kinda small, BTW. I've got one that size on a 75 lol.

 

[ozpkchris]

yeah i agree but thats all my over flow can handle, (all the # are good)but the sump pull alot of crud out of the water, i clean the filter pads weekly and there maxed out w/ fish poo

i also have a 400 gph jebo cainster
and 2 acc 110's on the tank

so again should i fix whats not broke
up size the pump ( id have to add another over flow )

and make the wet dry more dry

 

[ozpkchris]

here a drawing of the complete setup

i guess help me pimp my filtration

 

[hybridtheoryd16]

What you have is a wet sump. Some people think that all sumps are wet/dry. But there are wet , dry , and wet/dry. You just have a different design. I would not change the sump design. Wet sumps have been around longer than wet/dry and they work great. I guess you could say that wet/dry sumps are a kind of new fad. That is moving thru the hobby like a wild fire. They do seem like they would work better, but if you don't need better than leave it alone. If you wanted to upgrade the system, add another over flow and a bigger pump and raise that turn over.

 

[ozpkchris]

thats a good way to put it, a fad. i guess its hard for me to tell cause i havent been doing this for maybe a year, and i learned every think i know from these forums. thanks

 

[Jgray152]

Some people think that all sumps are wet/dry. But there are wet , dry , and wet/dry.

So what is the difference between wet/dry and dry? Technically, there is no difference because the media is well....wet. Trying to say there is Wet, Wet/Dry and Dry is only going to add confusion.

 

[CHOMPERS]

well ive been running my wd on my 180 for a while w/out any problems...

If it ain't broke, break it so you'll have to fix it.

i use alot of carbon to control the fish tank oder

An obtrusive oder coming from the tank is a sign that the filter isn't large enough to keep up with the bio-load.

I am surprised that you can fit the water in the filters at shut down. I am in the same boat but I had to do a lot of math to make it work. In the end I had to plumb some of the water to another holding tank.

Read the sticky in the Setup section about sizing a pump to your tank. At the end is an explanation of how to use a pump's performance curve. Then track down the manufacturers web site for the pump curve. You need to know how much water it is actually pumping to your tank.

Then read the sticky in the DIY section about plumbing sizing. You need to replumb the tank. And get rid of that stand pipe design. Use two stand pipes that are properly sized. Make one about 1/2" to 1" taller than the other. Add a ball valve to the plumbing for the short one down at the sump. When the system is in operation, close the valve just to the point that water just barely trickles into the taller stand pipe. The short pipe won't suck any air. You will have a 100% silent system (other than the pump and sump noise).

 

[CHOMPERS]

So what is the difference between wet/dry and dry?

A typical wet/dry contains media on the bottom that is always submerged. In a bio-tower or one over the tank, the media drains completely so it is considered dry.

 

[hybridtheoryd16]

So what is the difference between wet/dry and dry? Technically, there is no difference because the media is well....wet. Trying to say there is Wet, Wet/Dry and Dry is only going to add confusion.

A dry sump is where there is no submerged bio-media. The media is suspened above the water line and is drip fed only. In reality all sumps are wet cause they have water running thru them. But commonly a dry sump has the media suspened above the water line. A wet and dry has some media submerged and some above the water line. And a wet is all submerged.------------so basically any time something(media) is not submerged it is considered dry.