wet/dry and sump difference?

[Fishes33]

I don't get it, whats the difference between a wet/dry filter and a sump??? Do they work the same? I need some clarification on this, thanks

and

I just bought this wet/dry filter How is it possible to filter out the wastes and stuff? The sump got different level of separating debris and this is only one chamber to separate. How's that going to work?

 

[Jgray152]

I don't see a difference at all. Some may add their own definitions. Some may say you have a "Dry Filter", or "Wet Filter" or "Wet / Dry filter". To me, any sump that has bio media which is not submerged, or atleast has very little submerged, its a wet/dry sump.

 

[cchhcc]

A sump is a container, pool, pit, or drain field in a low area (a reservoir under an aquarium in our case). A wet/dry filter is a filter wherein the bio-media is not submerged; the water just trickles over the media (a.k.a. "trickle filter").

A sump can include a wet/dry "trickle" compartment, or it can just be full with water and media (functioning like a huge canister filter).

In most cases in the US, most people saying sump mean wet/dry. That isn't always correct, but it is often used in that manner -- hence the confusion.

Wet/dry filters are usually under a tank, but can be configured over a tank also (where water is pump up to the trickle tower before it drains into the tank), so it gets even more confusing! So, I'd suggest you don't use sump and wet/dry interchangeably.

 

[heavyhitter]

The term is usually used interchangebly and I think that rises to confusion, I am guilty of this myself.

Also alot of "sumps" use a combination of the two.