wet dry filter enough?

[scottswald]

first of all i dont really know anything about all of this but im here to learn.

i have a 100 litre tropical tank, i have built a 40 litre sump for a wet dry trickle filter.

the media i have used is a lot of the nylon pan scrubbers.

is there anyway this will do by it's self if i let it run for a while before putting any fish in or do i have to put a mechanical filter in it also?

(dont just laugh at me if this is a stupid question, im here to learn)

 

[scottswald]

anyone????

 

[swk]

As long as your w/d has some filter pad before the water reaches your scrubbies you should be fine.

 

[bitteraspects]

you can use your wet/dry as your only filter on the tank. as long as you have a layer of mechanical media on the top of your wet dry, it will catch whatever floating particles make their way to your overflow. however, if you are using substrate, you will still need to vacuum it regularly to pick up whatever waste settles in your substrate.

you can either add a powerhead to increase your circulation, and help floating debris make its way to your overflows. or you can add another filter for mechanical function. its really up to you.

i have tanks run by ONLY a wet/dry trickle filter, and it keep them clean with no additional "mechanical filter"

 

[Miguel4u2]

It depends on the gph that the sump can run at, provide this information if you want answers.

 

[scottswald]

i am really on a budget here and dont have a gravel vacuum. could i make a siphon with a hose and do it that way to suck wate etc. up?

i am a plumber and have many central heating pumps that are un-used, they have 3 power levels but i was wondering if these can be used or if they're too powerful?

 

[scottswald]

even if it is too powerful i can just reduce the inlet to the pump down to a smaller size pipe tbh.

i assume the reason for only seeing pvc pipe is that no copper is allowed in the system?

 

[bitteraspects]

there are a few designs in the DIY forum for a "DIY Gravel Vac". youd have to search for them though.

as far as the central heating pump, i dont think you can use those for this application.

 

[scottswald]

thanks for the help with gravel vac.

do you know why it wouldnt be suitable? flow can be adjusted to wat is nessacary and it has plenty of power + quiet. i was going to take it to a sprayer/dripper thing in my hood

 

[bitteraspects]

i dont believe they are aquarium safe.
you will need to buy a submersible pump. (QuietOne and Rio brands both offer reasonably priced pumps)