i have a wet dry filter with 300 bio balls and a 1200gph pump. (220g tank)
how do you service it? when do i clean the bio balls?
how do you service it? when do i clean the bio balls?
wet dry filter --???
- Thread starter CHUPA CABRA
- Start date
You shouldn't need to clean the bioballs if you have a good prefilter. If the bioballs accumulate lots of detritus, you can pull them out and swish them around in a bucket of tank water (do not use tap water because it is most likely chorinated and will kill of your beneficial bacteria). Your filter floss should be cleaned whenever it gets dirty. The cleaning intervals will vary depending on your bioload.
Since it sounds like you're new to sumps, I would also caution you on the horrors of backsiphoning. If your pump output is low in the tank and the power goes out, the water will back siphon into your sump until the water level in your main tank has breached the output nozzle. What this means is you will have a flood because your sump is probably not large enough to hold a large percentage of the water in your main tank. Solutions to this problem include keeping your output nozzle at the surface and/or drilling a hole in out output just below the water line so that if there is a backsiphon the siphon will be broken once the water drops below the hole you drilled. You didn't mention mention the configuration of your overflow, but make sure that it is high enough in your tank so that if you turn your pumps off there won't be so much water overflowing into your sump that it overflows the sump.
Since it sounds like you're new to sumps, I would also caution you on the horrors of backsiphoning. If your pump output is low in the tank and the power goes out, the water will back siphon into your sump until the water level in your main tank has breached the output nozzle. What this means is you will have a flood because your sump is probably not large enough to hold a large percentage of the water in your main tank. Solutions to this problem include keeping your output nozzle at the surface and/or drilling a hole in out output just below the water line so that if there is a backsiphon the siphon will be broken once the water drops below the hole you drilled. You didn't mention mention the configuration of your overflow, but make sure that it is high enough in your tank so that if you turn your pumps off there won't be so much water overflowing into your sump that it overflows the sump.
thanks for your help
do you think i need another type of filtration, like a canister filter or would the 300bio balls with the 1200gph would be enough.
before the water hits the bio balls they have to go thru 5 layers of filter media that i had install
what are your thoughs on this?
do you think i need another type of filtration, like a canister filter or would the 300bio balls with the 1200gph would be enough.
before the water hits the bio balls they have to go thru 5 layers of filter media that i had install
what are your thoughs on this?
sounds like yer set with that much prefiltering.. BB will grow on all the media either way... swishing the media out in a bucket of tank water is the best way to "clean" it out when it starts to restrict the water flow...
the advice about back syphoning is spot on
the advice about back syphoning is spot on
