Wet/Dry Option

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Interest ideas. Now do you run just the finer pad, or in conjuction with the coarse or standard filter pad as well?
 
Dr Joe;643918; said:
If your not using one now, it will help...I wouldn't suggest changing from the top position tho if your alreading using it there.

Putting it on top (under the course filter material) will keep the bio-balls cleaner.

I use felt from the cloth store (there are several grades)(same place I get my foam). Use only white or natural, not colors and rinse in hot water before use (I'm just extra careful).

And I use two different grades (courseness) of filter material too, so, yes, that makes 3 layers of filter material on top of the scrubbies, with an aerator in the sump under it all.

Dr Joe

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Click to expand...


I do. Keeps from clogging the felt so fast.

Dr Joe

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Another question, how often should one clean the bio-balls? What is the best way to clean them, obviously in some tank water?
 
Put them in a mesh bag and swish (technical term) in tank water to get some of the gunk off...that's it.

Dr Joe

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Going to be more of a pain just tearing the filter down and getting the balls out, then actually cleaning them.
 
Well if you can route the output of your sump to a drain, remove the drip plate and filter material, then pour a bucket of tank water over the bio-balls from about 2ft up...that should be enough agitation to clean most stuff out, then rinse sump out with tank water and redirect output to the tank again.

Crude but effective.

If you custom make a mesh bag to the dimensions of the sump, you can leave the bio-balls in it all the time, then just pick it all up for cleaning.

I like things that are cheap and make life easier.

Dr Joe

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I am all about cheap and easy:ROFL: . Actually yeah that is a good idea, next time I have the balls out I will probably just place them in a mesh bag of some sort.

The way my stand is build there is no way to pour water on the balls unless I put the filter out, which is why I made the side boards of my stand removable. That way I can just drag the filter out. Once I did that I could just dump some water on them, but might as well still pull them out and swish them in a bucket of tank water.
 
Nothin's ever easy.

If we just had to push a button...I'd still have to get up and push the button! :grinno:

Dr Joe

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Gosh, glad I didn't remove my poly filter from my top drip tray of my pro clear 300 w/d sump as I thought about it since it seems to make that top tray overflow in two or three days, but the overflow just goes back into the sump and not spill. I have been changing it every week but not rinsing it just changing it to a new one and was thinking it just overflows once it gets saturated by water so nothing I can do. But I was reading on other forums to just not use any filter pads or anything on the top of your bio balls and let the skimmer do all the work, it sounded good but I didn't do it because I was thinking my bio balls would receive alot of junk if no filter was on top of them. What are your opinions on this? Also, was thinking of maybe adding some other filter bags with the filter floss, sort of build up that top tray with more mechanical filtration but I don't know if putting a smaller bag of lets say carbon or chemi-cure or something would make the drip not even so I just added a separate canister with these filters and just have it flowing in and out of the sump.
 
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