Wet/dry vs conventional sump

[mleibowi]

I have a 4 long old oceanic 120 gal double overflow reef tank I obviously bought used. The tank came with a old amiracle wet/dry sump. I have lots of Sumter floss, seachem matrix and some purigen/heaters in the sump. It probably only holds ~15 gallons. The pump is a synchra sicche and turns over probably almost 10x/hour. I’m happy with the sump except I feel it’s small and I’ve read that wet/dry sumps aren’t as good as conventional at denitrifying. I don’t know if that’s true.
I found a new trigger sapphire 26 sump for $125 on Craigslist. My question is, should I switch over sumps? Would the added volume be worth the aggravation of re-plumping the system. I wish I had plumped things a little differently but the water seems to be clear and overall what I have seems to be doing the job. I’d love to hear others thoughts as I spent a while plumbing my amiracle wet dry and had plenty of stops at Home Depot to get it working and if there is only marginal benefit with extra costs I would prefer not to change anything. Thanks!!!

[Iminit]

Some pics of your system and dimensions of both. I’m a fan of the wet/dry. Denitrifying takes place in a oxygen free lightless environment. Wet/drys and sumps are the exact opposite. They work with oxygen rich bacteria. Got to say my wet/drys outperform my fx6 and run cheaper.

[mleibowi]

I'm at work- but essentially I have 2 soft tubings that lead to a trickle system. I have several layers of filter floss for mechanical filtration. Beneath that, I have seachem matrix for biological filtration and another bit of floss beneath that on an egg crate. In the return pump section, I have purigen, phosguard and carbon and 3 heaters. That's all. Per Seachem, the matrix can last indefinitely. I've never rinsed it. Is that your experience?

My sump looks like the picture below except there are 2 outflows, no bioballs (floss) beneath that seachem matrix, and in the other area, I have purigen, carbon and my pump.

Amircale sump.jpg

I may save my $125 and keep what I have. Tom, I've read that the wet/dry and/or sumps should hold about 20% water volume. Given mine hold like 15 gallons or less, I'm always been a little worried I'm not filtering enough. My return pump is pretty solid so I know I'm getting good water turnover. My durso returns occassionally spit out bubbles, not sure if that's an issue.

[Iminit]

That wet/dry looks fine for your tank. Looks like mine.73366808-101C-401E-8BB8-64D62F1408AA.jpg I also use this internal filter as a backup.650DC36D-4697-406D-AA75-F96E127DE11C.jpg

[mleibowi]

Looks similar. You have a huge amount of floss in there. How often do you change it? what kind of biological filtration do you have? How often do you clean your sump? I'll take a pic when I get home and post.

[Iminit]

Bacteria grow on all surfaces in the filter. Even mechanical grows bacteria. Sponges are your best biological media. It’s been running just over a year and I’ve cleaned it twice.

[mleibowi]

wow- I feel like when my floss starts turning brown, it's not really trapping much detritus. The water is clearer after I replace it.

[mleibowi]

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Got some diatoms in my tubing, I know. Filter floss, then the seachem matrix. I don’t have any purigen or carbon as I’m testing the tank with metronidazole. Today is day 6 of 10/12.

[Iminit]

You’ve got yours set up different. Filter floss will get dirty quickly. Is there a sponge in your overflow? I don’t use purigen or carbon. I do have matrix in bags and bio-home in bags in the sump area. In the first intake area I use this.https://www.ebay.com/itm/265235752247

[captainandy]

Reefers largely abandoned wet/dry and use a lighted sump with rocks - bacterial growth and plants - removes nitrates and phosphates.
But, since I change water so frequently, I don’t bother with either

[mleibowi]

Yes- I’m no reefer. Tom, I have mechanical to biological, to purigen/carbon. The wet dry is small so I can only fit so much. Also, does seachem matrix need to be washed and fully submerged? I have a little that gets trickled on. Thanks all!

[Iminit]

Your purigen is pumice rock? I’m thinking it’s the same as matrix. All these are is either pumice or lava rock. They are porous rock. That’s it!! Marketing is naming them! Sponge is the same thing but more depth=volume. More area for bacteria to grow on. This is why hob’s with sponge do such a great job. This is why bio-balls worked. It’s just surface area for bacteria to grow on. On your wet dry. In my opinion your first area is wrong. You want either a ball pit or the roll of media I put up earlier. These will grow oxygen rich bacteria that will eat all your ammonia and nitrite. Before them you want a prefilled sponge to break down the waste before entering the ball pit. Another sponge after the ball pit cleans and removes anything left for clear water. What’s in your sump I truthfully don’t know what it’s doing. Oh I’ve got bags of matrix and bio-home in there but yo me what’s left for the bacteria in them to eat?? Some say nitrates! But denitrifying bacteria needs an oxygen free dark area to grow. Which in my opinion isn’t found in a wet/dry or a sump. All your filtration happens in the ball pit. ��
Carbon i havnt used in 20yrs. It’s for removing odor or meds that’s it. Some say more clarity in water.

[mleibowi]

Tom, thanks for the input. The purigen supposedly removes organic waste. I don't believe it is pumice/lava rock. The first section has floss which is the same as your roll of media. I have another bit of floss after the seachem matrix. My understanding is that the floss is providing mechanical filtration and home to bacteria. The matrix is where the majority of the biological filtration is, and the purigen binds up any residual organics prior to return to the tank. Happy to get feedback.

[farebox]

Just my two cents on this subject, been running my sump for over nine years with a DIY pre-filter containing Pinky filter media, Seachem matrix, next chamber has Bio-home media and two Dr. Novak's most recently added two of his BCB bags, and in the last chamber have some Seachem purigen. Man, my water is crystal clear and the end game here is very happy and healthy 14 discus fish in a 125-gallon tank.

[Iminit]

Yeah I just read up on the stuff. Never used it and still not sure. But it’s good to here good results with it.