Opinions on this wet/dry filter

[akumastew]

I was looking on getting a sump and wet/dry set up.

Being new to the sump thingy, and not having a drileld tank, I was thinking on trying this product.

http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.co...2&pcatid=19622

Anyone have any experience with it?

- Stewart

[jimg]

That imo is more for reef. A simple hang on overflow,with basic wet dry and eheim hobby pump is what I 've had for over 16 years and still swear by it.

[kaceyo]

The skimmer is basicly a waist of space and money in a fresh water setup and I'm not thrilled with the designs of the wet/dry canisters I've seen.
IMO a simple trickle filter/sump type would be best if you must have a wet/dry.

[Harriett]

I would do a little research on line...google 'home made wet/dry filter' and a world of info will open up. These filters usually sell for $250+ and you can make a dandy one very easily for less that $50 that probably works better. You just need to absorb and understand the science behind the concept! Best of luck,
Harriett

[Darrell Ward]

Too expensive if you ask me. You can make them for peanuts. I'm made several out of old, scratched up aquariums for nothing. They can be as simple as you want them. A couple of 4" thick pieces of Poret foam wedged in an old aquarium with a submersible pump thrown in for return makes a dandy filter. SeaChem Pond Matrix put into a mesh bag and placed in the sump with the Poret foam further increases the bio to a level that's way more than you will ever need. It will work as good, or better than you can buy at any price. It ain't rocket science. If an old hillbilly from the woods can do it, anyone can.

[DerekFF]

I made my own with an old 10g tank and a small piece of acrylic as a divider and a larger pump....i do also have an overflow in my tank though.

[kareen]

http://www.glass-holes.com/main.sc?categoryId=1 Try this web-page for a good overflow Ihave one there good. Karen

[Fish Finatics]

I am not familiar with the filter you show, I am however very familiar with the Eheim version, actually they copied Eheim's idea. It is true these types of filters were billled origionally as reef filters, all true enough! The problem with traditional wet/dry filters is that they require frequent and thorough maintainance after about 3 months in operation. They can overflow and overflo boxes have been known to malfunction causing your tank to overflow.

The surface skimmer is a waste as one member pointed out. They really don't work well in either fresh or saltwater. This hobby is loaded with money making gimmicks and false claims. I run three Eheim wet/dry canisters on freshwater tanks. I water is super soft. I have had no problem with their performance. With the Eheims they are virtually no maintainance provided you are running a couple of good aggressive mechanical filters. If you do buy an Eheim make sure those hoses are perfectly even with no more than 3 inches of slack. They can be a little fickle to get started if this is not done and they will not run at optimal efficiency. My first wet/dry was bought as a filter for my newly established reef many years ago. I have since bought two others and would not hesitate to buy again. I have 9 tanks and I still work and commute to Jersey daily from PA. I do not have the time to wrestle filters anymore than necessary. I water change my discus tanks 2 to 3 times weekly but rarely mess with the filters and NEVER touch the wet/dries as their purging action keeps them flushed out as long as you have good aggressive mechanical filtration elsewhere. There is some truth to "you get what you pay for"!

[Crockett]

I am not familiar with the filter you referenced, however I have always used an Oceanic sump model 3 (see pic below) on my 175 gallon Oceanic tank, and I am a big fan of this sump. I also use a small submergible filter in the sump that picks up small particles that didn’t get filtered out; this keeps the bottom of the sump spotless without any particles, and helps enhance the polishing of the water. I use a Mag drive12 submergible pump in the sump. The system is super quiet and I would never use anything else. I also plumbed the returns with PVC and used the hose that comes with the sump for the two outlets. I will see if I can post some pictures. I also placed two ball values on returns line to control the flow rate; however I have never needed to dial it back because the Mag drive 12 seems to the perfect pump for the size tank I have.


The pic I posted may be the model 1 or 2 becuase it shows just one rerturn and one outlet. The model 3 has two of each, but basically looks very similar to the picture.

Dave

[Fish Finatics]

Although I am not familiar with this type of wet/dry, I do like many of Oceanic's product lines. I hope they do not limit their product lines too much. For example, being a planted discus tank enthusiast, I am really concerned about what I see happening in the lighting field. ALL manufacturers are pulling their compact flourescents, Coralife/Oceanic are the last hold-outs but they too plan on pulling their power compacts. The next obvious alternative for us people who love our big tanks would be metal halide..... Good luck as no one is making 6,700K bulbs for halides anymore. Regular pendant halide light fixtures are vanishing with the exception of Hamilton and maybe a few obscure others. Again Coralife is the last holdout for bulbs and only for 150 watt fixtures. I am seeing manufacturers really starting to limit their available products across the board to the most popular sellers. If you have something that works, "stick with it".

I am not sure why you asked about the "Rapids filter". You do not want competing biological filtration, where one biologial filter pulls against the other on one tank.

If you have a Drs. Foster and Smith catalog you will see the filter I am referring to always printed above the Rapids filter. I thought you were hoping to avoid the over-flo type set-ups. While I do not have the Rapids filter I do have 3 Eheims 2 2227 and a 2229 which work on the same principle as the Rapids filter. In all honesty I only use overflo boxes on my reef system for my frag tank and refugium. I have a 100 gal. sump centrally located on that system and it pumps to two levels in my home. I too use Mag drive pumps both on the reef and for pumping water from my water storage areas for my 4 discus tanks. I have four Mag drives operating now, 2 500 gph (which pump water to both the refugium and frag tank), a 900 (which sends water up a level for water changes from my water holding vats) and an 1800 which pumps water to my reef display tank one level up and is returned via built in over-flo. The set-up you illistrate looks real good and I think your choice of the Mag drive 1200 with two outlets probably works really well. Sounds perfect.

[DiscusLoverJeff]

What would be a good recommendation for a 95 gallon tank in the Eheim line of wet/dry filtration?

More so, is it really needed for a discus display tank?

[Darrell Ward]

What would be a good recommendation for a 95 gallon tank in the Eheim line of wet/dry filtration?

More so, is it really needed for a discus display tank?

Model 2229 is what I would use. IMO, the wet-dry would not really be needed. I would probably go with the classic Model 2260 for your tank.