Sump or Trickel filter?

The bio-load increase from a Wet/Dry system does not come from smaller droplets. The bio-capacity is increased because the water runs over a surface area that does not always stay submerged under water. This increases the oxygen levels thus increasing the amount of bacteria that can live per sq. in. Hence the name: Wet/Dry.

 

I think What tangster means is that if water enters from the top, it will not diverge into one "channel". sine LR is not made in a perfect shape it may push water to one side and render the rest of the LR dry. Whats the use of a trickle filter if theres no water over half of the bio media?

 

LOL the tiny droplets are exposed to the air and the more espouser the more exchange there is.. Put a strong air stone in that chamber and it get even better Lets review the water enters the media chamber then starts to drip through the drip plate or on the ones I build its a rotating spray bar . if what you say is the way it works why have a drip plate ?? Add a air stone into that chamber and you even make them more efficient. More drops the more air exchange there is. If what you say was the real facts then why not just seal the air inlets up ? Anytime you atomize a liquid to a fine mist or droplets the more air exchange there is and far far far better mixing and gas exchange of the.. Thats a fact. More spray with higher O2 content equals a more efficient wet dry hence more bio load is carried. Aerobic bacteria needs more oxygen and more oxygen equal more bacteria are present and the more of the nitryfing bacteria the more load you can add why ? Thats wet driy 101

 

Well, for one thing, the drip plate is a mechanical filter cartridge designed to hold a filter pad and to disperse the water evenly over the biological media, whatever that media may be. Thats why you have a drip plate. On regular water flow wet/dry, you're not going to get any "mist" or dropplets", you will have water flowing over the bio media.

"If what you say was the real facts then why not just seal the air inlets up ?" what are air inlets?

and for wet dry 101as well as the waste levels, check my last post on pg1 in this topic. You're last reply doesn't address any of it. you will still have nitRATE problem in the long run. You're not going to increase the actual bio-capacity of a system by having a Wet/Dry system over a Sump/Fuge, as the basic principle of the wet/dry with bio-balls is still based on aerobic bacteria. With Live rock, you get a larger surface area (as the rock is porous), and you will also provide room for anaerobic bacteria as well.

 

Well, you don't use large live rock pieces, you use rubble rock, 1"-2" in size. You will get the same water spread as you will bio-balls due of the filter plate.

 

wew i opened up a can of worms here dint I....


1 question i have is why if trickle filters are so bad for long term nitrate do people have so much sucess with them with both reef and fish only applications?


i mean in aus i havent even heard the idea of a sump or fuge untill i came on here, every 1 uses trickle filters and having huge amounts of sucsess.

 

i plan on having a full reef

 

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I think this thread simply shows that in this hobby, there are a million ways to do the same thing. A lot of it is based on individual experiences. I have many systems running on wet/dry systems w/o any problems. They work perfectly. It's my opinion that if you stock your tank properly, feed properly, and maintain the aquarium properly (water changes, skimming, etc etc) you wont have any problems with a wet/dry set-up. I use wet/dry systems for aquariums where mt clients wish to keep FOWLR or FO systems where I can do larger and more frequent water changes. For reef systems, I prefer empty mechanical filtration heavy sumps, fuges, or wet/dry's w/ LR as with those systems I can do smaller water changes. this lower the chance of shocking the reef and I see better growth/coloration/expansion from many corals. For example, the only systems I have ever kept sponges and carnations and gargonians living and thriving long term (over a yr) are in larger heavy LR focused and fuge focused systems.

 

I would take a sump/refigium over a wet dry any day. If I was talked into a wet dry early on in my hobby, I would then hook it up before the sump. This would help feed the calupera.
It is worth mentioning, nitrates cannot be made with out nitrites. So how does a wet dry become a nitrate factory with out nitrites or ammonia or the food and waste in a water column? If you have excessive waste you will have excessive nitrate anyway. Water changes and nitrate export are, IMO, the most effective ways to remove nitrate from the water column.

 

The ammonia and nitrites are converted with aerobic bacteria, nitrates are not, you need anaerobic bacteria, a fuge, or water changes for that. Because of the surface area for the aerobic bacteria, ammonia and nitrites will be at zero after the tank cycles, but nitrates will build up until they are removed by one of the methods above.