With what we can do "New-School" Why do you Still rock that Wet/Dry??

SO Just for fun 8) Or maybe to pick a fight. I would like to hear from the people who still rock the wet/ dry filter system on their reef tanks. It was huge back about 10 years ago, I know they were very expensive to set up, and seemed to be "the best thing since sliced bread in the reefing world". With all the research that has been done lately I am just wondering what is keeping you die-hards from coming over to the dark-side That is following along and doing a sump with fuge and skimmer. Or just a Skimmer? Or just not a wet/dry filter. Just wondered maybe some of us newbee can help you with the switch if its about the technical parts. Setting up a sump and fuge can be kinda overwhelming when you are new so maybe we can encourage you to take the leap.
Orrrr, you can just tell me why you think your Wet/Dry is the bees-knees and we will leave it at that
**Remember alls fair in forum chic chat ;D
Heidi

 

I've never owned a wet/dry filter, but here's a bump for your thread.

My first two guesses why anyone would still use them are:

1) They already had one, it works, and they're familiar with the operation and maintenance.

2) They got duped by the LFS who got tired of it collecting dust on the shelf and they didn't realize just how old the technology is.

 

Research done lately

Your funny, i am surprised someone who has a tank that nice got it with such a closed mind. How do you know your dark side way of doing it is the best? Do you know what a wet/dry filter does for a system? I bet your a slow flow Refugium person It's that guy with the wet/dry that invents the next dark side way, this is one of the great things about our hobby. I was doing your set up in the 90s so i am grateful for the research done lately. lol just kidding with you, i can tell by your posts that you can take care of yourself. As a old dog i would offer you some good reading that may allow you to be the next dark side builder Anything writen by Albert Thiel, Martin A. Moe,Jr. and John Tullock alittle before your time maybe but you will find the answers you seek. It was nice to chat/fight with you Big smile.

 

My business tanks have a wet/dry. You'll find a lot of LFS's do as well. The bioload they can handle is amazing.

I started with them and I've owned some pretty awesome tanks using them. If I get awesome results, why would I want to cross over to something different? And how is something that's newer better, when my tanks kick butt.

But all of us still using old-school.... we're long-termers and we're still here. Trust that we know what we are doing.

We don't do the "all's fair in forum chit chat" here. Respectful conversation is all that is tolerated. You won't find the drama and the tempers here that are on other sites.

 

I'm rockin' a wet/dry on my Dymax pico at work without a skimmer. My bubble, gsp, humas and rock anemone are digging it. They are not 'nitrate factories' as some are found of saying but they won't break nitrates down. They are great for softies, LPS, even clams and especially fish only tanks. As mentioned, they can handle some serious bioload if you do general maintenance like clean the pad on top of them occasionally and get one rated for your tank or even bigger. They oxygenate the heck out of the water which is a good thing. I find myself defending wet/drys here sometimes as I have used them off and on since 1991 or so. They were game-changers. Before them were under-gravel filters. EDIT - actually canister filters were before them.

matt

 

I actually have a wet/dry fiter at home rated for a 500gal tank brand new.

 

I don't have any experience with Wet/Dry systems in saltwater setups, however I do have a large one (~1300 gph over 15 gallons of bio-media) as the primary filter on my CA/SA cichlid tank. I designed it specifically to handle a large bio-load and be relatively maintenance free when compared to canister filters. A wet/dry will be extremely effective in handling the nitrification side of the nitrogen cycle, as the amount of water:air surface area created allows for a high degree of oxygen exchange, and therefore increased efficiency in utilizing the aerobic bacteria existing on the media. However, they offer nothing in terms of denitrification, so additional filtration (live rock, water changes, etc) is necessary to maintain acceptable water quality.

I don't see any drawbacks to using a wet/dry in a saltwater setup, as they are only facilitating the nitrogen cycle already existing in your system. That is, unless you allow detritus to collect in the bio-media which would then serve as a constant source of nitrates. However, with proper mechanical filtration and occasional maintenance of the bio-media, you should be able to avoid creating a "nitrate factory." Just be sure you have some method of physically removing detritus build-up from your system.

 

Ahhh, Thanks so much for speaking up! I really wanted to hear from some experienced reefers when I thought of the thread. Yes, you called it slow flow refugium here but I am also a newbee and just like to hear the emotional/ less scientific side of peoples choices they make in the hobby. I am a researcher by nature and maybe overly sometimes (so the hubby tells me) He is a "doer" I am a reader, learner, thinker, read some more...lol you get it. It took me a year to put water in my first reef tank, and even then I bought a very wrong piece of equipment (very convincing sales person in the LFS) Thank you so much for your compliment of my tank, so nice of you.
As a new person to the hobby all you hear about is why "not" to use a Wet/Dry filter. I truly wanted the other side of the coin. ;D Also thanks for the reading recommendations! One of the best ways to learn is from trial and error and I LOVE the reefer that has sifted through many methods because of the decades he/she has spent trying to have the perfect piece of ocean! Truly we owe it all to them!
Respect!
Heidi

 

Wet/dry is still around because it works. As with most things in the this hobby that are somewhat mainstream but still hated by some, wet/dry has a place. That place isn't everywhere. It's strengths, IMO, are in its ability to handle large amounts of water quickly. (something a slow flow fuge can never do... at least not with slow flow!) A few mods can make them even more capable. The people who hate them, probably had old ones that weren't properly maintained. Those same people LOVED them when they first got them, lol. A properly maintained wet/dry is very effective for fish only systems. (especially if you swap the blue bioballs for the BRS media)

Wet/Dry are used in nearly every casino tank you have ever seen. It allows you to stock basically immediately by using cycled media. It also handles a huge bioload quite easily. It just doesn't breakdown waste as far as we need in a reef tank. And as such, needs to be serviced very often and used with additional filtration for reef purposes.

 

Many Stores have them yes, this is part of my reasoning behind the thread. I truly wanted to know what the benefits that folks with these systems have.
Huge Bio Load seems to be it. That is why I am seeing they are very beneficial to be part of the filtration in huge systems such as LFS.
Extra love to the "Old Schoolers" that have used many different methods over the years and have some of the most beautiful tanks around. What makes the difference, I would venture to say experience is the ingredient that sets the greats apart from the newbees

Thank you so much for your experience in this hobby and for your willingness to put up with some friendly banter.

Respect

Heidi