Making a wet dry better

[shaun larlee]

what can i do to make a wet/dry produce a better quality water. Is there any add ons or additions people have done to increase water quality? Im open to anything...

 

[shaun larlee]

ok lets try this another way...has anyone put a fuge in a wet/dry

 

[davmul]

I have a wet-dry that i have converted into a fuge w/ chaeto. I have the algae growing in the center chamber where the bio-balls would have been. I left the drip tray in place to allow for mechanical and chemical filtration.
I am currently using a "pura pad" covered with a sheet of resusable white felt filter material (simmilar to the material a filter sock is made of) in the tray. I change the felt sheet every 1-2 days and the pura pad every month.
Leaving the drip tray in place requires that the light be positioned to shine in through the side of fuge. This set up has been very successful. Less detritus accumulating in the sump and nitrates have dropped to zero. I have my light very close to the wall of the sump and use a 24/7 lighting cycle to grow a ton of chaeto.

 

[shaun larlee]

so do you have any bio media at all in your wet dry

 

[davmul]

no. I bought it used and never set it up w/ bio-balls. The first chamber contains a small chamber, the middle chamber is a bare bottom fuge, and the third chamber is the return. I was simply experimenting and lucked into a combo that has worked for me. I can't really say that it is an improvement over a traditional wet-dry since i have never had one.

 

[jeffreyyy]

Do you have a protien skimmer? That will help with water quality. I have a wet/dry with bio-balls in the first chamber my PS in the second chamber and my return in the third chamber. The second chamber was set up for bio-balls but I removed the balls drilled a second hole in the top of the first chamber, so that I still have two drain lines coming from my tank to the w/d, that way I could have my PS down there too.
But, I am having a problem with my NitrAtes which is at 20 right now. I'm toying with the idea of putting some cheato in the w/d some how?
Jeff

 

[mr.m]

What i did was take my W/D and put sand and rocks in it with cheato and then plumb it to a rubbermaid tub for the skimmer and pumps. But you need a big stand to do this. so now i have 50 gal refug/sump.
Mark