Sand in my wet/dry

[rune]

We have a standard 2 chamber wet dry. Water comes in, goes through a filter pad, trickles over the bio-balls, runs through a block sponge then fills up a second chamber where the return pump pushes it upward. What would cause sand to collect in that sump area? and should I be concerned?

 

[michaeltx]

do you have a fish in the DT that is pushing sand into the water column that is causeing it to flow into the wet/dry. also what type of overflows are you using?
Mike

 

[cdangel0]

It's either:
A. Sand that was stirred up and flowed to the wet/dry through the over-flow.
B. Not sand but dietrius build-up.
It's probably just sand that found it's way to the sump. You'd be amazed at what you'll find in a sump over-time.

 

[rune]

"do you have a fish in the DT that is pushing sand into the water column that is causeing it to flow into the wet/dry. also what type of overflows are you using?"
The tank is fairly new so it is possible that the sand may have just been from that initial filtering after we put it all together. I guess I just thought that the pre-filter, bio-balls, and sponge filter/block would stop it from making it into the final chamber. The overflow is a small box with teeth inside the tank, a U tube to another small box on the back of the tank, a sponge around the tube entrance and then a tube to the filter pad in the wet/dry.
It's either:
A. Sand that was stirred up and flowed to the wet/dry through the over-flow.
B. Not sand but dietrius build-up.
It's probably just sand that found it's way to the sump. You'd be amazed at what you'll find in a sump over-time.
I think you may be right. Is there any harm in leaving it there? I noticed today that it was starting to spit it out through the pump and back into the tank. I don't want it to harm the fish.

 

[michaeltx]

if its to much it can mess with the water quality in the long run depending on how much is there.
you might consider through a couple snails and or hermits crabs in there to help clean it up.
just becuse its a new tank it could still be sand even with those filter media and stoppers in line things can find a place to get through. if you want to know what it is you can feel it in the container and see if its gritty or not and that would be an easy way to know for sure.
Mike