Why not a wet dry in a reef tank?

cpbirds407

Member
Can someone explain to me why are people saying that is not good to have a wet dry system in your reeftank? I Have a 75 gal tank with a wet dry/bio balls. Anything wrong that I'm missing? I've had reef tanks for years and resently I've noticed people talking about removing the bio balls out of a wet dry (trickle filter) Maybe I'm missing the latest?
Thanks for any info.
Charlie.
 

buckster71

Member
Seems they have a new name called the nitrate factory. Once the bio/balls get dirty they generate nitrates.
I've even seen some go totally with protien skimmers and a UV sterilizer.
I'm going to keep running them on my tanks anyway, but since the reefs require low nitrates...everybody is on the move.
 

scsinet

Active Member
Yep.... nitrate factories.
When you consider the live rock and sand in the system, more than enough bacterial population area exists to handle the biological needs of a properly stocked reef tank.
All wet/dry filters become is a place for nitrate reducing wastes to accumulate and cause issues.
The new trend is towards eliminating filter media all together to eliminate places for debris to build up and combining flow to help bacteria do it's job and prevent detritous from accumulating in dead spots, a proper cleanup crew to break down waste products into dissolved organics, and protein skimming to yank those dissolved organics out of suspension in the water column. All this together is known as the Berlin method.
By and large, it's gained acceptance industry wide, endorsed by Marine Gods like Fenner, Knopp, etc and is almost always employed in public aquariums and large scale systems.
 

buckster71

Member
I read an interesting article (from Germany) in a coral mag.
Controlling Nitrates
They recommeded to put your protein skimmer before the mechanical filtration in a wet/dry. This would mean a total re-design of the trickle filter.
I guess the basis being the protien skimmer zaps out what is causing all the building of the nitrates to begin with, while you still get the oxification benefit of the filter pad and bio-balls. Also, it stated that protien skimming after mechanical filtration is useless to remove nitrates.
Hmmmm....
 

scsinet

Active Member
Funny thing because the Germans are who came up with the whole idea of not using wet/dry.
Like I said... the BERLIN method.
 

tx reef

Active Member
Wet/Dry filters work great. I would put them in the top 3 of filtration methods.
The only time they become a problem is when people do not maintain them properly......
 

k-rok

Member
I'm using a cannister filter as means of mechanical filtration on my 35gal. hex reef tank and I'm noticing high nitrates as in the 40ppm range. I do 5gal. water changes every other week so I'm thinking the 'trates must be coming from the cannister filter/nitrate factory. My point: It doesn't take much to raise the nitrates in a reef.
 

digitydash

Active Member
I have run a wet/dry with bio-ball's in it for about 8 yr without a nitrate problem.I run a canister also.You ever think maybe these people with nitrates might over feed or only use this as a filter system which if you ask me won't do much in the lower ends of the tank.Maybe they don't maintain it properly.
 
I have a 75 gallon and recently trashed my wet dry and went for a 30gallon fuge. My water has been the clearest I have had it. I also have a fluval 405 that I use to run poly filiter in. My vote is for the Berlin method. My nitrates are still high to me 5-10 ppm.
 

buckster71

Member
I would agree that over-feeding leads to higher nitrates.
I'm going to build a trickle and test this. If it doesn't work, then I'll switch to a refugium.
 
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