filter problem

[ERIC]

hey guys
well i made a wetdry filter and it was runnign good but nnow its not running as expected so what should i do
also iam looking fora canfilter which one?jebos are cheap but are they good? and fluvuls are expensive...

[Davo]

I was going to recommend Eheim to you but they are even dearer than Fluval but they are better quality.

Dave.

[Proteus]

How big is the tank that the filter is going on?

There are plenty of alternatives, ranging from some of the cheaper reputable clone units, to the solid eheim units.

[mistakes r crucial]

Whats wrong with your wet/dry filter? If you set it up properly it will work as good if not better than any cannister.
MAC

[kalebjarrod]

i agree with mac

wetdrys run the best and are pretty simple to make and fix

if you have some pics or an explantion that would be great :wink:

[lesley]

I would suggest that you post pics and let the guys help you with your wet/dry - any version of them that I have used has worked well. One tank that I had a home made wet/dry on which was too noisy for me has never been quite as sparking clean as it was since I stopped using the wet/dry. I have tried an eheim wet/dry - its currently waiting to go to the tip (I don't want to lose any friends giving it to them!) I have used a via-aqua (3rd of the price of the eheim) and am currently using a Jebo (half the price of the eheim) which is doing an excellent job.

HT, Lesley

[ERIC]

this is only a quick drawing so also my filter paper is wierd and i dont have a strong pump cuz the overflow box flow rate is 600 and i cannot find a pump that is 600 gph and low on wattage cuz our electric bill is a lot so my dad complains

[mistakes r crucial]

What media are you using between the drip tray and the egg crate? Are you using anything on the drip tray, sponge etc? What size tank do you have? If your pump is moving 600 gallons an hour that is more than enough for any "normal" size tank.
MAC

[ERIC]

wwelll under the tray i use filter paper and under the egge crate i havee bio balls (the pic is ppooorly drawn to scale)

[wyldchyld01]

600 gph back to certain tanks (and the way it's delivered) should be enough, what is the size of the tank you are trying to filter, how many fish (bio-load, heavy and lots of fish or only one fish huge tank etc).

I am going to trickle systems because of their benefits. leaving trickle for a canister might save power (depending on pump draw) but will mean more work in the future as i see it.

hey we're here to help if we can, the more info the better

Brenton

[ERIC]

umm i meant i need a 600gph pump i only have a 300gph pump for a 60gallon tank:[ btw what is bio load ? and a trickle canister? and i need to know how to use my wetdry to the maxium protenial and so i need suggestions oh how i should reset up my filter

[mistakes r crucial]

Eric,

Your pump is fine IMO, no need to change it. Dwell time in your sump is equally important as circulation and you won't get that if your pump is whizzing water around your system 10 times an hour, 4 times is fine.

I have never used filter paper but it doesn't sound like it would help build and maintain much of a bacteria colony to me. Try a piece of filter sponge in the drip tray that covers the entire area of the tray. Also make sure that you have sufficient Bio Balls underneath, I would make it as full as possible. If that's a baffle on the right side of your sump drawing I would also put sponge in there so that your water is always dragged through it before going back to the tank, just make sure that sponge is always under the water surface.

I am not overly impressed with Bio Balls at the best of times and especially with a small sump. Personally I prefer the "newish" product from Eheim, their name escapes me right now but they are small clay looking balls and according to Eheim they have 5 times the surface area of Bio Balls. I've been using them in one of my sumps for 6 months and I'm well impressed. Only downside to them is cost, I've seen them retail for as much as $90 for a kilo but that was at a notoriously expensive LFS. If you can find them at a reasonable cost they are well worth saving up for.

The best of luck with it Eric.
MAC

[ERIC]

well filter paper is that white sponge that comes in sheets and i cut then up and stuff it in the sump and the crap betweent the sump and the part were the water over flows
btw does anyone know where i can get real sponge like for my sump?

[mistakes r crucial]

Most LFS will have it.
MAC

[dreamer]

mac, i think you are referring to eheim efisubstrate pro ?

[ERIC]

mac, i think you are referring to eheim efisubstrate pro ?umm no i dontk now what you are referring to. does anyone know how to set up a wetdry sump so that i may be able to use at its peak usage??

[teflon]

Okay here it goes

Firstly your bio balls are in the wrong part of your filter, for them to work they only need water to flow over them and NOT fully submerged.

You pump should be fine, what are the dimensions of your tank and sump? as your sump should be big enough to hold any excess water that comes from the tanks in a power outtage

HTH