# wet/dry filters



## JesseD (Mar 26, 2003)

i am interested in puting a wet/dry filter on an aquarium. i dont actually have the aquarium yet but it is going to be between 150-180 gallons.

my question is: why are Aquaclear wet/dry filters *SO* expensive?

and the ones seen here http://www.wetdryfilter.com/WetDry%20Filte...and%20Sumps.htm are hlaf as expensive.

i want to have a good set up, but i dont wanna break the bank doing it. suggestions?

also, are wet/dry filters loud?


----------



## JesseD (Mar 26, 2003)

an Aquaclear Pro 200 would be the size i would want for a tank 150-180 gallons, correct?

i guess i kinda see why they are more expensive now. they come with a lot more accessories, as well as a warranty, and of course...u pay for the name.









so that aside...

people with wet/dry filters...are they loud? and are they worth the money?

also, i would be able to put my heater and the water pump in the sump area right?

man i have a lot of questions...how do those drip things work? i have no idea what they are called, but i will explain it. they are constantly adding water to the tank as well as taking water out (obviously). you never have to do water changes cause water is always being added.

i believe that i read in a forum that someone had this installed on a _*HUMONGOUS*_ tank that was for sale on ebay


----------



## Kalionya (Jun 18, 2003)

i am new here but not new to the fish game. based solely on what i have heard is that a wet/dry is the best filtration system. people make there own at a fraction of the price of a new one. all it takes is a little mcguyver skills and an imagination. i wouldn't recomend building one right off the bat. you should actually spend the extra cash and buy one. then learn from it and build me one.


----------



## Sir Nathan XXI (Jan 29, 2003)

I have overhead units that contain everything you need for $90 + shipping

all you have to supply is the pump


----------



## JesseD (Mar 26, 2003)

what do u mean Sir Nathan??

overhead units?


----------



## InSinUAsian (Jan 3, 2003)

Nate makes custom wet/dry units that are designed to go above your tank, not under it like conventional wet/drys. A pump brings the water up to the wet/dry, and gravity brings the water back to the tank. This idea is actualy not a bad one, as it prevent the possiblity of flooding the house.

~Dj


----------



## Sir Nathan XXI (Jan 29, 2003)

InSinUAsian said:


> Nate makes custom wet/dry units that are designed to go above your tank, not under it like conventional wet/drys. A pump brings the water up to the wet/dry, and gravity brings the water back to the tank. This idea is actualy not a bad one, as it prevent the possiblity of flooding the house.
> 
> ~Dj


 plus you wont need 2 pumps and it will not need as big of pumps either which saves money









I will have some pics of these within a week or so


----------



## JesseD (Mar 26, 2003)

do Aquaclear wet/dry filters come with a protein skimmer??


----------



## DonH (Jan 25, 2003)

Sir Nathan XXI said:


> plus you wont need 2 pumps and it will not need as big of pumps either which saves money


 I can understand the smaller pump part (less head), but why would a conventional wet/dry require 2 pumps?

Also, can you show me a pic of the above tank unit? IMO, one of the things I like about a wet/dry unit (aside from superb biological filtration) is the fact it can be hidden under the tank and heaters, carbon, or other media can be placed in the sump... out of sight.

Are they loud? Yes, they do have an annoying gurgling sound at the overflow but there are ways to quiet that down.

Are they worth the money? IMO, yes!

What is that drip thing? It's an automatic water changer. Fresh water is added to the sump (at the rate that you adjust it to) and "old" water is drained when it reaches a set height. I'll let Nate explain the details... This in no way is a substitute for water changes. It helps bring down nitrates and constantly replenishes carbonates, but you will still need to vacuum the gravel to get rid of the detritus.


----------



## Xenon (Nov 15, 2002)

I bought a wet dry from Clay of predfish and am excited to set it up, never had one before...


----------



## JesseD (Mar 26, 2003)

does anyone recommend a certain brand of wet/dry filter?


----------



## JesseD (Mar 26, 2003)

well i think i determined that an Aquaclear wet/dry filter would be my best bet









my question is about the water pumps though. on a 150 gallon tank what would an adequate GPH be?

750+GPH?

Also, an AQUACLEAR AQUATICS PRO 150 WET/DRY FILTER W/PREFILTER is the size wet/dry filter needed for a 150 gallon tank? or is that the factory suggestion and with most things u should not go by their rating and go larger?


----------



## JesseD (Mar 26, 2003)

im kind of in a rush here.









i need to know what 2 pumps would be best to run the skimmer and to return water to aquarium. (details above)


----------



## Sir Nathan XXI (Jan 29, 2003)

for a wet dry I recommend about 6-8 turnover ratio

so for a 150 that is 800-1200

If your tank isnt pre drilled you will need a hang on overflow box that can handle at least 1400gph for that setup I mentioned


----------



## JesseD (Mar 26, 2003)

an AquaClear Pro 150 wet/dry filter comes with a CAP 1800 to run the protein skimmer.

a CAP 2200 (@ 0 ft. = 684GPH) would be too small of pump to return the water back to the tank if i wanted atleast 4-5 turn over ratio, correct????

would a CAP 5000 (@ 0 ft. = 1215GPH) be a better pump to use?? *And* would i be able to run it with the 1800 that runs the protien skimmer?


----------



## JesseD (Mar 26, 2003)

why is no one responding?!


----------



## InSinUAsian (Jan 3, 2003)

Unless you are going salt water (maybe I missed that) there is no reason to consider a protein skimmer. They do not function in the fresh water tank.

~Dj


----------



## JesseD (Mar 26, 2003)

protein skimmers do function on freshwater aquariums....they are just not as efficient and require a greater flow of air.


----------



## tinyteeth (Mar 12, 2003)

what i would do is look at a wet/dry at the store and get the concept of it. then go to home depot and build your own and save so much money.


----------



## Outie (Feb 19, 2003)

Wet/dry are great for filtration, only problem i had with mine is it was to damn loud. Even tryed throwing a blanket over it and everything else i could think of. Still hangons are much quieter in my opinion. Also another thing to consider running a pump that puts out 800-1000 gph, 24/7 might add a little bit to you electricity bill. But then again i guess if you got the money its not biggie.


----------



## Outie (Feb 19, 2003)

Another thing if you think aq are expensive go check out the bio rocker system and add it up with the extra tank you will need and pump, talk about expensive. Check on ebay i got a complete system for about 125 bucks included everything you need. Same one retails for about 250-300 in the stores.


----------



## JesseD (Mar 26, 2003)

yea. the 150 i got was brand new that i got off of ebay.

ebay is great place to look for stuff


----------

