# Wet Dry Sump Prefilter



## caballo (Jan 25, 2015)

I am upgrading my 90 gal to a 280 gal. On my 90 I use a W/D sump for biological filtration. The only mechanical filtration is a blue bonded filter pad that sits on the drip tray prior to the media, and then a sponge on the other side of the media. This is a heavily stocked Malawi Peacock and Hap cichlid tank. I want clearer water and to especially prevent particulate matter from clogging my biological media. As I move to the larger tank I want to address the mechanical filtration issue. I know that I can use a purflo/ocean clear/nu-clear filter on the return line or run it independently and return it back to the sump, but I was wondering what I can do prefilter wise--before the drip tray. Should I make a deeper drip tray and add more sponges to it? Should I run a canister prior to the drip tray with sponges in it? If I am polishing the water after the media, could this prevent the need for a prefilter? Suggestions please.


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## nodima (Oct 3, 2002)

Very happy with Poret foam for your application.

Available in several porosity and thickness combinations. IIRC, my tanks have the 20 and 30 ppi foam in the 2" thick mat.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Hi caballo and Welcome to C-F!!

What are you planning on using for your new sump for the 280G tank?

Many people will use filter socks to catch coarse debris in the 1st stage of the sump.


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## caballo (Jan 25, 2015)

Deeda said:



> Hi caballo and Welcome to C-F!!
> 
> What are you planning on using for your new sump for the 280G tank?
> 
> Many people will use filter socks to catch coarse debris in the 1st stage of the sump.


The tank will have a ghost overflow set up with a bean animal plumbing. The full and partial siphons will connect to a wet/dry sump where I will use Biohome maxi media for biological filtration. The emergency siphon will go into a chamber in the sump after the media. I have used filter socks on marine aquariums but find them a pain to clean. I am looking for another option for mechanical filtration. The options I am aware of are:

1. Putting some type of sponge filter prior to or in the drip tray. sponges are easier to clean than filter socks. I don't think there will be room in the ghost overflow for any sponges. So, I could put them in the drip tray, but only if the drip tray was designed to be deep enough to hold them. W/D filters typically drain directly into a drip tray above the media. It is possible that I could create a chamber in the sump prior to the drip tray for the the sponges. Then the water would go through the sponges first and spill over into the drip tray. the problem is that I am not sure that the spill over would distribute across the whole drip tray so that all the media would get soaked.
2. Using a post sump filter on the return line. I am looking at a 2 high PurFlo canister filter. Or, I could run it canister filter back into the sump. This approach might decrease the particulate matter in the water column so that I don't have a problem with the media getting clogged.



nodima said:


> Very happy with Poret foam for your application.


Do you have a W/D sump? is the foam used for mechanical and biological filtration?

Available in several porosity and thickness combinations. IIRC, my tanks have the 20 and 30 ppi foam in the 2" thick mat.[/quote]


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## yamadog (Oct 7, 2012)

I did a diy wet dry consisting of h-d buckets filled with pot scrubbies and a drip tray on top of those with 100 micron pad in the drip tray. Very easy to change and clean. Takes less than five minutes start to finish. Turn off pump, pull pads out of filter, take outside to blast clean with garden hose, reinstall. Done. Got enough of the 100 micron pad on ebay to make two set of filters for 20 dollars. Jason


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## nodima (Oct 3, 2002)

Yes, i have a wet/dry sump. The better one of the two is for my 180. It is about 45" long, and 15" tall and deep. Picture 3 15" cubes in a row. The middle cube houses the pump, the outer two each have a layer of eggcrate about 4" off the bottom, above which is a layer of bio balls 5" deep. On top of the bio balls, there is a 15" square piece of 2" thick poret foam (blue). So the foam is used for both mechanical and biological filtration, but primarily mechanical.

My 125 has a sump as well, and this one uses poret foam as well, but a much smaller amount, There is a 12" x 4" piece all the water goes through and it needs much more frequent rinsing than do the ones in the 180, but it is literally only about 10% of the size of the ones in the 180 so that makes sense.


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