Wet/dry Filter Suitable For Fresh Water?

[M'al-finny]

Hi, I am new here.

We are in the initial stages of setting up our first aquarium (55 gallon - go big or go home!) which had previously been used as a saltwater tank. Included with the tank was a wet/dry or trickle filter.

The saltwater enthusiast from whom we got it admits to knowing very little about fresh water, but he thinks that it should work and provide ample filtration because salt water requires much more biomass in the filters than fresh water (his words.)

Our fresh water, er, consultant (a friend who also has a side business doing tank maintenance) has recommended we purchase a new canister filter -- she says she has no experience with the trickle filters and doesn't know if it's suitable or not.

I'd hate to replace something that would work and would provide top-of-the-line filtration and aeration, but if it won't WORK for fresh water then (obviously) we need to get something else.

Instinct says we could cycle the tank w/o fish and see if we can get the numbers to work out ... but I figured I also could save some time and consult the collective wisdom of TFF!

Thanks, the first stage of setting up the tank is the RESEARCH stage!

 

[sinistral]

Hi, a wet dry filter will work as well for your setup as many other filters you could choose.

As long as a filter will harbor bacteria that can efficiently convert nitrogenous waste to nitrates, it should be fine.

Your mileage may vary depending on what kind of wet dry it is, how many fish you'll plan on having, how frequently you'll do maintenance, etc. Your approach sounds reasonable and responsible. You'll also save money by not buying a new filter.

 

[Liam]

Wet/dry filter is a very efficient biological filter as the filter bacteria get lots of oxygen. I used an eheim wet/dry on a freshwater tank in the past.

 

[Musho3210]

well as the 21st century as kicked in, if you want an easy to care for saltwater tank, it seems wet dry filters are NOT the way to go. So wet/dry trickle filters are now seen as freshwater products rather than saltwater. Saltwater has evolved to refugiums and high quality protein skimmers with lots of live rock as there filtration which has proved to be better than wet/dry systems by far.

That said they are great for freshwater.

Glad to see you are willing to go through a research stage.

 

[andywg]

well as the 21st century as kicked in, if you want an easy to care for saltwater tank, it seems wet dry filters are NOT the way to go. So wet/dry trickle filters are now seen as freshwater products rather than saltwater. Saltwater has evolved to refugiums and high quality protein skimmers with lots of live rock as there filtration which has proved to be better than wet/dry systems by far.

That said they are great for freshwater.

Glad to see you are willing to go through a research stage.

Only for low biomass tanks, such as lightly stocked reefs do people stick with those sorts of filtration.

For higher bioload tanks (such as a marine pred display) wet dry filters are still very popular.

A wet dry filter will be more efficient than a cannister and help in oxygenation. It will make growing plants somewhat more difficult though, as it will gas off added CO2. I run all my FW tanks off of wet dry filters.

 

[M'al-finny]

Thanks, everyone. He had not used this filter (or tank) in years, that's why he got rid of it. He'd moved on to a state-of-the-art 250 gal reef tank.

I will be starting to cycle the tank as soon as I can get a few more things set up -- but will get some water from my fresh water friend's water changes to jump start things.

Tanks, er, thanks again!

 

[andywg]

All you will be doing is adding nitrates. The beneficial bacteria we desire from cycling adhere to surfaces (such as filter media). Almost none of them are free floating in the water. You would do better buying your friend a little bit of new media and taking some of their old media.

 

[M'al-finny]

HELP!

How do those of you who use w/d filters keep your fish from getting sucked in?

I fear I might lose my very first fish to the ding-dang FILTER!!

My betta is battered and I hope makes it through the night. Right now we have spent the last several hours attempting to come up with some sort of "betta blocker" which will keep the fish out.

So far (since this afternoon) 3 danios and the betta have gone through. The last danio went through after we'd put a custom-made acrylic plate over the intake ... but, in order to get enough water flow, we had to open up the edges just a *little*. Well, they're *little* fish.

HELP!! Anyone? What do you do?