wet/dry-sump questions

[Dubge]

First is a wet/dry and a sump the same thing? I have herd people use both terms and it seems to be that they are talking about the same type of filter???

Second do I need a light on my wet/dry filter? What purpose dose it serve? I have a spare light with a 50/50 bulb in it should I put this on it or is it not needed?

thanks
Ray

 

[ChrisRD]

In this hobby when people talk about a sump they're generally referring to any separate watertight container plumbed into their system where they can put heaters, filtration equipment etc.

The wet/dry is the type of filter you have (which in-part refers to the plastic biomedia in it). IMO the area in your wet/dry where there is no media is what I would call the sump portion of the filter.

You don't need a light on your wet/dry filter. Sometimes people put a light over a section of their sump for the purpose of growing macro algaes for the purpose of additional nitrate/phosphate export - that's probably what you're thinking of.

 

[ChrisRD]

Said another way, basically if your wet/dry had no media/drip plate/spraybar, etc. and was just a box that held water we'd call it a sump.

 

[Anonymous]

Yeah, it can be confusing when it comes to term like sump. As you notice above, a sump can have a W/D (wet/dry), but a W/D can have a sump portion. I feel that is is best to consider the function definition aspect, but many disagree with me on this.

A W/D is a filter that, as the name implies, a wet and dry portion. It many purpose (funcation) is to grow bacteria that convert the ammonia to less toxic chemical (nitrite and nitrate). It is still used for fish-only (FO) setup, but it is not useful in reef setup or when sufficient amont of live rock and live sand is present.

A sump is any container that the main tank overflow into. Its purpose (function) is to hold the extra water in the system and provide extra space for skimmer, reactor, heater, chiller coil, etc. In addition to hardwares, other also put macroalgae in the sump. Light is needed if you want the algae to grow. Others also put LR and LS in the sump.

To confuse the matter a bit more, a refugium is where a reefkeeper provide a santuary for macroalgae and critters (isopods, and other *pods) to grow and reproduce without predation from the residents of the main tank. The refugium can be a part of the display tank separated from the rest of the tank by rockwork or partition. More commonly, it is a separate container from which the water flow into the main tank by gravity. Some may refer to the area in which the macroalgae grows in the sump (see above) a refugium, but IMO, that is just a sump and not a refug.

I hope this helps more than confuses you...