Converting a wet/dry bio ball system

[ngoyette]

Hi, I have a Pro Clear Aquatic wet/dry 125 system:
http://www.pro-clear.com/wetdry.html

I heard I should remove the bio balls and replumb the system. So i have started to remove the bio balls (just a hand full at a time), now i need to do something, but i am not sure what.

I have a 45 gal tall tank with about 50 lbs of live rock. I have a protein skimmer, heater and return pump (and it is tight since they are all on the same side).

I can not move the existing pro clear, so i need to use what i have and work in a tight space.

Does anybody have any simple modifications that i can do that will make my Pro clear productive?

 

[JohnK]

Just keep removing the bio balls a little at a time. Once they are gone, you can move whatever equipment (protien skimmer.....) into the space in the sump, or put some LR in the "wet" part (which is not just a "sump").

You probably don't need to modify the sump unless you want to do something special with it. You could add a couple of partitions to create a refugim space in there, but that would probably be a PITA without moving the sump to work on it.

 

[ngoyette]

Right now i have a filter (a pad) at the top where the water comes in, should I change that (I would have to, to fit my skimmer in that side) to something else or just let the water pour in?

Thanks for the advice.

 

[JohnK]

The filter pad will be a problem unless cleaned VERY frequently.

A realy good option if you want to keep a mechanical filter (like the pad) is to use a fliter sock, (and have a few spares so you can swap them out for cleaning).

See link, Note the second item in this list, it's a hang on holder for the filter socks.
http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_searchItem.aspx?SearchText=filter sock&parsed=1

 

[ngoyette]

The Berlin sock looks like a good idea, I think this is the way i will go...