Articles
Wet/Dry and Sump Aquarium Filter Basics
That Pet Place
by That Fish Place - That Pet Place11/24/2017 11:00 amWet/Dry filters get their name from how they are designed to maximize biological filtration by keeping their filter media above or out of the water (dry) to increase available oxygen to the bacteria that colonize the filter. Filter design and media type can vary greatly, but all Wet/Dry filters work on the same principle. The bacteria that consume waste in the aquarium needs oxygen to survive and reproduce; submerged biological filters can be limited by the amount of available oxygen in the water. Filter media in a Wet/Dry filter is exposed to the air and aquarium water is passed over or through the media allowing more available oxygen for the bacteria to grow and consume more waste. Most Wet/Dry filters also incorporate a mechanical filter media to remove debris from the water providing a high performance, extremely efficient filter.
Sump filters usually do not incorporate a biological filter component, and will only have a mechanical filter, usually in the form of a filter sock. Sump type filters usually have a lot of open space, and are typically used on salt water aquariums, especially reef aquariums, for housing equipment like protein skimmers and media reactors. Sumps may also be used as, or include, refugiums for growing macroalgae or coral fragments.
Interested in other types of aquarium filters? Check them out here.