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Re: seting up 125 gallon tank



Greg wrote:

> WET DRY... I wouldn't do that with a tropical planted aquarium. The 
> wet/dry action would eliminate the benefits of CO2 (imho) and 

I see this stated constantly.  It really isn't the case.  I have no 
doubts that a wet/dry might dissipate CO2 a little faster than
some other methods, but the amount of CO2 lost doesn't have any
effect, except maybe the cost of a little wasted CO2, and CO2 is
VERY cheap.  It's worth a little extra cost for the other benefits of
a wet/dry:  sump space to get the heaters, probes, CO2 reactor 
out of the tank.   

Also, a wet/dry sump is great to dealing with evaporation.  My tank 
water level remains constant.  My sump is a 29g tank.  During normal 
operation, it's got about 15 gallons of water in it, and the pumps 
are fine down to about 5 gallons, so I've got 10 gallons worth of 
evaporation that it can handle without needing to top off.  That's
pretty useful here in Denver, CO.

And, wet/dry sump setups are very easy to maintain.  I can change 
out the filter pad in less than a minute.   And the action of the
overflow box keeps the water surface perfectly clean.  

> might "overprocess" the nitrite into nitrates (that the plants 
> should be consuming instead)..

I'd love to see some more in-depth discussion about this.  I tend
to run high nitrates, and I suppose there could be something going 
on here related to the wet/dry.   But several things don't make
sense:  

1) Why wouldn't plants be able to use the nitrate?  I know 
that it takes a little more energy for plants to use nitrate instead
of ammonia, but is it enough to really make a difference?  As for
processing nitrite into nitrate, I thought I read recently (from Tom
Barr?? maybe?) that plants don't use nitrite.    

2) I don't have the traditional "wet/dry action" taking place
in my sump.  I lowered the bio-ball compartment so that the bio-balls
are always fully submerged in the water.  I still have the
drip-tray creating the trickle action.  

Personally, I think my high nitrates are just because I feed my rainbows
a lot, and they can be pigs when they get large.   

> nowhere NEAR the "amano/gadd/etc. experts" here.. 

You just made me spit coffee all over my monitor...  Sorry, I definitely 
don't qualify as an expert.   Just an over-talkative person who likes to
pass along what others have told me.   

--
Chuck Gadd