Water quality is the #1 most important factor in all aquariums, as it determines the health of your aquarium.   Filtration is how we keep it clean.  Several methods exist on the market today and all can work flawlessly.  Of all my years with aquariums I never have had as efficient filtration as I have with wet dry filtration.  And now, It's for sale from TXHoleyRocks.com!  

In my experience, African Cichlids need a lot of filtration.  A lot of people in our  hobby stock a wide variety of fish depending, so crowding is a common occurrence with African Cichlids.  That means more waste production, and thus more filtration requirements.

Researching wet dry filtration I found that only a handful of companies make acrylic wet dry units.   The prices were amazing to me and no set standard exists.  Some as high as $600.   I have read many reviews on different overflow boxes.  2 exist in production, the flow thru box and a u-tube overflow.  I looked at the pro's and con's chose the simple design of the u-tube because it is far simpler and user friendly than the other options.  This method dates back to the first sump designs available.  I remember seeing back in the early 80's, so they are tested and work flawlessly.  

Understanding wet dry filtration can be simple if a few basic points are understood.   How does a wet dry filter work?   To answer this you need to know the water cycle that takes place in your aquarium.  3 chemicals are present in your aquarium.   Fish produce ammonia and other organic waste products which are turned into nitrites and nitrates by bacteria.  The fact is that in any mature aquarium high nitrates are the only reason to do frequent water changes.  Nitrates are less toxic than ammonia or nitrites, but they are still toxic to  fish and are a primary cause of water pollution.  Water is highly oxygenated by the turbulence in  the wet dry overflow as well as in the box trickling over biological balls. The water flows over the media pad removing any large particles producing nitrates, then flows over the biological plastic balls where beneficial bacteria has coated the surface.  These bacteria are living entities that require oxygen and food (an ammonia source) to survive, grow on the surfaces of everything in the tank, and the waste from nitrobacter are shown in the form of nitrate with a test kit.  The water then is recirculated back to the aquarium as clean water.

The wet dry filtere operates by filling up the wet dry box almost full of water.  Starting the u-tube siphon by sucking out the water until a natural flow is created.  Once the flow is achieved your wet dry box will be receiving water.  Turn the water pump on and your wet dry filtration is complete.

There are several precautions to be aware of.  Keep overflow box free of debris.  Clean your pre filters on your overflow box frequently.  If  your drain box won't drain  then you will overflow the aquarium.  Clean the filter pad in the wet dry box once a week by swishing it in aquarium water to preserve the good bacteria.   Once every 6 months check your biological balls for cleanliness by shaking them in the chamber.  If debris falls out enough to be deemed dirty then it's time to clean them.  To clean them, when you do a water change fill a 5 gallon bucket up with aquarium water and vigorously shake them.  Note: DO NOT USE TAP WATER TO CLEAN THE BIO BALLS. Place the biological balls back in the wet dry filter chamber when complete and start your pump again. 

If your water pump exceeds 450 GPH @ 3' you need to monitor the flow rate until it stabilizes.  If  your pump pumps too fast, your aquarium will flood as well as empty the water out the wet dry filtration box.    

I hope this information has been useful for you.  If you have any questions, feel free to email me at   If you are in the market for wet dry filtration, check out what we have in our catalog!

Thanks,
Zak White
Owner