Wet dry filter question

[captmicha]

Anyone use one for freshwater? You likey? Better than a canister filter or HOB?

Are they noisy? Too noisy for a bedroom?

Are wet dry filters better than sumps (I mean sumps without a wet and dry system since a wet dry system is essentially a sump from what I understand)?

Can I put the bulkhead on the side of the tank (not the bottom)? Our power goes out frequently and I would feel safer with the bulkhead on the side even though I know it can only drain as much water as is in and drains into the over flow compartment with a bulkhead on the bottom.

What is the safest and best overflow box? An internal one or one that I can hang over the side of the tank with a siphon tube? Does size of the box(es) matter as long as my filter can accommodate the amount of water it can obtain and that flows into there?

If I make one myself, is there a chart for what size tank I need for the filter and what size the compartments need to be?

How do I know what size/power/watt/volt/amp/lift, etc. pump I need? Do I need a "sump pump" or what is the pump that I should be looking for called?

Is it cheaper to make this filter myself or should I just buy one?

I should mention that DIY things overwhelm and scare me even if they're easy to other people because I have a tendency to mess things up.

 

[Pooshybear]

I have 2 wet/dry sumps (two small ones were cheaper than a larger one in my case) on my 120 gallon, and I have zero problems.

First what size tank, second how many fish/ what kind.

But to answer your questions:
The noise you get is the hum of the pumps (sound varys from pump strength) and a muffled trickle of water. If you compare the sound of a HOB on a tank with water thats 3/4" below the black rim, the Hob will be louder.
I sleep fine with the tank in my room.
A bulk head on the side would work I guess, probably less efficent. But it doesnt matter because when the pumps stop the water stops draining to the wet dry.
I don't really know about charts, I just went with half my tank size and as a result I have crystal clear water and a giant bio colony.
Dont worry about the voltage (unless it cant be powered by the house current), just look for the pump with the right GPH. You want 8-10 times turnover rate (the ammount of times it takes to pump the entire tank in that hour. So a 800 GPH pump for a 100 gallon tank would work) I have two 600 GPH pumps, which works well.

If you make one, do it out of polycarbonate (lexan is a common brand), its much stronger than acrylic. I bought two for cheap, I'd recommend buying one since you can return it.


my setup

 

[RodInCALIFORNIA]

YOU can get a nice used wet dry filter off ebay for great prices compared to a new one you will save more than 1/2 usually. I use a dual over flow boxes 2 1inch bulkheads and 2 drains to the sump/wet dry on all my tanks and they can handle 1200gph so my return pump pushes about 1000gph at 4 ft head height.
my tanks are not drilled so i use HOB overflow boxes on all my tanks.
when it comes to sump pumps you need to know how many gallons per hour your over flow box can drain to your sump and that will tell you what size of pump to buy. you dont want a pump that returns more water to your tank than the drains can send to the sump or your floor will be flooded.
i use several different brands of return pumps and they all have worked fine i pay about 40.00 for my pumps new on ebay but now and then i find some good deals on used ones and buy them to have on hand in case a pumps stop working i have replacements on hand.
all my tanks are freshwater and a wet dry works fine on them.
some people use a 10G as a sump/wet dry but i am not comfortable with such a small tank i try and use 40 to 55G tanks for my wet drys i pick them up cheap on my local craigslist.
have fun with your project !

 

[excuzzzeme]

Make sure your Overflow can handle more than the pump. This will cause the pump to be able to operate at full speed (allowing for head loss) without flooding the tank nor will you need to throttle the pump.

I run a HOB dual port 1200gph overflow and a Dannner Supreme Mag Drive 950gph pump. Real world says I am flowing about 800 gph which is great flow on a FW tank. To select a pump, look for the one that gives you the target flow rate at about 4ft head. The least flow should be around 4 turnovers per hour. (Multiply tank size x4)=desired flow rate at 4'. Personally, I like greater flow up around 8-10x per hour since I have Oscars and plecos.

If you can get 5-7 water turnovers per hour you should be very good. I also ran mine slower at 3-5 turnovers an hour and still had a crystal clear tank. My DIY wet/dry is good for at least a 200 gallon tank so it far exceeds the tank needs. I feel more comfortable with a wet/dry that can handle more than the tank. The size of the sump needs to be large enough that you aren't topping it off everyday. I would do the largest sump size I can fit under my tank. My sump is 30 gallons which allows me to top off 10%, 2x a week, at the most. I can go longer but don't like to.