Eheim 2229 wet/dry canister filter

[samh]

Hey guys,

I'm looking at upgrading one of my eheim filters, am wondering if a eheim wet/dry 2229 would be suitable for a planted aquarium? It'll be going onto my 48x24x28 130g. I'm looking at that, a 2076 or cheap and easy 2217? I'm just not familiar with the pro's and con's...

Thanks in advance
Sam

 

[Cyclesafe]

I have an unsealed 2229 set up parallel with a 2128, with CO2 injected downstream in-line with a 16/22 Atomic diffuser. CO2 is injected 8 hours per day maintaining pH about 1 unit below ambient. A 10 lb fill lasts three months.

I haven't experimented with how much less CO2 I'd consume if I removed the 2229. I have a heavy fish load (23-25 mature 4-5" tropheus) and haven't experimented with whether the lack of the 2229 would reduce O2 available to the fish.

The concern with a wet/dry is whether CO2 is wasted. The benefit is that more O2 in contact with the biological media encourages NH3/NH4/NO2 oxidation. If one has a heavily planted tank, there is no issue with the former regardless.

My read is that if one already has maxed out with mechanical filtration, the 2229 (in theory at least) allows one to max out on biological filtration. Plus the second pump allows one to increase flow in the tank. (I am assuming that you know that the 2229 gives no mechanical filtration.)

 

[samh]

Thanks for that,

Yeah i did read that it was purely biological, which did concern me as i only have eheim classics which aren't big on the mechanical side either. So how do the 2229 let air into the system, i'm thinking as long as air can get in and can't escape during the filter process then any other gas in a solution shouldn't....

I'm very new to the wet/dry concept and still trying to understand how it works. How does the air get into the filter?

 

[Cyclesafe]

The 2229 has a snorkel that lets air in as the water is pumped out and lets air out as the canister fills with water. The snorkel also acts as a "check valve" if the water outlet is closed. The concern is that some CO2 will "escape" with the air in the second part of the cycle. My observation is that if this happens, not so much CO2 is lost that it ruins the concept for planted tanks.