improving my sump wet/dry

I have an 11 gallon wet dry filter around 2.5 gallons of bio media supposedly on my 110g tank that does a fairly decent job but I want to improve my filtration.

I'm just looking for some ideas

I have a decent sized sponge filter in the tank that's probably not quite cycled yet only been in there a couple weeks so far


my stock is a fairly overstocked but that's starting to thin with my young bichir's munching some unwary passerby's

 

Pictures?
Mine looks like this

Excuse the lack of media, I'm running bleach through it right now.
I use bio balls in the big chamber under the black thing.

In the black thing is filter floss.

 

my sump had some issues with the uploader

some of my bioballs are solidified with calcium or something I bought a running tank and kept the cycle when I moved it so the bio media is what it came with I would like to change it out for ceramic or something when I get the extra $$ and only if it will improve the filtration capacity

 

Maybe add some filter floss to get rid of chunks?

 

I do its across the drip plate

 

Ah.
What exactly do you want to change?

 

To improve the efficiency of your wet/dry you will need to do the following.
At the top of the filter install some filter wool / pad, that will remove all but the smallest of solid matter.
This may be a pad kind of material, cut to size, or just filter wool material stuffed into the filter.
Do not under estimate the importance of this mechanical filtration stage, because if large particulate matter gets through it will greatly affect the filters performance.
Underneath the wool / pad, you need to install some bio- balls.
These act as a flow disruption, which allows the water to enter the filter more evenly. Also these will add some Oxygen into the water which is carried into the filters bio stage.
Finally, in the bottom of the filter throw in as many Ceramic Rings as the chamber will hold ( possibly even sacrifice some of the Bio-balls to add more )
You will need to firstly rinse all the dust off the rings in declorinated water and then just let the rings rest as they fall when you put them inside the filter.
Now let me explain the theory behind this.
The mechanical filter if not correct, will allow all kinds of gunk to pass into the bio chamber of the filter, where it will be unable to be broken down by the Beneficial Bacteria.
The BB can only fully process the smallest of solid matter, and if the matter is untreated the filter will not perform correctly, or to its maximum efficiency.
Hence the " sludging " that many report when using wet/dry filters.
The Ceramic Rings are added " add-hock " so they create areas of high Oxygen which promote Aerobic Bacteria, and also low Oxygen areas, which promote Anaerobic Bacteria, both of which are absolutely essential to an efficient filter.
Once in place, the ceramic Rings are never disturbed, or cleaned.
Lastly, you will need to regulate the flow through the filter to about 5 x the tanks volume per hour.
This is also very important.
If you have a flow that resembles Niagara Falls going through the filter, there will be little time for the BB to actually process the water correctly. And contrary to popular belief, it is the BB that will clarify and process the water, and not the filter pads, nor increased flow rates.

 

looks like my wet dry is gonna need the bio balls replaced slowly when I can get new ones cycled as well as the ceramic rings for the bottem

not to sure about how to adjust the flow of the stand pipe but I know its not flowing at 500 gallons per hour

 

Is the flow more than 500 gallons / hr ( 2000 liters ) , or slower ?
If it is slower, say at about 300 gallons/ hr , don't worry about it , and leave as it is.
Slower flow rates ( especially in larger tanks ) are perfectly Ok, as the BB in the filter are offered more contact time with the waste material to be processed.
Indeed, many canister filters are sold that are more than suitable for large tanks, and many , many of these will only have a flow rate of about 3 times, or less, for the tank sizes they are intended for.
On some large tanks, there are a few Aquarists that do not employ any kind of filters at all, just using a small HOB with no media inside it to push nutrients around the tank. These tanks are also very successful with slower filter flow rates.