Filtration

[funloven]

I have been rather frustrated and could use some help, please.

My 125 gal. SW tank on the main floor drains into my 65 gal. basement sump. The water passes through my old wet/dry sump which has 3 trays for filter pads and a biowheel (with which I have never had problems with nitrate build-up) before it enters the main sump through slits I have cut in the side of the wet/dry. I liked this idea because it gave my a place for filter pads and it also acted as a container for reduction of microbubbles (as some people use the baffle system instead). BTW I do have a very good 5" DSB and approx. 130# of LR.

Dispite using 3 filter pads I still have a lot of very fine particulate matter floating around in my display tank which is driving me nuts. My main sump also has a powdery residue of sediment on the bottom which I have removed once but now has returned again.

I have recently thought about adding a Canister Filter to my system to see if the microfiltering property would get rid of this floating stuff but it seems that many people really don't like Canister Filters because of harboring nitrates and I already know that many would feel I am already asking for trouble using a biowheel. Also, the $300 cost for a tank my size seems a bit much since I already have some filter in place. So after reading and searching RC and I finally found a source for micron filter pads/sheets.

So I am wondering, do you think I might kill 2 birds with 1 stone, so to speak, by using the micron filter pads in one ot the wet/dry filter drawers? And if so, which draw ( currently the last filter pad that the water passes through seems to get the dirtiest) ?

How exactly should filter pads be cleaned and with what?
And, how often should the old pads be changed out with new ones?

Geeeez, this is long. I hope you check your personal forum occassionally and see this as I noticed no one has posted here is a while.

Thanks!