Cleaning sump tips
- Thread starter donski
- Start date
demonsp
In Memoriam
Its a sign of water quality or mis managment of equipment.The goal is perfect water condition.God forbid as this is the only example i think off,if something happens to you where your gone awile and the tank suffers then it has much better chance of survival with as close to perfect readings.Yours would go down faster then wanted.
The source is due to the AGA sump being a piece of crap. If you are not familiar with its design then I will explain....the filter media which is sold by AGA is supposed to sit directly on top of the drip tray and I must say it is a perfect fit. However..guess what happens when the media gets clogged or starts to get clogged... FLood. Believe me (or don't He He) So first I trimmed the perfect shaped filter media made for the AGA model 4 sump a bit but if one does make a mistake...and believe me I had my eye on the problem...Flood. (Wife not happy!) So now the filter media sits on top of the bio balls in the chamber below. No floods. Most of the crud is a result of no mechanical filtration while i was figuring what to do. ( One of which by the way was buying a new sump and getting rid of this one...Hard to sneak that one by my wife!!! who is very understanding of the $$$ I spend on the tank as long as it looks good). demonsp your response is dead on.... and I've eliminated the source pretty much.....thanks everyone for your advice.
Playa-1
In Memoriam
You could unplug the return pump. Stir up the crud and then use a pump with some tubing and pump it right out the door.
You could pump as much out as possible then use a wet/dry shop vac to clean out the rest. If you go this route you will want to have the shop vac outside or in the tub and run a hose long enough to the sump so that it doesn't leak onto the floor when the tank gets full.
The syphon hose should work also until the water level gets too low.
You could pump as much out as possible then use a wet/dry shop vac to clean out the rest. If you go this route you will want to have the shop vac outside or in the tub and run a hose long enough to the sump so that it doesn't leak onto the floor when the tank gets full.
The syphon hose should work also until the water level gets too low.
cervicornis
New member
I agree with waif - if you're noticing a build-up of crud in an accessible region of your sump, this is a good thing. All established aquaria will generate crud and detritus, it is part of the natural processes that are taking place. Mechnical filtration is one way of dealing with the crud, but this can be maintenance intensive. Allowing the crud to settle out in a low-flow area (like a sump) makes for easy cleaning.
In your case, where siphoning the crud isn't an option, I think the best solution would be to use an inexpensive canister filter. With an extra-long hose, you can go around the sump and vac up all the crud. That is probably the least time-consuming solution, and you won't have to worry about clogging up your pumps this way.
In your case, where siphoning the crud isn't an option, I think the best solution would be to use an inexpensive canister filter. With an extra-long hose, you can go around the sump and vac up all the crud. That is probably the least time-consuming solution, and you won't have to worry about clogging up your pumps this way.
demonsp
In Memoriam
Really depends on amount od detritus he has. I did get a little at first but it disappeared after time.Its a sign your fuge is working. If he is getting an excess then i suspect low flow or more then the system can handle.The baffels main purpose is micro reduction.
Detritus shouldnt happen if done right.
Detritus shouldnt happen if done right.
You are assuming everyone has a refugium then are you not. My sump was designed to have a high flow through it, no refugium and now that i figured out why I had microbubbles i've cured that. Detritus settles in two of the compartments so i csn siphon it off. I don't use filter socks so i do it this way, then i get the detritus but good things (pods etc) don't get trapped in a filter sock. Detritus happens, if you have ever looked at a BB tank, then you'd know this...with good circulation that detritus is in the water coloumn, it has to go somewhere does it not? Without filter socks it settles...between baffles.
