Sump Cleaning Survey

[Ellery]

How often do you do a full cleaning of your sump?

1) Less than once a month
2) Once a month
3) Once a year
4) Never

 

[Ellery]

I've been contemplating tonight since it's been 6 years since I setup my tank after moving to this house. It's gone through 2 crashes since and now I have nuisance Aptasia in my overflow and sump I want to purge somehow with hot water.

 

[Henry Colf]

I clean my sump out about once a year..

 

[naprestsleep]

Well I said never, b/c the sump been online less than a year. I do plan to clean it and purge the sand from my refug this winter though.

 

[cardiffgiant]

I do a weekly water change. I use a turkey baster on the sand bed and LR in my display, then 10 minutes later I do a water change change out of my basement sump and refugium and vacuum the bottom of each. Then I rinse my chaeto and do any pruning.

I change my carbon (which I keep in the sump) once a month. I clean the skimmer pump every 3 months and the return once a year.

When I had a 29g sump in the tank stand I cleaned it a lot less.

 

[mr.maroonsalty]

^^^^ That's Awesome!
I let my sump go a little long. no algae, but a tri-colour looks like crap. Once a month was a good schedule, but I slacked off for more than a few. Sumps, especially w/fuges can be huge detritus traps.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

half my sump gets cleaned with every water change and the other half gets flushed once or twice a year.

It's also important to flush out under rocks in the display.

 

[Ellery]

I guess the saying at work "" a Clean Machine is a Happy Machine" also goes for everything else out there. I think I'll have to figure a way to purge the junk without physically moving the sump and use a shop vac.

 

[EllieSuz]

It's been on my mind to do this for the first time. Only one compartment will need cleaning, the one with the rock and chaeto in it. The perplexing thing is how to get rid of the the detritus on the bottom. It's too low to siphon and I don't own a wet vac. Maybe if I removed everything I could scoop out the stuff on the bottom with a fish net. Anyone else have a better idea.

 

[Ellery]

EllieSuz - All I can say is the ShopVac worked miracles tonight. It especially helped in the overflow areas that were full of Aiptasia. All I had to do was hose it with hot water and let it sit then suck it all out. Did the same with the whole sump- there was plenty of build up for sure. the next thing is to see hope much I can siphon out under the rocks on the next water change.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

for cleaning

for cleaning

I use a strong pump to put detritus into suspension