sump cleaning...

N

Neptune 555

New member
Must be an easier way...? After years my sump has accumulated debris... I want to clean it out... BUT

My sump can only be removed from the back of my tank... ie I can't move remove it...

When I try to gravel vac I am unable to create a siphon strong enough b/c it is on ground level.

How do you clean your sump?
 
Shop vac.

Home Depot makes a $20 "œbucket head" that goes on a 5g bucket. I use it on my sump once a year.


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lolgranny said:
Home Depot makes a $20 "œbucket head" that goes on a 5g bucket. I use it on my sump once a year.
Click to expand...

THIS.

Get one, you'll love it.

I just line up a couple of 5 gallon buckets and vacuum out my sump. Looks brand new.
 
One more vote for the bucket head, read about it hear and immediately bought one. One of the best investments I've made for this hobby.

Maybe its coincidence idk but I decided to do my first yearly clean out on my sump. Had no issues whatsoever with the tank, soon as I cleaned it boom dino's. Even with chaeto I think the extra algae was out competing it for nutrients and once it was gone they were able to take hold. Took a few weeks but got it under control now.
 
be careful with the home depot bucket head.
if you use a 5 gallon bucket , it can only hold 3 maybe 4 gallons of water, before water start spewing out on the exhaust side. I've always ended up with a mess on the floor.

When getting a real shop vac, get one with most plastic material. For instance, costco sells a shop vac at a really good price, but it is all metal, like the bucket is metal. shop vacs are not really made to handle salt water, so you want to make sure any metal part do not get rusted/corroded after a few uses.

shop vac and a glass (or acrylic ) scraper is the proper way to clean the sump. It may also solve the pesky nitrate problem you've been having for a while.
 
Water should not come out of the exhaust. There's a plastic ball that floats up which should stop water from entering the bucket. You may get some spray, but I just put a towel over it in case it happens. The reason I line up a few buckets is because as d0ughb0y said, you really don't get a full bucket-full of water. I also use the larger buckets (Aqua Vitro salt) that will hold about 5 gallons of water.

I really like the buckethead because most of the parts are plastic. It's cheap too, and works really well.
 
yeah, it should not in theory, because the floating ball is supposed to plug the hole. What I'm saying is, in reality and actual experience on my bucket head, is it always makes a mess. plugging the exhaust with a towel does not work, as air needs to come out and it blows the towel off. I just slow down when I feel that it is almost 3 gallons, which I think I should not have to do if the darn thing works as in theory.

If you turn the buckethead upside down and lift the ball, you will see a big metal bolt and nut that can and will rust if saltwater is not rinsed off. Although I don't think it will affect anything even if it is completely rusted, you just won't be able to remove the nut in case you want to take the thing apart in the future.
 
d0ughb0y said:
yeah, it should not in theory, because the floating ball is supposed to plug the hole. What I'm saying is, in reality and actual experience on my bucket head, is it always makes a mess. plugging the exhaust with a towel does not work, as air needs to come out and it blows the towel off. I just slow down when I feel that it is almost 3 gallons, which I think I should not have to do if the darn thing works as in theory.

If you turn the buckethead upside down and lift the ball, you will see a big metal bolt and nut that can and will rust if saltwater is not rinsed off. Although I don't think it will affect anything even if it is completely rusted, you just won't be able to remove the nut in case you want to take the thing apart in the future.
Click to expand...

Oh no, i wouldn't never plug up the exhaust port (that'll probably damage the unit), I just drape a big towel over it (a small one would simply blow off) to catch any spray.
 
right. If the bucket head worked properly, there should be no spray or any liquid coming out the exhaust.
When I bought my used tank (and previous owner was draining it), he warned me about the bucket head problem and recommended the craftsman shop vac. In hindsight, I should have bought the craftsman shop vac
 
Personally I use a Rigid wet/dry vac from HD and it stops perfectly when the water reaches the ball..
My bucket head is used for cat liter.. :)
 
In the next couple of weeks I'm going to install a cleaning station it's an idea I've had for awhile .. what you do is run a series of powerheads just cheap ones 500-1000LPH nothing too fancy in each chamber of your sump all connected to a seperate powerboard every two weeks plug the board in or even put it on a timer & disconnect the ATO for 2-3 hrs "also on a timer" .. that combined with higher flow in the display you can then sit back and let the corals get a good feed and the sump/display get cleaned by your filtration for 2-3 hrs .. then you just change your floss/clean your filter sock & empty your skimmer cup.

I know the bucket etc is another easy method etc but after a long day/week at work I know what I'd rather do .. flick a few switches and kick back or automate it so you don't have too worry about it & can enjoy a clean tank.

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