vacuuming a sump?

[igotsalt]

I have tanks on stands and the lower tank is hard to vacuum out since there is no gravity to pull out the junk! On my fresh water tanks I have always used the python which sucks the debris water down the drain.

On my saltwater tanks I don't want to vacuum the good stuff (copepods etc.) down the drain. Has anyone rigged something to pull the water out into a container to examine the contents prior to pouring down the drain? Maybe a powerhead or small pump?
Thanks!

 

[MattG]

You can just hook tubing up to the input/output of a powerhead. Fill the tubing with water and start the powerhead. I never did this to examine the contents it was just because i couldnt start a regular siphon.

After a while i got tired of that and purchased a wey/dry vac specifically for the aquariumv sump. This worked really well. I could clean my 90 gallon sump in a matter of minutes.

 

[sixliner6]

Hey Matt. Could you point me to where yo got the vac?

 

[jmccown]

is it the vac that F&S sells?

 

[MattG]

I cant get the link to work....

It was from home depot. Ridgid model#WD1665. It was larger then needed but I figured i could also winterize my pool with it. It comes with a bunch of attachments and I designated certain ones for the aquarium to prevent any kind of contamination.

Besides a cleaning magnet it was the most useful maintenance tool I had. Especially with a large sump that sits on the ground.

 

[jmccown]

just copy and paste the link. I'm curious now.

 

[MattG]

the site uses frames or something so it wont go directly to the item. Just look on the homedepot site.

Any wet/dry vac will work. I am just partial to ridgid tools.

 

[firefish2020]

That is a great idea Matt, I never thought about using a wet/dry for sump cleaning but it would really work great.

 

[igotsalt]

thanks for the info!
I knew I wasn't the only one needing a better solution for cleaning a sump!

 

[fishmon]

Those darn things are great for cleaning floors after you forget and leave the hose from your mixing tank running and overfill your sump, not that I have done that a few times or anything.

 

[rnhrtfan]

ok I am faily new with the sump system (about 2 months) how ofetn should you clean it out???

 

[phljess]

I would just clean the sump or part of your sand bed when you do your WC's. I usually do WC's twice a month, so I clean my sump one time and clean some sand the next time.

 

[rnhrtfan]

thanks phil. like you I also have been doing WC's twice a month but have only been cleaning the sand bed. next time will probably do the sump. Thanks!