Do you clean your filters in sump or sink?

[seamonster]

I have always cleaned my filters in my sump because I figure whatever is in them is good food for coral, copepods, filter feeders, snails, etc. Also if I clean with sink water I kill whatever is living in the sponge: bacteria, copepods, amphipods, sponges etc.

I figure the filter is really just for nitrifying bacteria and to improve water clarity.

I only clear the filter when the level on overflow side of refugium starts to rise because sponge is getting clogged.

I am not worried about phosphates or nitrates. I have to dose these daily in my 360gal. If anything I want more as I have a lot of coral.

Today I thought to myself, maybe I should clean them out in sink for a bit to export whatever random stuff can't be broken down once in a while? It would maybe help with clogging the sponge on filters so often, and clogging of sponges on my MP40 powerheads that lowers flow in DT.

Thoughts?

I have always cleaned my filters in my sump because I figure whatever is in them is good food for coral, copepods, filter feeders, snails, etc. Also if I clean with sink water I kill whatever is living in the sponge: bacteria, copepods, amphipods, sponges etc.

I figure the filter is really just for nitrifying bacteria and to improve water clarity.

I only clear the filter when the level on overflow side of refugium starts to rise because sponge is getting clogged.

I am not worried about phosphates or nitrates. I have to dose these daily in my 360gal. If anything I want more as I have a lot of coral.

Today I thought to myself, maybe I should clean them out in sink for a bit to export whatever random stuff can't be broken down once in a while? It would maybe help with clogging the sponge on filters so often, and clogging of sponges on my MP40 powerheads that lowers flow in DT.

Thoughts?

I have always cleaned equipment in the sink. I use nylon filter socks because they can be cleaned manually in the sink, clean skimmer cup in sink regularly, pump maintenance, etc. been doing this for many, many years. Just make sure that as much water as possible is off the equipment before putting it back in the system. I just air dry them, shake them out, etc. I don’t wipe them because there could be contaminatates on paper towels or regular towels.

 

[Someshmuk]

I collect a box of used mesh socks and "power wash" them with the sink faucet. If I don't, the detritus piles up and makes my tank cloudy.

 

[Aquariumaddictuk]

Sink.
I add pods bi-monthly so they are in rockwork in abundance.i never understand why anyone would want to put all the schmutz bag in tank once you've carefully filtered it out

 

[ErikVR]

Sink. If you're going to dump it all in the sump then why have filters in the first place?

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

I'm boiling because I've been using them almost daily during rip cleaning my rock or vacuuming my floor and sand. Good point about toxins. Not sure either way on that one. I only have a few different zoas in my tank. Probably not enough to be concerned about either way. I'm more concerned with making sure I kill the dinos and whatever else may be filtering out with the low micron sock.
We don't use that pot for cooking but also another great point. Best to be careful

Ostreopsis dinos have Palytoxins, so probably not the best practice to boil your socks.
It's funny, everybody talks about Palyzoas and toxins, but very few talk about Ostreopsis sp. toxins. Not everyone has palys or zoas in there tank but most have had Dinos in there tank...

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

I have always cleaned my filters in my sump because I figure whatever is in them is good food for coral, copepods, filter feeders, snails, etc. Also if I clean with sink water I kill whatever is living in the sponge: bacteria, copepods, amphipods, sponges etc.

I figure the filter is really just for nitrifying bacteria and to improve water clarity.

I only clear the filter when the level on overflow side of refugium starts to rise because sponge is getting clogged.

I am not worried about phosphates or nitrates. I have to dose these daily in my 360gal. If anything I want more as I have a lot of coral.

Today I thought to myself, maybe I should clean them out in sink for a bit to export whatever random stuff can't be broken down once in a while? It would maybe help with clogging the sponge on filters so often, and clogging of sponges on my MP40 powerheads that lowers flow in DT.

Thoughts?

I see from your pics you are talking about the bubble trap foam in between your chambers. That I clean in W/C water, then I let it settle and run the top part of the water thru a 50 micron filter to catch the pods and put those back in the tank. The way you are doing it now you could have a detritus build up in other parts of your tank that could create an anaerobe environment which would limit the food producing bacteria for your corals. The idea of what you are doing is not wrong, in fact you could continue doing it occasionally, because this is what happens on a reef, fish poop and everything @AydenLincoln which is a good thing. But you are running a closed system and a reef is an open one, so you have to watch any build up.

 

[Subsea]

I recycle. No filters, no socks in the refugium

HOB“s are filled with reef rubble and pods.

 

[Subsea]

I have always cleaned my filters in my sump because I figure whatever is in them is good food for coral, copepods, filter feeders, snails, etc. Also if I clean with sink water I kill whatever is living in the sponge: bacteria, copepods, amphipods, sponges etc.

I figure the filter is really just for nitrifying bacteria and to improve water clarity.

I only clear the filter when the level on overflow side of refugium starts to rise because sponge is getting clogged.

I am not worried about phosphates or nitrates. I have to dose these daily in my 360gal. If anything I want more as I have a lot of coral.

Today I thought to myself, maybe I should clean them out in sink for a bit to export whatever random stuff can't be broken down once in a while? It would maybe help with clogging the sponge on filters so often, and clogging of sponges on my MP40 powerheads that lowers flow in DT.

Thoughts?

I suggest you remove the sponge as it is restricting flow and use your HOB as a high flow pod generator.

Considering your mature coral is your biofilter, I see little point in using sponge for nitrification bacteria. Instead use reef rubble in HOB to grow surface biofilm as a food for pods.

 

[Subsea]

I use ornamental sponges to feed on bacteria and microbes including ich larvae parasites and I use cryptic sponges to recycle DOC & POC.

 

[brandon429]

The rationale in post #1 is backward across the board

filters are used in reefing solely to catch detritus which you remove from the system, external cleaning, to put the mess right back into the tank is like doing an oil change and putting old oil back in the engine. You don’t need extra filtration bacteria, and pods live in the rocks. The reason this hasnt harmed the tank is because reef tanks can handle some waste buildup. The method used on post #1 has not benefitted the tank whatsoever and if all filtration was simply removed and never put back that would have the same effect as what’s stated in post #1

 

[Subsea]

The rationale in post #1 is backward across the board

filters are used in reefing solely to catch detritus which you remove from the system, external cleaning, to put the mess right back into the tank is like doing an oil change and putting old oil back in the engine. You don’t need extra filtration bacteria, and pods live in the rocks. The reason this hasnt harmed the tank is because reef tanks can handle some waste buildup. The method used on post #1 has not benefitted the tank whatsoever and if all filtration was simply removed and never put back that would have the same effect as what’s stated in post #1

Oil change and biofiltration/biochemistry are quite differrent:

one removes particulates & combustion waste while the other recycles DOC & POC.

 

[AydenLincoln]

I see from your pics you are talking about the bubble trap foam in between your chambers. That I clean in W/C water, then I let it settle and run the top part of the water thru a 50 micron filter to catch the pods and put those back in the tank. The way you are doing it now you could have a detritus build up in other parts of your tank that could create an anaerobe environment which would limit the food producing bacteria for your corals. The idea of what you are doing is not wrong, in fact you could continue doing it occasionally, because this is what happens on a reef, fish poop and everything @AydenLincoln which is a good thing. But you are running a closed system and a reef is an open one, so you have to watch any build up.

Actually siphoned out the school sump for the first time lol! It’s not perfect but better than it was.

 

[hexcolor reef]

Here’s couple photos from today with frame skirt removed while working on stuff lol. And some other random photos.

Ready for Christmas already I see. Make sure to leave a sticky note saying “don’t forget to put o2 tablet in fish/coral bag before boxing”