How do you vacuum your SUMP?

[Kona22]

I did some sump maintenance today, and I found the bottom has a considerable amount of decayed matter which I would like to get out.

You can't use a siphon (gravity; thou art heartless), so what else is there; a net?

Did mine yesterday. Used submersible pump and tubing from gfo/ carbon reactor to pump dirty water into a 5 gal bucket. Only light cleaning the loose stuff in the skimmer and return pump chambers. Leaving overflow return which has live rock/ceramic bio balls and refugium chambers alone. Can’t siphon the sump, it is nearly ground level. 30 gal Fiji sump. I’ll do10 gal water change of sump water when I lightly clean it. Fish never know what happened. Also use same pump and tubing to pump 10 gal of clean water back in the sump.

 

[dadnjesse]

I thought about that, but, then I lose the water.
I'm trying to design a way to make something more in line with a pool vacuum. You get the dirt, and the water gets recycled into the pool.

I drain most of the water from my sump keeping the pump above the muck then shop vac it and put the water back and top it off with fresh made saltwater. It works out to a small water change

 

[flashsmith]

I use a small pump with a hose attached going into a filter sock. Just keep stirring and let the pump do the work. I always do water changes from the sump. And almost always clean my sump during water changes. Plenty of people just leave it dirty but I think of it as taking a dump and letting it marinate before flushing. Alot of nasty stuff in there that can't be beneficial.

 

[Rjukan]

I did some sump maintenance today, and I found the bottom has a considerable amount of decayed matter which I would like to get out.

You can't use a siphon (gravity; thou art heartless), so what else is there; a net?

I siphon mine out. The bottom is maybe 2 or 3 inches above the bottom of the bucket I'm siphoning into, and it works fine for almost all of the 5g bucket. It gets slower as the bucket fills tho.

*Edit: I'm surprised to hear how many don't remove the junk that accumulates in the sump! I thought that's one of the benefits of having the sump, was to have a high flow display to keep waste suspended, then collect in the sump for removal. Am I missing something?

 

[MnFish1]

I siphon mine out. The bottom is maybe 2 or 3 inches above the bottom of the bucket I'm siphoning into, and it works fine for almost all of the 5g bucket. It gets slower as the bucket fills tho.

*Edit: I'm surprised to hear how many don't remove the junk that accumulates in the sump! I thought that's one of the benefits of having the sump, was to have a high flow display to keep waste suspended, then collect in the sump for removal. Am I missing something?

No - IMHO some people want to show (which is fine) - their plumbing/etc prowess. Thus colored lights on sumps, etc etc. Totally fine to me.

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

Maxi jet 1200 w hose and nozzle attachment.

 

[Tray21]

I got this guy and it has made water changes and cleaning a breeze!

Battery-Operated Liquid Transfer Pump

Amazing deals on this Transfer Pump Battery Operated at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

Maxi jet 1200 w hose and nozzle attachment.

The maxi also mixes the water in the big gray brute can, so dual purpose.

 

[Rjukan]

I got this guy and it has made water changes and cleaning a breeze!

Battery-Operated Liquid Transfer Pump

Amazing deals on this Transfer Pump Battery Operated at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

Ok that looks pretty cool

 

[mfinn]

I did some sump maintenance today, and I found the bottom has a considerable amount of decayed matter which I would like to get out.

You can't use a siphon (gravity; thou art heartless), so what else is there; a net?

I normally use my python water change hose to suck out all the water when I need to but for deep cleaning, I have always used a wet/dry vac.
I got one about 20 years ago from a work safety program. Worked great for a very long time, but died a few months ago.
So yesterday when I had to clean out my sump to do some serious cleaning inside my stand, I ran down to lowes and picked up a 4 gallon model for about $50. Worked great.

 

[GARRIGA]

Consider dropping a Marineland Polishing filter in the sump loaded with floss. Direct the output to stir detritus best possible. Could run two and really stir that muck up. Obviously turn return pump off otherwise most of it likely going to the display.

I'm with Randy, that muck not an issue. I believe it's just mulm. Final phase of decomposition before mineralization and inert yet provides habitat for life to exist such as beneficial bacteria and pods. Ugly isn't always bad but I get it. Some want clean sumps.

 

[SneaksMcdoogle]

Iv used a small Maxijet with the 3D printed vacuum attachment. Suck out the nastys into the filter sock so you don’t loose water and clean at the same time. Hope that helps

 

[Reefering1]

Ohh, people clean that out!!¿?

 

[fishyjoes]

Answering the thread title question...
I built my stand so the sump is 1 foot off the ground so as to make a siphon easy. That being said I haven't yet actually cleaned the sump since the tank was set up (about 14 months so far)

 

[Delatedlotus]

I use a DIATOM FITER..... Absolutely works perfect on any detritus build up. As I do have a lot of coral rubble in my sump. I just blow it around and then it's all sucked-up and only clean blue water out....
I hadn't done that for 25 plus years until 2 weeks ago... Had some GHA show up a month ago...

 

[REEFRIED!]

I vacuum mine out probably once a month. I use a maxi jet with a piece of tubing on the intake to suck up detritus. On the output another hose that that I stick in a 5 micron filter sock right back in sump

 

[reeferID]

I did some sump maintenance today, and I found the bottom has a considerable amount of decayed matter which I would like to get out.

You can't use a siphon (gravity; thou art heartless), so what else is there; a net?

Check out Uppettools aquarium vacuum on Amazon. I use it to clean up after a rock blow out in my bare bottom tank, and it breaks down small enough to get in the sump too. Not perfect, but I use it alot . The socks have to be emptied pretty often, but it does get the crud out.

 

[Fish Styx]

I use one of these:

 

[Deco-1971]

I did some sump maintenance today, and I found the bottom has a considerable amount of decayed matter which I would like to get out.

You can't use a siphon (gravity; thou art heartless), so what else is there; a net?

I use this a game changer

 

[hsp]

You could use what I use to remove water from my DT for WC:

ZZM Fish Tank Cleaning Tools, Aquarium Water Changer Kit, Siphon Fish Tank Vacuum Gravel Cleaner, Universal Water Pump Accessories for Aquarium Quick Water Change (50ft)

• https://www.amazon.com.au/ZZM-Cleaning-Aquarium-Universal-Accessories/dp/B0B5MNJ8GR