Look at my sump - what do you think?

[sanzz18]

So I know sumps aren't really supposed to be "clean" or anything, but I get really sick of looking at mine lol. It is loaded with tube worms/dusters, sponges, etc. Now I know that this stuff is considered beneficial to a tank, but I just feel like it is so excessive in my tank. What do you guys think about mine? Should I clean it up?

Also, the amount of detritus that settles in my tank is insane. I do not currently have socks running, but at the same time I have seen sumps on r2r that have no socks or filter socks and do not have nearly as much detritus settled in their sump, or so it appears. I just vacuumed out as much detritus as I could last month and I feel like now, it has accumulated the same amount. Any thoughts on this?

 

[Little c big D]

I run a sock and mines not much cleaner than that lol. Some people will run a power head in the simp to keep the detritus suspended for the skimmer to pick it up

 

[Arego]

They just clean theirs more often that's all it boils down to. Yours looks fine to me, just stir it up with the pump off and syphon it clean and refill or just let it fly around and eventually get skimmed out. Six of one or half dozen of the other.

 

[sanzz18]

I run a sock and mines not much cleaner than that lol. Some people will run a power head in the simp to keep the detritus suspended for the skimmer to pick it up

Good to know lol.

They just clean theirs more often that's all it boils down to. Yours looks fine to me, just stir it up with the pump off and syphon it clean and refill or just let it fly around and eventually get skimmed out. Six of one or half dozen of the other.

As long as my sump doesn't look any different compared to non-OCD individuals lol, that makes me feel better.


How about all the feather dusters/sponges plaguing my sump?

 

[Arego]

If it's on the bottom I remove it, eventually. The sides are fair game.

 

[blaxsun]

For whatever reason I get a dark blank image.

 

[Pntbll687]

You can just scrape that stuff off the sides and suck out the detritus during a water change.

Adding a powerhead to the sump will help keep it cleaner.

 

[Lavey29]

I keep seeing beautiful tanks and their sumps look like an environmental disaster but obviously they are operating very efficient just not visually appealing. Guess that is why they are concealed in a cabinet.

 

[fishybizzness]

Good to know lol.



As long as my sump doesn't look any different compared to non-OCD individuals lol, that makes me feel better.


How about all the feather dusters/sponges plaguing my sump?

I don't see them as a plague. Sponges are some of the best filters in nature and the feather dusters are always filtering small stuff out of the water. Both beneficial and great to have in my opinion!