Looking For Tips To Clean Overflow Area

[PeterC99]

Looking for recommendations on best way to clean the overflow area on my Red Sea Reefer? Difficult to clean with all the plumbing and drain pipes in the way. Really don’t want to disassemble. Appreciate any advice or tips!

Thank you!

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

In for the answers if there are any easy ways.

 

[Quietman]

We're supposed to clean it?




Mine's full of sponges and other stuff...almost like a cryptic refugium. As long as water moves through it, I think it's doing better than being clean.

 

[Snoopy 67]

Agreed with the Quietman, it is its own filter compartment.

 

[Jeffcb]

I agree. Unless it is getting clogged I would leave it alone. Good bacteria. Brush you teeth though. The overflow teeth.

 

[DeniseAndy]

I no longer have and AIO, but the filter area was always a pain to clean. Basically, I left it alone unless it was flowing badly. I would remove a pump to clean, but that was about it.

If it is restricting the flow (yours looks pretty clouded with tube worms) I would take a metal brush (one for cleaning pipes, different sizes should be available {have like five different ones}), scrub out the tubes a bit and then suck out with vacuum/shop vac if it fits.

 

[nereefpat]

Tooth brush and pipe cleaners.

 

[PeterC99]

I no longer have and AIO, but the filter area was always a pain to clean. Basically, I left it alone unless it was flowing badly. I would remove a pump to clean, but that was about it.

If it is restricting the flow (yours looks pretty clouded with tube worms) I would take a metal brush (one for cleaning pipes, different sizes should be available {have like five different ones}), scrub out the tubes a bit and then suck out with vacuum/shop vac if it fits.

How to best clean in the tight spots around the drain pipes?

 

[DeniseAndy]

There are some smaller metal pipe cleaners that could do a good job. I also had a tight spot in my sump and built a crazy contraption to do myself. It was a long tweezers (large metal ones for reefing) and a small metal spoon connected with duct tape. Worked great for what I needed it for.

Find out the size of the spaces and what will fit down. Make sure to make it something hard, but manageable. Should be able to scrape out nicely. Long, tiny spoon would work great. Maybe just the long metal tweezers would be enough to scrape. Will not be easy or quick really, but should work.

 

[ReefKeeperElite]

We're supposed to clean it?




Mine's full of sponges and other stuff...almost like a cryptic refugium. As long as water moves through it, I think it's doing better than being clean.

Detritus builds up on the floor of the overflow. If left there it will cause nutrient issues. Overflow maintenance should include pumping that out at a minimum I believe. Shouldn’t this be a routine process?

 

[ReefKeeperElite]

I'd be curious to see how many reefers on this forum actually have vacuuming the floor of their overflow as part of their routine tank maintenance. A poll would be awesome, with an option to include comments on their procedure and frequency. I don't think I have the special power to create polls though.

 

[exnisstech]

The overflow on my reefer 170 is where my aiptasia live so I never touch that area

 

[xabo]

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