New return pump?

[Dr. D]

I have an Octo Varios return pump in my 100g DT. It’s fine, except that over the past few months I’ve noticed it becoming anemic. Heeding advice, I’ve twice run it in a citric acid bath for an hour… but there are few parts you can access with a brush, and I’ve noticed little improvement in flow. My sump is now at such a low level that my ReefMat no longer sees a high enough water level to advance, and the Varios is at 100%.

Is this unique to the Varios? Is there another return pump that would be better?

 

[Rocks reef]

Have you looked and seen if you have a kink in any of your return tubing? Maybe a clogged pipe? Also, have a look at this. Side note, it says to use 50/50 mix of water and vinegar.

https://www.coralvue.com/blog/reef-octopus-variable-speed-pump-maintenance

 

[Dr. D]

That's very helpful-- thank you. I didn't realize they came apart like that. Now I should be able to properly clean it. I'm also going to replumb the line with a union to make it easier to remove the pump, making it more likely that I'll clean it.