Poll: How do you keep your sump clean?

[OREGONIC]

Just curious how everyone keeps their sump clean vote and give a little more information.

 

[Crabs McJones]

I generally don't clean the sump, I let it do it's thing. However, I recently (25 minutes ago) deep cleaned my refugium. I'm thinking my hair algea and other algea growth was out competing my cheato. So I used a shop vac and sucked out the fuge and scraped everything out.

 

[MnFish1]

Occasionally vacuum it with a python - just the detritus.

 

[MaddyP]

I allow my sump to get gross then clean with a razor and turkey baster whenever I pull out the skimmer/return for cleaning. This happens twice a year or so.

 

[VJV]

I’ll try to post pictures when I get back home but I use something that looks like a hang on back filter that has an accessory hose to vacuum the gravel. This has a mesh filter bag that would filter the water before putting it back on the tank.

I removed the filter mesh and place a bucket next to the sump with the gang on places on the bucket and use the hose to vacuum the sump, dumping the water into a bucket.

I do this in order to combine sump cleaning with a water change. If you just want to vacuum detritus you could simply place the hang on on the sump, install the mesh and vacuum. I’m not a fan because sump detritus tends to be decaying matter that turns into dust once disturbed so I prefer to dump hat water out.

 

[OREGONIC]

I’ll try to post pictures when I get back home but I use something that looks like a hang on back filter that has an accessory hose to vacuum the gravel. This has a mesh filter bag that would filter the water before putting it back on the tank.

I removed the filter mesh and place a bucket next to the sump with the gang on places on the bucket and use the hose to vacuum the sump, dumping the water into a bucket.

I do this in order to combine sump cleaning with a water change. If you just want to vacuum detritus you could simply place the hang on on the sump, install the mesh and vacuum. I’m not a fan because sump detritus tends to be decaying matter that turns into dust once disturbed so I prefer to dump hat water out.

Sounds like a great idea, please post pics interested to see this.

 

[Rufus’ goofs]

I keep a hermit in my fuge area, other than that I just stick a pump or turkey blaster in to stir up any settled detritus, occasionally scrape some glass, and change out my filter floss afterwards.

I don’t get very much algae growth in my sump, excluding my chaeto.

 

[SashimiTurtle]

I just let the sump do it's thing when the 75 was ruining before the seam started dripping. Been in an AIO tank that I siphon it the back chamber once a week. I'm cycling a 35 cube right now that I'm going to try and get a refugium gong fur primary nutrient control, so I won't be cleaning the sump that often. It's a parallel flow sump do the watery splits and half guess to the refugium, the other had goes thru a filter sock and into the skimmer. I'll keep the skimmer section clean(filter sock will help), the fuge I'll try and manage any GHA but detritus at the bottom is what the chaeto is for.

 

[2Wheelsonly]

I use a ryobi battery transfer pump and just suck up all the nasty buildup into a brute can during one of my water changes. Even with filter socks I get some fairly heavy buildup in my sump, not sure how but even with the massive buildup my nutrients stay low so whatever isn't broke don't fix eh?

 

[Bruzzerfish]

I suck out detritus with every or every other water change. A good amount settles in my 2nd and 3rd chamber

 

[sebastiaan1985]

Have some snails in my sump and occasionally I use a potfilter to get detritus out (not running a filtersock).

 

[Brian W]

Take it offline and use a sponge to scrub it clean roughly every other month. I like a crystal clear clean sump.

 

[EriksOasis]

Snails not by choice had a snail get into the back compartment of my jbj45 all in one and have 1000000 babies.

 

[Brew12]

I use a shop vac to clean everything but the fuge. I pretty much let the fuge go, but there are some snails in it.

 

[Amps Reef Life]

For me its a little mix of the above. I do vacuum my sump out but not too often. I keep a refugium with some snails and Urchin in it.

 

[iemsparticus]

Au naturel, my friend.

 

[revhtree]

I edited the poll to allow multiple choices so we can pick all that applies. Thanks!

 

[revhtree]

Crabs and Snails in the sump make me nervous!

 

[swensos]

I just let it do its thing, but some baby trochus snails somehow made their way in there along with a florida cerith. So now its thing is snails, fan worms, and algae in a swirl of detritus. But I have a problem with too low of nitrates so I leave the detritus.

 

[IslandLifeReef]

I stir up the sump with a baster once a week.