I have an old Sicce return pump that I use to draw water out of the sump and run through an RODI canister with a string filter in it. It does a reasonable job, but takes a lot longer than I'd like, Does anybody have a better way?
Sockless Folks - how do you clean your sump?
- Thread starter joeyprice
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Every once in a while during a water change I take the water from the sump, and use my shopvac to empty a chamber and clean it.
Get a Homer bucket vac for about $35, including a bucket to use it on, if you don’t already have a shop vac-
Bucket Head 5 Gallon 1.75 Peak HP Wet/Dry Shop Vacuum Powerhead with Filter Bag and Hose (compatible with 5 Gal. Homer Bucket) BH0100 - The Home Depot
The Bucket Head Wet/Dry Vac Powerhead can be used to turn a The Home Depot brand 5 gal. multi-use bucket (sold separately) into a powerful wet dry vacuum. The powerhead features a 1.75 peak horsepower
www.homedepot.com
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i need one of those i havent cleaned my sump in over a yearGet a Homer bucket vac for about $35, including a bucket to use it on, if you don’t already have a shop vac-
Bucket Head 5 Gallon 1.75 Peak HP Wet/Dry Shop Vacuum Powerhead with Filter Bag and Hose (compatible with 5 Gal. Homer Bucket) BH0100 - The Home Depot
The Bucket Head Wet/Dry Vac Powerhead can be used to turn a The Home Depot brand 5 gal. multi-use bucket (sold separately) into a powerful wet dry vacuum. The powerhead features a 1.75 peak horsepowerwww.homedepot.com
Love it! We have a wet vac, but didn’t want to cross the car vacuum with the tank vacuum!Get a Homer bucket vac for about $35, including a bucket to use it on, if you don’t already have a shop vac-
Bucket Head 5 Gallon 1.75 Peak HP Wet/Dry Shop Vacuum Powerhead with Filter Bag and Hose (compatible with 5 Gal. Homer Bucket) BH0100 - The Home Depot
The Bucket Head Wet/Dry Vac Powerhead can be used to turn a The Home Depot brand 5 gal. multi-use bucket (sold separately) into a powerful wet dry vacuum. The powerhead features a 1.75 peak horsepowerwww.homedepot.com
Small little nano pump, blows between the input and the skimmer, skimmer keeps it all nice and tidy.
This little kit comes in handy too.
MULTI FIT 1-1/4 in. Micro-Cleaning Accessory Kit for Wet/Dry Shop Vacuums VT1215 - The Home Depot
Take on even the smallest of spaces with the MULTI FIT Micro-cleaning Accessory Kit designed for RIDGID or Stinger wet/dry shop vacs. Precision cleaning is right at your fingertips when you add on one
www.homedepot.com
Yeah, i also just siphon detritus out of the sump. No vac for me. Im not against it, but i just dont use it.
Depends on how big and how high the sump is off the ground if you can create a viable siphon. My last system had the sump directly on the floor. The new frag system is using the same sump in the same way, on the floor, it's a converted standard 120 tank. A sump on the bottom of most cabinets is usually only a few inches off the floor and may be difficult to siphon much or with a good velocity. Using a Vac gets the job done quicker and is usually incorporated with a water change anyway.
I agree. But actually, my sumps have always been only 2" off the ground. However, i have experience siphoning, so getting it started is likely easier for me than for others. I also use small or medium diameter tubes that have more friction per a cross sectional area. The benefit of the small head pressure and small diameter is slower water flow, which allows me to focus on getting all the detritus without siphoning out much water.
Every 8-12 months I would do a water change that would empty my sump chambers (other than Fuge) by siphoning as much as I could before the trash can of wastewater would be too high to keep a siphon. Then I would vacuum out all the detritus and clean my pump while all this was going on. It was a water change, sump, and pump cleaning all at the same time.
Once a system is stabile enough not to be using socks is usually the time I stop cleaning the sump but once a year too. Detritus is almost free coral food. Almost because of the amount paid to feed the fish. I use a maxjet 1200 zip tied to a piece of PVC to blow the sump out and the rocks in the display to get all detritus in suspension. Think of it as recycling
But with Blondie, Popeye & Red I don't know if I'll be able to stop using socks this time around. They eat a ton and produce a lot of waste.
When you have over 3 feet of fish between the three I think socks are always in your future.Once a system is stabile enough not to be using socks is usually the time I stop cleaning the sump but once a year too. Detritus is almost free coral food. Almost because of the amount paid to feed the fish. I use a maxjet 1200 zip tied to a piece of PVC to blow the sump out and the rocks in the display to get all detritus in suspension. Think of it as recycling
But with Blondie, Popeye & Red I don't know if I'll be able to stop using socks this time around. They eat a ton and produce a lot of waste.
I really thought my method would work, a pump in the sump that draws water from and returns to the same chamber, but runs through an RODI canister with one of those string filters in it. The return was supposed to keep all the gunk in suspension and the pump was supposed to move all the water through the filter, but it took FOREVER. I guess my pump isn't big enough.
Or the sediment filter is clogging quickly and reducing flow. I like the innovative diy though.
If your nutrients are under control and holding steady values, detritus isn't a bad thing.
