How do you clean your sump?

[jhflemm]

I’ve upgraded from a 30g with a sump that was always hard to clean out so I never paid attention to it. Now I have a 90g and with easy access to a 40g sump

What are some of the best ways to clean the detritus that settles out? I’m trying to avoid filter socks for right now. I don’t mind the manual maintenance.

Use a pump to suck it out? If so what kind?
Wet/dry shopvac?
Blow it around so it goes back into water column?
Have my kids use a net to catch it as punishment?

 

[PiscesPower]

I don't use filter socks, I have a big fuge of chaeto in the first chamber of my sump that traps detritus.

I have a shop vac bucket lid and I love it.

Bucket Head

I don't do mine very often, but a few times a year I will do a water change (I run Triton so don't do them routinely) and clean out the sump. For me its a huge pain because I have to remove a huge amount of chaeto from my refugium to get under it. But its good to do now and then.

 

[AnakinReefWalker]

I keep a small, old powerhead in my sump and turn it on every now and then, the detritis gets kicked up and is taken out by my skimmer, the stuff that doesn't get pulled by the skimmer heads to the DT (coral food), and then if it makes back down to the sump my filter floss catches it.