Sump cleaning

[USMA36]

how often does everyone get into their sump and really clean it. I really need to vacuum out the debris in mine. Any ideas on a cheap pump since I can’t syphon it as I would my dt?

 

[AlexStinson]

Honestly, i just blow it out with a powerhead and let it circulate through the system again, till it gets caught in my filter sock or do the same right before a waterchange.

 

[Andy G]

I take out all the water and then use a regular vacuum cleaner to suck all the remaining debris and the water that could not be pumped.

It's a long and awful process, hence i also look forward for an answer.

I've seen a vacuum from Cobalt that looks nice, but not sure as it's 100usd and it might not even work.

I've tried other aquarium vacuums like Fluval and Enheim and they don't have enough power, just make a mess.

 

[Watevadog5]

Same as Alex. When I do a WC I use a powerhead to turn up the debris in each chamber and drop a small pump in to remove the water\debris.

 

[cmcoker]

I suck the majority of water out of a certain section, then use a small shop vac to get the last couple inches of water. I try to do a chamber every couple months.
In between shop vac uses, I use a powerhead to stir up the detritus as I'm pumping water out.
There is also a mini tool kit for car detailing that fits most shop vacs that would help to get junk out

 

[scurvy dawg]

how often does everyone get into their sump and really clean it. I really need to vacuum out the debris in mine. Any ideas on a cheap pump since I can’t syphon it as I would my dt?

Go to Home Depot where they sell a wet/dry vac called the bucket head. Its around $20 and it attaches to your standard 5 gallon bucket. Works for well for me.

 

[Andy G]

Go to Home Depot where they sell a wet/dry vac called the bucket head. Its around $20 and it attaches to your standard 5 gallon bucket. Works for well for me.

I was happy to read I'm not the only one using a homedepot vacuum [emoji1]

 

[CindyKz]

+1 on the bucket head. I only do it every few months though. I wonder if/suspect that this is something that could be overdone? Would you be removing beneficial stuff also - pods, sponges, etc?

 

[Keepingitunreal]

Good idea

 

[tgp4274]

I use a pump n hose that i put in the bath tub not far from my tank
as i pump out the water i use a hose and just go around and vacume up as much as i can before i get all the water out that i want..
about every 6 months or so i drain all the water out of my sump and take it outside and give it a good cleaning
i'll be doing another WC in a day or two and can take afew pics

 

[Orcus Varuna]

I load up an old canister filter with coarse and polishing pads and vacuum away every few months

 

[landlubber]

+1 on the bucket head. I only do it every few months though. I wonder if/suspect that this is something that could be overdone? Would you be removing beneficial stuff also - pods, sponges, etc?

for sure you are if you're scouring the walls of the sump. imo those sponges are more beneficial than a spotless sump and personally maintenance cleaning the sump is limited to just removing the detritus and maybe a good clean once or twice a year.

 

[USMA36]

The bucket vac is a great idea! It’s also cheap enough to have it for aquarium use only. Thank you.

 

[jd371]

+1 on the bucket head. Small and perfect for cleaning out the sump.

 

[lariat8099]

I love my bucket head vac. It’s awesome for cleaning out my sump.

 

[TX_Punisher]

I love my bucket head vac. It’s awesome for cleaning out my sump.

It fills up that 5g bucket very fast so watch out. I filled it twice sucking out 3 small patches of mulm yesterday.

 

[coral-boss]

cobalt has an inline pump that I use. one end in the sump to suck up the garbage and the other end in the filter sock. pump the water and debris into the sock, then change it out

 

[Ryan Browne]

Using a wet/dry vac makes it so easy! I like the bucket head, that way I have a dedicated vac just for the job.

Go to Home Depot where they sell a wet/dry vac called the bucket head. Its around $20 and it attaches to your standard 5 gallon bucket. Works for well for me.

 

[madweazl]

I used to drain the sump every month or two but figured I was pulling out good things when it came to the refugium at the same time so I quit doing it to that chamber. The refugium is now au naturale. I do completely drain the skimmer chamber and I used to clean the walls of all chambers every couple days but I've gotten lazy as of late and have been doing it monthly which leads to some scratched up acrylic with how fast things grow down there.

I read something posted by another member a while back and really liked his/her setup. They plumbed a line off the return pump that dumped into a filter sock at the beginning of the sump and just turned a valve to redirect water to that while they kicked up debris in the sump. Once the water ran clear again they restored the flow up to the display and removed the sock.

 

[DracoKat]

I also use bucket head! I do one chamber at a time every few months