SUMP! Keep it clean or leave it be??

[1112-425XL]

Much to the dismay of my Elephant snail, every couple months I give my sump a total cleaning. Scrape the glass, brush off heaters, scoop out the loose whatever that stuff is on the bottom. Do you clean your Sump or just leave it be?

 

[blaxsun]

Just finished a week-long scrub, rewiring, maintenance and reorganization.

 

[The_Paradox]

Aside from cleaning the dosing lines I clean mine every 4-5 years usually when replacing a pump or something like stated above.

 

[Reefer Matt Verified Media Partner]

Once a year I remove the detritus. I just use standard aquariums for sumps.

 

[FishTruck]

Same as the paradox.... generally, leave it be. But, if I am going to stir up a bunch of stuff replacing equipment or something, I will clean it out and try not to blow all that stuff back up to the display.

 

[littlefoxx]

My fat chocolate chip starfish would be upset if I cleaned the sump, he keeps it pretty clean

 

[TheBear78]

My intentions are to leave it alone to do it's thing. However, my GFO reactor seams to leak very small particles of GFO which, if left to build up over time can find their way into the reactor where it clogs up the inlet!
To that end, I hoover out the chamber with my reactor and skimmer in once in a while but leave the rest.

 

[stoney7713]

My fat chocolate chip starfish would be upset if I cleaned the sump, he keeps it pretty clean

That's interesting, I've never heard of keeping a chocolate chip starfish in there. Do you have any light over sump or anything else? Do you feed the starfish or does it just graze on whatever.

 

[shakacuz]

i....very seldom clean mine. in the almost two years its been running i've cleaned it 2-3 times.

 

[Keko21]

Let it freakin ride!!!

Thats a nice sampling of GHA entangled with what i though was dead chaeto which is now making a crazy comeback, sprinkled in with a few aiptasia, a butt load of pods, worms, and other microscopic fauna. It’s probably a more diverse ecosystem than my display lol!!!

 

[littlefoxx]

That's interesting, I've never heard of keeping a chocolate chip starfish in there. Do you have any light over sump or anything else? Do you feed the starfish or does it just graze on whatever.

Mine has a light timed with the dt lights for him. And I peek on him daily to see if he needs food but he doesnt and just keeps the sump clean! Fat starfish too! And yeah he came to me by accident in an order and I realized he was eating my corals (had no idea that starfish did that since I only keep serpent stars qnd they dont do that) but didnt want to feed him to a harlequin shrimp. No LFS would take him since they were stocked with them, so I put him in the sump! Been i. There about 4 months now

 

[1112-425XL]

Let it freakin ride!!!

Thats a nice sampling of GHA entangled with what i though was dead chaeto which is now making a crazy comeback, sprinkled in with a few aiptasia, a butt load of pods, worms, and other microscopic fauna. It’s probably a more diverse ecosystem than my display lol!!!

You should bottle that and sell it!!

 

[bakbay]

I cleaned mine in the first year but have not done so in the last 2 years - just let it be! If it ain't broke, don't fix it...

 

[Dr. Jeffles]

I don't use filter socks so I def siphon out as much crud as possible from the sump.

 

[Pistondog]

Let it ride for a couple of years. I too have 3/5 to 5/5 of a resident chocochip starfish,thx to harlequin shrimp.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I never cleaned my refugia and sump bottoms. Couldn't see the bottom in the rock filled refugia, but the sumps collected a thick mud. Maybe 1/2 to 1" overall.

 

[tzabor10]

Keep it clean. About every 6 months or so.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Much to the dismay of my Elephant snail, every couple months I give my sump a total cleaning. Scrape the glass, brush off heaters, scoop out the loose whatever that stuff is on the bottom. Do you clean your Sump or just leave it be?

I clear the front acrylic panel but leave the sump alone as its part of bio-diversity

 

[TWYOUNG]

I haven't picked a strategy yet but recently placed Mexican Turbos in mine to clean up hair algae. I question whether manual removal is better for nutrient levels since the algae is being removed from the system rather than consumed and remaining in the tank as detritus which will break down into nutrient.

 

[seamonster]

Much to the dismay of my Elephant snail, every couple months I give my sump a total cleaning. Scrape the glass, brush off heaters, scoop out the loose whatever that stuff is on the bottom. Do you clean your Sump or just leave it be?

I clean mine if there’s too much crap in there with a shop vac. It keeps the nutrients and pollution down. I do have some sponge growing in there on a baffle. I used to have live rock in there, all that does is trap detritus so I took out the rock….i still have ceramic bioballs in a large mesh bag.. been doing that for years.