How are you keeping your sump clean?

[REEF-DADDY]

My switch to bare bottom has really saved me a lot of time, with one exception my sump. My tank is a 280 display, with a 125g(72"x18") sump. I am running about 1200 gph on my return. In the display detritus makes one neat pile and I vacuum it up every day. Takes 30 seconds. My sump gets a fine layer built up and I have to vacuum out about 20 gallons of water to clean it. That’s just the main chamber never mind the skimmer area! I recently started running 100 micron filter socks. They helped but need to be changed everyday at least. With 11 fish and 400 gallons of water they clog up fast. What are you doing?fficeffice" />>>

[VWD]

I have to siphon the sump when I do water changes.

[SeanT]

RD,
Did you "cook" your rocks?
Also, is your sump in the same room as your display?
With a large sump like that many times it is in another room so its worth a shot asking.
If it is you could put it on a small stand making it much easier to siphon detritus out.
Or you can always use the powerhead as a vacuum cleaner method.

If you didn't "cook" your rocks though, take heart, the shedding will slow down.

Sean

[gman0526]

One thing that really help me was to eliminate baffles from my sump. since I run needlewheel skimmers (2) I needed a way to keep the water level constant taking into account evap and skimmate ( runs wet), so I added 2 trash cans that recieve the raw water from the display thus "creating" 2 skimmer chambers. As Sean states after the rocks diminish shedding this detritus will bgecome less of a problem. HTH

[Krux]

yep powerthead with a hose on it, use it to move the stuff out of the sump into a bucket, works pretty good. stick with the filtersocks thopugh, i have at least a dozen so there is always a clean one laying around, that along with your skimmer is what will make the system work.

[Wiskey]

I use a Python to syphon out my sump once per week w/ water changes. I used to do it much more often when I first set the tank up, but the amount that collects has gone down a lot. I like the fact that it builds up in the sump, it is better than having it in the tank.

Whiskey

[REEF-DADDY]

I was able to cook about ½ of my real live rock. ½ is uncooked and the rest is man made. My sump is ¾ under the display. I am glad to hear that is will slow down. I’ve also considered the following solutions:
> >

• A bigger return pump, this should create more flow and either get the detritus back to the tank and hopefully back to the skimmer, or pile it up against the back wall. Thinking of a Sequence Dart. This would double my return GPH, and also get everything to the overflow quicker. The only down side is a lot of particles will by pass the skimmer(ASM G6). Hopefully they will get back to the overflow for another pass at the skimmer. >>
• A powerhead for the sump to create a circular flow pattern. Hopefully detritus will pile up in the middle waiting to be vacuumed. >>

[Krux]

one nice thing about gravity fed pumps, is all the water either goes through the skimmer, or into the filter sock. i know you cant gravity feed a g3, but that is something to keep in mind if you ever decide to change skimmers.

i would probably focus on getting the scum out of the sump, rather than trying to blow it back into the tank, since all the flow in the tank is designed to get it into the sump... counterproductive.

[stan zemanek]

heres how i keep my sump clean these filter socks fit perfectly into a 4 inch pvc pipe thes pipes also work great for keeping micro bubbles out of sump and making my megas dead silent

[Spridle]

I don't have to clean my sump. I guess it all gets trapped in the filter sock.

[Spridle]

Ignore my prior post. I have a DSB.

[NoSchwag]

But when using filter socks don't you miss most of the PO4 that we're trying so hard to get out?

My sump is a pain to clean.

The way my sump is set up the last compartment gets most of the settlement. So what I do is cut the return, skim real wet and let the last part of my sump drain(the return section). Then I just wipe it down with paper towels and soak the rest up with a towel. A real PITA.

Something that I did notice was that when my skimmer is wet skimming at 100%, I get very very little settlement in that last compartment.

I went away for a few days and made my skimmer skim dry so my girl wouldn't have to worry about emptying the 5gal collection cup. When I came home there was so much crap in that last compartment, I couldn't believe it.

Anyone know where I can get 2 - 3 gallon buckets with removable lids?

[gitsumpottery]

I don't have any build up in my sump. I run a big filter sock.

Zac

[arconom]

I have a little gap between the window and my SB this makes a perfect trap for detritus. I have used this modded Vac for some time now. I use it for the tank and sump. It's works great!

[gwaco]

i'm a double socker !