How often should we be cleaning sumps?

[Jenene]

I would appreciate the minds of some sump masters out there...

So here's the thing...I finally have my sump dialed in to where my water is always crystal clear, detritus worms are no longer visible and everyone is super healthy. Now- to keep it that way. I have a tendency to mess with things to much and I am most likely disrupting my bio media.

I feed three small feedings a day, vacuuming anything left on the bottom - the largest is mid afternoon with a homemade turkey seafood mix and I do a water change after. I always do at least a 50%. A few times a week I will roll out the 2nd aging barrel and do 'flat on their sides' one just because I have the time and I know it is good for them.

Is cleaning out the sump (rinsing Poret and media out with tank water) a weekly thing? Bi-weekly? I know some will say "it depends" and I get that but I am interested on kind of a sample of what you guys do. I change out the filter sock when it gets noticeably dirty but the other stuff I have to dig for. How clean does it need to be before you have issues of too much or too little maintenance? When I first started out I kind of forgot about it since the water looked good. Then I cleaned it and saw how filthy it was and started over compensating. Now I am looking for a happy medium of not having to go crazy and still keeping the tank healthy and clean.

Here is a pic- I know I have to fix my broken baffles. Can't keep the legs on.
Sump.jpg

Appreciate your input- Jenene

[DatDiscusDude]

Great question Jenene... it all really depends!


Lol!! Kidding of course. But that is a true statement based on your feedings your water changes etc. I would say every other week to monthly media rinses would be fine based on how fast things get mucked up. I will say what has helped me is getting my filter socks on a cleaning rotation and pulling them out every other day. It's extra work but think about it. When you are noticeably seeing them dirty as you say. How many days in is that. Think of all the water that passes through that gunked up sock. You are basically filtering now through that. The cleaner the components are the cleaner your tank will be.

One huge tip I can give is vac out your sump with every or every other water change. See all that debris in your second chamber? That should get sucked out as if it was in the display. If it's good enough to be out of the display it should not be in the sump. This has saved me tons of sump maintenance because my sump is always clean and I do wipe downs on it as if it was the display it self.

[Jenene]

Great question Jenene... it all really depends!


Lol!! Kidding of course. But that is a true statement based on your feedings your water changes etc. I would say every other week to monthly media rinses would be fine based on how fast things get mucked up. I will say what has helped me is getting my filter socks on a cleaning rotation and pulling them out every other day. It's extra work but think about it. When you are noticeably seeing them dirty as you say. How many days in is that. Think of all the water that passes through that gunked up sock. You are basically filtering now through that. The cleaner the components are the cleaner your tank will be.

One huge tip I can give is vac out your sump with every or every other water change. See all that debris in your second chamber? That should get sucked out as if it was in the display. If it's good enough to be out of the display it should not be in the sump. This has saved me tons of sump maintenance because my sump is always clean and I do wipe downs on it as if it was the display it self.

Yes, yes and yes!!! Dat! (Your name is the cutest!) Actually the crumbs in the second chamber is that darn No3 brick breaking down and yes! I did vacuum it today. I think that thing is useless actually. But thank you. I should pull those socks a bit faster. I have been yanking them about 2x a week. My aquarium guy here gave me a tip to soak them in the bleach mixture in a bucket and then just throw them in the laundry with just water. That has been working great. I have a ton of the socks so it is really no big deal to pull them. Thank you, thank you! That really helps.

[alron2]

What what is the purpose of the brick?
Thanks
Ron

[Jenene]

What what is the purpose of the brick?
Thanks
Ron

It is made by Brightwell Aquatics it comes in a plate form too. It is supposed to be really good at filtering out Nitrates. Sounded good at the time but with my water changes I never really have them. It just sits there and crumbles and makes a mess. I am going to pull it and throw a floating plant in there or root something.

[JBurgo]

It's supposed to be something like MarinePure blocks; bio media. Where it is in Jenene's sump, it's passive.

[Jenene]

It's supposed to be something like MarinePure blocks; bio media. Where it is in Jenene's sump, it's passive.

It is in the refugium compartment. I believe it said it needed low flow, longer contact to work. It is really falling apart. I am not sure how long they are supposed to last. Kind of pricey for what it is.

[Neptune]

I have blue poret foam in one of my first chambers. I watch it and when it starts to get a noticeable amount of brown gunk in it I tear the whole sump down and clean it.
I'm careful to not clean at least some of the foam and scrubbies so I don't get a BB crash.

I'm usually doing that about every two months or so. FYI get a BucketHead vacuum! It will make the job 10X easier!

[adrian31@outlook.com]

I've never cleaned my sump in the four months I've had it, but it seems like I have a different kind. I have my two overflows stuffed with course filter material, with 100micron prefilter at the top. I clean the top prefilter after each meal. Past all this on top of my drip pans I have two more layers of 100micron prefilter which slightly darkens every month or so. So nothing reaches past these prefilters, but I do wipe the sump walls (of the Refug section only) every few weeks.

[Jenene]

I have blue poret foam in one of my first chambers. I watch it and when it starts to get a noticeable amount of brown gunk in it I tear the whole sump down and clean it.
I'm careful to not clean at least some of the foam and scrubbies so I don't get a BB crash.

I'm usually doing that about every two months or so. FYI get a BucketHead vacuum! It will make the job 10X easier!

I do keep an eye on that filter floss but since it is so white it looks shabby faster than I probably need to worry about the rest of the media. I also alternate on squeezing out the foam. Have the bucket head. Love it. I have to hide it so my husband doesn't use it on non aquarium stuff.

That is a good bet though to watch the foam.

[Jenene]

I've never cleaned my sump in the four months I've had it, but it seems like I have a different kind. I have my two overflows stuffed with course filter material, with 100micron prefilter at the top. I clean the top prefilter after each meal. Past all this on top of my drip pans I have two more layers of 100micron prefilter which slightly darkens every month or so. So nothing reaches past these prefilters, but I do wipe the sump walls (of the Refug section only) every few weeks.

Yes, Kenny I have sump envy. I think I remember you saying you just leave it alone. Even with the filter sock and pre-filter foam under it my media still gets gunked.

[Jack L]

It is made by Brightwell Aquatics it comes in a plate form too. It is supposed to be really good at filtering out Nitrates. Sounded good at the time but with my water changes I never really have them. It just sits there and crumbles and makes a mess. I am going to pull it and throw a floating plant in there or root something.

some type of bio brick right, if it is like every other biomedia i've tried to eat nitrates....it won't do anything except eat money out of your wallet.

[adrian31@outlook.com]

Yes, Kenny I have sump envy. I think I remember you saying you just leave it alone. Even with the filter sock and pre-filter foam under it my media still gets gunked.

Jenene, good thing because the first two chambers are filled with bio-balls and Eheim Substrat underneath so no way I could remove all that to clean.

[Jack L]

my goal is to have as little maintenance as possible WHILE still having clean water that they Discus spawn in. IMO if they are spawning, it must be good enough, and i trust that more than test kits (though i do use them)

i use poret 10 to 20 to 30. when they restrict flow, i make mud on my driveway. that seems to be a 6 month interval. at that time i i also vac out any mulm that is under the matrix which is after the poret layers.

the prefilter on return pump, when it restricts, that is about the same timing 6 months.

[Jack L]

my sump is in this thread
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showth...t=#post1170383