sump/fuge cleaning

[30reef]

Is it a good idea to periodically clean out the detritus that accumulates in the sump and fuge? I have noticed that the Chaeto. in the fuge gets dirty. I have a discussion about filter socks in my other thread, but what about the stuff that is in there now?

Does anyone use a powerhead to clean under the LR in a BB tank. I have decent flow in all areas of my tank but some spots still trap dirt and detritus on the BB. These areas that have a buildup of detritus have been colonized by hundreds of the small featherdusters. They are in the fuge also in even greater numbers. Are they an indication of anything? These worms must extract something from the water to make their tube as most grow on the glass. I will be removing alot of them during the next waterchange as they are becoming a nuisance.

Any suggestions? Keith

[CeeGee]

I would like to know the answer to this as well.

I keep all parts of my tank as clean as I can as I don't feel detritus is good in any form or fashion.

I have however seen other peoples sumps on here that look like they are brand new at all times. I don't know how they do it or what their reasoning is for keeping the sump so sterile. I thought a sump was employed to help keep the display as clear as possible and it was ok to have some algae growth and whatnot in there.

[Justin/TiV]

can you siphon the detrius out ??

[30reef]

Ya I can get it out but I didn't know if it was necessary or not. There's lots of critters in the sump/fuge I would lose if I disturbed it.

[rhino509]

i have a good thick layer on the bottom of my sump,i have never siphoned it and have had no problems whatsoever.it was my understanding this is food for some of the fauna(pods ect)

[30reef]

I think I will leave it alone for the time being.

[jay24k]

I used to keep my sump algae area clean. But now I just let it gunk up and clean it up. I scrape the hair algae from the overflows and it sits in my macro algae area. I'd rather have it get nasty in my sump then in my display.

[Philwd]

I siphon it out with every water change. It's just rotting there and adding nutrients to the tank. No difference if you had a filter sock and never changed it.

[Nuuze]

Every 2-3 months so far I take my sump offline and give it a good rinse and inspect all the pumps and water level sensor. It doesn't seem to affect the tank.

[lfduty]

I siphon my sump/fuge every 6 months and that it

[frederickk]

I like to clean every 6 months as well. Other than that I let it sit.

[ralphie16]

i do water changed directly from sump so all that gunk gets siphoned out each time. not good to have sitting there.

[jay24k]

Not sure how hair algea adds nutrients. IMO, if you have it growing, it is using the nutrients up. Every week or two, just pull most of it out but a little. That way if it does grow, it is down below. I don't have issues with algae but it just seems to work well.

[Philwd]

I meant the detritus not the hair algae. The HA will just trap the detritus for it's own local food source.

[melev]

Keep in mind that often the pictures of sumps you see are brand new setups that were just installed. The owners are proud of their new gear and want to show it off.

Sumps and refugiums get dirty over time, and only the most meticulous of reefkeepers will clean theirs up to look as nice as possible. Many don't even consider cleaning it. Personally, I prefer clean equipment and improved visibility.

When I first set up my huge sump, I cleaned it all the time. Sort of like how you wash your new car ever week, but after about 6 months it isn't quite that important and the car washing drops off.

I used to siphon out detritus every two weeks but now it is more like every three. I wiped down the sump monthly. There are areas that are much harder to clean and I have to really soak and work those areas. I like to scrape away any coralline so as to have the option to look through the front or side to see how equipment or livestock is doing. My sump has a large prop section as well as a refugium.

Washing out a sump can be done if you have a way to extract the water. Some use a garden hose to blast it clean and a shop vac to suck every drop out. You can wipe it down with white vinegar and water. If you don't want to go to that extreme, you could use a powerhead, a filter sock and some tubing to vacuum up detritus and pump it into the filter sock without losing a drop of water in the process.

You may notice the refugium's substrate is beginning to get a thick layer of detritus. During a water change I'll wave my hand back and forth quickly to cause that crud to float, and pump that muddy dirty water out. Cucumbers can help keep the sand cleaner, as could nassarius snails and smaller hermits.

[30reef]

Thanks for all of the replies. My sump/fuge has a small bubble trap in the corner where the water from the display drains. This is in the corner of the fuge which is roughly half of the sump. The divider wall in the middle has teeth routed into the top and allows fuge to fill up. Last chamber is where skimmer and return pump sit. It's pretty simple. I took Melev's advice and downsized the return pump. I think the turnover ended up being 5 or 6 times per hour. The flow through the fuge is really gentle. Any detritus that gets there settles out and doesn't get put back into the display. The only thing I have been doing to the fuge is rinsing the ball of Chaeto in old tank water during water changes to remove gunk thats collected on it. I will brush any detritus in the fuge into suspension and filter it out at the next water change.
Thanks guys. (and gals)