Does anyone have powerheads in their sump?

[Andrew]

Since my overflow and skimmer won't put that much flow through the sump and I'm getting crap laying on the bottom I thought about putting a maxi-jet 400 in the sump to keep the bottom clean. Would this be worth it? I'm wondering if anyone else has extra flow going through their sump to keep it a little cleaner.

[Saltz Creep]

MJs add heat due to their internal transformers. That's why I use externally-ballasted powerheads which contribute no heat. Granted, a MJ 400 wouldn't put out much heat at all, but it would be an unecessary expense if you just routinely clean you sump. You can always take a container of tank water and pour it into your sump daily. The turbulence should get the detritus off the bottom and hopefully through your skimmer.

[Crusty Old Shellback]

I have one in my sump just to keep teh surface agatated. Even though I have about 5000 GPH going thru my 90 G sump, I still have stagnent water in it. Or at least the top is.

[Andrew]

I thought about upgrading my skimmer to a Tunze doc 9010. Would that help out a little? Right now I've got a DIY skimmer with a 200-250 gph pump on it in a 10 gallon sump.

[pwachs]

I would think that you'd want things to collect in the sump rather than the display since its much easier to syphon out.

[Andrew]

Nothing will be able to collect in the main tank anyways. BB and Tunzes make no dead spots.

[Luis Ochoa]

I thought the sump was where you wanted to have all the crap accumulate so it is easier to vacum it out?
By putting a powerhead there aren't you sending the crap back up to the tank? is this what you want?

[Luis Ochoa]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7483606#post7483606 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Andrew
Nothing will be able to collect in the main tank anyways. BB and Tunzes make no dead spots.

you are really not getting the junk out then.

[Salty Brother]

Im interessed in this too, there are many points both ways.

[Benny Z]

just use a powerhead to suck up the ditrius and run the output through a 100 micron filter bag and back into the sump. the filter bag will trap the ditrius and you won't have to add topoff water because you're putting it right back into the system.

[Andrew]

If theres no dead spots in both the mian tank and the sump then all the crap will be forced into the skimmer or power filter at some time.

[moogoomoogoo]

My sump has the "miracle mud" stuff in the bottom but so much slime accumulated on the surface, light wasn't getting to the algae growing on the bottom. A tiny power head on the surface has significantly helped.

[Salty Brother]

Andrew thats a good thing right?

[Andrew]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7483825#post7483825 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Salty Brother
Andrew thats a good thing right?

Depends. I myself don't like alot of crap laying around in my tank. Since I'm going to have a blue tang and blue throat trigger, they will be creaing alot of waste and I don't want it all to settle in the sump or the main tank.

[CrystalAZ]

I have 2 powerheads in my sump. During the day, the powerheads are on in my main display and during the night, those go off and the ones in the sump come on.

I've done it this way for a couple years now.

It keeps all the stuff suspended so my skimmer and critters can get it.

I would rather have it in the main tank because there are thousands and thousands of little guys in there to break it down.

Crystal

[impur]

It seems it would be easiest to use filter socks to catch it as it drains into the sump. Just remove, clean and replace. Piece 'o' cake.

[BryanJ]

I have a sump and fuge all in one I have a powerhead blowing on the chaeto.

[Luis Ochoa]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7484282#post7484282 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by impur
It seems it would be easiest to use filter socks to catch it as it drains into the sump. Just remove, clean and replace. Piece 'o' cake.

Agree.
Why would you want poop suspended in the sump? there are no coral to use it there and you will eventually get it out but you will have more new poop to deal with then. It makes more sence to have the filter bag at the sump. Also the flow thru the sump should not be much grater than the skimmer is rater for, I mean, if the pump on the skimmer is a 600gph you should have the return pump pushing around 600gal. This way all the water gets a chance to be skimmed.
If your skimmer is 600gph and the return pump is 1200gph only half of your water is skimming. Does this make sence to anyone?

[Luis Ochoa]

Ideally, the return pump should be pushing less water than the skimmer pump.

[Crusty Old Shellback]

I use mine just to agatate the surface. I still get stuff building up in my sump. I have my skimmer in a seperate 30 G sump so the only place for any suspended particles to go would be back in the tank. It's easier to siphon them out of the 90 G sump that the 400 G tank. ;)

[CrystalAZ]

To each their own. For me, cleaning out filter socks is a PITA and I'd rather let the equipment, critters, and bacteria do the job for me.

The sump PHs work really well for me.

As chevy's sig line says:

REMEMBER
Just because it's ALWAYS been done like that, DOESN"T mean it's right!!

:D

And I would think that if you have a 1200gph return and a 600 gph skimmer pump, it would turn over all your water every 2 hours, rather than in one hour if they were both 600s. Maybe I am confused though - wouldn't be the first time!

Crystal

[Luis Ochoa]

Wouldn't you want to have a 1 to 1 ratio? Seems to me tha you will skimm more eficiantly if you did.