Tracy G October 7, 2012 October 7, 2012 So I am having some issues keeping sump clean and at first I was putting it to the sand that was in the sump. I took out that sand because I dont think it was helping much and I have about 2 1/2" in Sand in the DT. I also have a good amount of live rock made as an island that is doing very well. When I took the sand out of the sump I filled it full of Live Rock but the sump looks pretty dirty. Partially because I had my BRS reactor running GFO and I think I had it up too high so it was realeasing fines. As a Long store short I have a 40 Gallon Breeder that I drilled and I have a Aqueon ProFlex Series 3 Sump. Do I need Live rock in the simp or would it be ok just simply to use it for my filtration? Or would I do better with Live rock in it? Any Thoughts?
Marc Weaver October 8, 2012 October 8, 2012 You did the right thing by removing the sand from the sump. Unless you are using it for a remote deep sand bed (5 or 6 inches deep) there is no point to having it in there. It just traps dirt and makes cleaning the sump a hassle. I don't usually run anything in my sump at all other than equipment, but I am currently holding some live rock in there now for a friend. If your tank is new, you can take the live rock out if you want to. It will make the sump easier to keep clean. You can drain it and use a $20 shop vac made to fit on a 5 gallon bucket to vacuum the bottom periodically. Some people that like more open area in their tanks run live rock in the sump for extra filtration, so I don't think it will hurt to leave it in there. If your tank is already established and you want to remove the rock, remove maybe 1 piece every week or two, because your bacterial population will need time to adjust. If you pull it out all at once, you risk a nitrate spike, especially if your tank is overstocked. You can always drain or pump the water from the sump into a rubbermaid container, put the rock into it, clean the sump, and replace the rock if you want while doing a water change. Give the rock a good swish in the old tank water to remove the detritus and put it back into the sump.
Tracy G October 8, 2012 Author October 8, 2012 I just figured out 1 of my issue...... Return was pretty clogged and almost no flow back to the DT...... Fixed that and things already working better lol. Thanks for the advice and I will do that. I am going to just put my equipment in the sump for now.
Marc Weaver October 8, 2012 October 8, 2012 If you have a foam filter on the return pump, you can remove it so it wont get clogged. You don't need it. Most pumps have a strainer on them to prevent large things like snails from getting in the pump, or the plastic housing of the pump itself is the strainer.
Tracy G October 8, 2012 Author October 8, 2012 If you have a foam filter on the return pump, you can remove it so it wont get clogged. You don't need it. Most pumps have a strainer on them to prevent large things like snails from getting in the pump, or the plastic housing of the pump itself is the strainer. Good call! I will do that
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