How do you clean your sump/fuge

[Dctrojan]

I've been running my home made sump/fuge now for 10 weeks. (Ive attaches several pictures) ive got a good pod population going on all throughouy my sump in every chamber. My scooter blenny eats these pods throughout the tank. I need to change the filter material in one of the baffles but when I look really close I see tons of pods in it . I dont want to clean my sump and kill my pod population. What should I do ?

[Duvallj]

I'd remove those cut peices of pipe, looks like its just holding onto debris. Try to put some cheaeto in there. Pods love to live in chaeto. Debris will still collect, but you can pull it out and rinse it in old tank water during water changes.

Or.
Install a filter sock on the inlet to the sump. Should catch most of the debris. Either way you'll want to remove the media to clean it/ siphon the junk out. I wouldn't worry too much about the pods, they'll just come right back. The fuge area in your sump with insure they bounce back.

[Jr010889]

I agree I would also get rid of the cut pipes etc. I honestly have nothing in my sump but a filter sock which is in my first chamber where the drains off my overflow run into my sump... And to clean my sump I use a shop vac. I clean the entire sump every water change. I wouldn't worry about the pod population as they should re-populate in no time!

[ca1ore]

I have a divergent opinion, of course ...... Monitor nitrate and phosphate levels as a proxy for nutrient levels in your water. If they are fine, then nothing wrong with some detritus buildup - actually a good source of food for benthic organisms ..... and pods. I never run filter socks continuously (only use them when doing major maintenance), and only siphon out my settling chambers when my nitrate levels climb above 10.

[Dctrojan]

Originally Posted by ca1ore

I have a divergent opinion, of course ...... Monitor nitrate and phosphate levels as a proxy for nutrient levels in your water. If they are fine, then nothing wrong with some detritus buildup - actually a good source of food for benthic organisms ..... and pods. I never run filter socks continuously (only use them when doing major maintenance), and only siphon out my settling chambers when my nitrate levels climb above 10.

this is what I was thinking, but the one thing that makes me nervous is my test kits its a APi and I know they arent the best. I tooj a closer look at the sump last night and there is so much different life in there it is crazy. Im going to invest in a good shop vac to clean out the settled detritus but other than that I may just monitor the system . I reaply want a filter sock to run every once in a while but my LFS doesnt have any and doesnt seem to care.

[ca1ore]

Originally Posted by Dctrojan

this is what I was thinking, but the one thing that makes me nervous is my test kits its a APi and I know they arent the best.

Good enough for our purposes though! OK, if you are monitoring Cu levels in a QT tank perhaps you'd want a better test, but for keeping an eye on longer-term trends API is fine IMO. Use your eyes - do things look 'right' with your tank? Do you have the start of an algae problem? Certainly keep a handle on nutrients, and do test, but don't get to OCD over absolute levels if your tank looks good.

[Drae]

I use filter socks so my sump stays detritus free.