Thu, 06/02/2005 - 23:24

I tested my water today, and still have wild numbers. It really is discouraging, as I was hoping for things to level out. Phosphates don't seem to be coming down whatsoever, but my refugium is very empty currently. I need to quit sharing macros until that section is dense with plants again.

I made the time to vacuum the sump of detritus. I know this question comes up often enough on RC about how to clean your sump out, since it is level with the floor. What I did was use what I had handy:

1 filter sock
vinyl tubing
1 MaxiJet 600

I created a vacuum cleaner by inserting a piece of 1" vinyl tubing on the intake section of the Maxijet. I ran 3/8" tubing from the output of the maxijet into a big filter sock, and stuck that in the middle of the sump so I wouldn't have to move it.

Working my way across the sump section by section, I sucked up all detritus (and water) and collected all the sediment in the sock. No water is wasted, and the majority of the garbage is removed. The skimmer should remove anything else that is water borne, right?

The only negative was when something clogged up the intake of the MaxiJet. Cutting out some of the protective grid inside of the intake would help, or simply using a larger pump perhaps. Thus, I had to pull apart the intake side a few times to remove any bits of stuff that acted as a blockage.

This is what I ended up with. I believe the sump has been running for 2 weeks, perhaps a bit longer. Hopefully the removal of this detritus will help in the lowering of phosphates.