General Sump Maintenance.

[stymie]

Hello All. (Especially the Sump/Wet Dry Experts)
I bought a used 180 gallon drilled tank off of Craigslist a few months back. It has a sump filter underneath. Unfortunately, it didn't come with directions and the previous owner moved shortly after I purchased it so I can't go back to him for help.

I perform weekly tank water changes between 25 and 40%. In the tank I have 2 - 12 inch Oscars and a 14 inch Gibby Pleco. I change the filter mat during each water change.

My question is this - do I need to perform any maintenance to the sump itself? Should I ever drain the water completely out of it? Should I rinse out the sponge in some of the aquarium water I've drained after each change? The reason why I'm asking this is due to the water in the return area where the pump is located appears to have a film on it. I've never rinsed the sponge. I suspect it's clogged and if so, the reduced water flow may be leading to the film.

Thank you.

Stan

 

[Crispy]

just replace the sponges when necessary and leave the bioballs alone. you can vac the bottom of the sump if it ever gets gunk there, but shouldn't happen often.

 

[Spiritofthesoul]

and use a small pail to remove the organic layer.

 

[earthstudent]

You can clean the sponge (replace if needed) and if your filter pad is doing it's job you should never really need to mess with the bio balls. Like mentioned, you can vac and crap off the bottom of the sump if there is anything.

The film is due to no surface agitation and might be resolved by cleaning the sponge or removing it all together since this is on a fresh water tank and the sponge is basically to stop micro bubbles in a SW tank which is generally not a problem in a fresh water tank. If the film persists, you can put an air stone down there to cause surface movement and that should take care of it.

 

[stymie]

I did a water change this evening and vac'd the bottom of the sump. I may try adding an airstone to agitate the water too. Thank you all. I'm still learning and I appreciate your help.