Good idea. What might be easier, is using a home depot 'bucket head' vac, and suck out 5 gallons of water. Then just pour the water through a filter sock and then replace the water into the sump.. but the product you used would work for most people well as they dont have too many tube worms.
Great video Marc! I think you really nailed this one by using the MJV to clean a sump that, quite frankly, really needed it - LOL Thanks for the video review!
Thanks for the video, I tried something similar to this a few years ago and was annoyed by the constant clogging. This worked exactly as my experiment! I just don't have the patience for it. Lol
I've tried everything from a Python, Bucket head shop vac, Cobalt inline pump that you featured in an older video and finally the VCA maxijet attachment. All work well but the VCA makes things much easier and you don't have to mess around trying to prime the inline cobalt pump. Price is right for the VCA attachment for quick cleanup of your sump. Don't feel bad, the first time I used mine the hose popped out of the filter sock and flooded my floor. LOL
What actually happened was the collection cup drainline was propped up so I wouldn't bump it. Apparently it got bumped, and since I was working in the sump the skimmer started to fill up quickly, and that was draining out of that tubing over the edge of the sump. 95% of it drained into the pan liner, and then trickled out toward the french drain, but it looked like my sump had sprung a leak... took me a minute to figure out where the water was coming from. lol
Neat video, not a big fan about how easily the nozzle clogged but I get why it does it. I used to actually do something similar on my display tank where I'd run a siphon hose from that to a filter sock in the sump so I can suck all the detritus out of that, however with a 100micron sock it was only marginally effective, will need to look into adding some 10micron socks to my tool supply now though.
Great video! Forgive me. I’m new to the hobby. Does this affect the copepods? Do I just add more pods after vacuuming out the detritus? I’m at the point needing to clean my sump.
Did the calcium carbonate deposits block your pump? Thats all I have in my skimmer section and im wondering if the impeller of the pump will last after a cleaning...I use an old Marineland Magnum canister 350 for freshwater with filter floss inside the canister and it works great. I use it with a 3/4" tubing also. Return water is returned back into a 10 micron filter sock. Very clean water returning. Theres also no need to prime it, its very powerful when it starts up.
I've tried loads of pumps over the years for cleaning tanks like this method but find having to stop every few mins to clean out the impeller infuriating & wastes too much precious time. I've always wondered if it would be possible to rig a pump up to use the Venturi affect to pump out the crud then the detritus wouldn't have to come into contact with any moving parts (but guess you might need a pretty big pump so may not be practical). Also wondered if pond vacuums would be any good for aquarium use but never seem to get round to trying it.
The new VCA vacuum attachment has a small screen. I just used it a week ago, and as it “clogged”, I just bonked the entire thing against the edge of the collection bucket, and continued. I didn’t need to take it apart or access the impeller. It’s very convenient. It’s available on my website for $12.
@@melevsreef Tapping the screen definately sounds better than opening up the volute to tapping the impeller clean… however call me picky (& I probably am) but I still don't want to be pulling it out of the tank dripping water all over the place to tap it every time it clogs especially when I'm cleaning lots of tanks. I'm still searching for my dream detritus sucker :P
@@melevsreef Oh believe me there'll be more towels laid down on my floor than a Spanish beach resort when the Germans are in town but no amount will suffice on tank cleaning day!!!
I don't care for it, based on your demonstration. I would likely attach the device to the hose, directly and through a larger reservoir (like a RODI filter housing) and have the Maxi-jet further down the line, before the filter sock. You would have to prime, but you would be able to catch any larger debris in the filter chamber to avoid constant clogging. For that matter, a modded out canister filter might be a better option altogether.
When I was making that video, I really took my time initially. I kinda wished I'd used it a few times before I filmed it but I was kinda excited to film how well it worked in a really messy sump. In the meantime I've used it about six times, and it works so quickly and nicely especially now that I just have small piles of detritus to suck up and not all those calcified tube worms. But I like your idea. I tried to make it work with a canister filter and that didn't go as expected.
@@melevsreef Understood. It was clear that the tube worms were a big part of the problem, that likely won't present an issue in any future use of the device.
Thanks Chris, I know people prefer quick videos and if I could have knocked it out in 2 minutes, the majority would be happier. But I like to show the process and what I ran into or thought about during the experience.
Would you consider running powerheads to circulate detritus before it accumulates and have that pump run all times in the place where detritus accumulates and drain into the filter sock?
I ended up adding that bowl of life back into the refugium since there was no reason to throw them away. They just didn't belong in the rest of my sump. :)
I use a small cheap canister filter from Ebay and it works great as vacuum! I even use it to clean detritus and green hair algae when I had an out brake on my rock work.
They are filterfeeders. If they were under the liverock, we wouldn't care. But all over my skimmer, the skimmer compartment and elsewhere, not so much. ;)
Looks cool. You destroyed a tube worm world lol. Are tube worms at all beneficial? You would think so since they are filter feeders. I have none in my current build since its heard to find quality live rock anymore.
They are totally fine to have in the reef. But in the sump and on the equipment, it's a pain - I've even gotten sliced by sheared-off tubes that became razor sharp. That being said, I ended up looking at all the life in the container and poured them into my refugium zone that night. lol
Nice gadget but I think I would turn off the return, scoop out the tube worms with a net, let it settle then start up the return and then vac out the detritus.
@@justforkiks29 Total width is 31.5" x 58" x 16" tall. The skimmer and return zone depth is 24" of that, the rest of the width is taken by the refugium.
@@melevsreef So per square area not a ton of flow in that compartment. Was just curious I don't get detritus build up in my skimmer or fuge compartment. I only seem to get it in my return compartment around my seachem matrix media.
Good idea. What might be easier, is using a home depot 'bucket head' vac, and suck out 5 gallons of water. Then just pour the water through a filter sock and then replace the water into the sump.. but the product you used would work for most people well as they dont have too many tube worms.
Great video Marc! I think you really nailed this one by using the MJV to clean a sump that, quite frankly, really needed it - LOL
Thanks for the video review!
I appreciate the 4K video. I love high quality videos
Thank you for this demo. I've been looking at this product since i saw VCA show it on instagram
I absolutely love mine I use it on all my reef tanks. Works well on bare bottom tanks as well.
Just ordered one of these on Friday, can't wait to get it!
Thanks for the video, I tried something similar to this a few years ago and was annoyed by the constant clogging. This worked exactly as my experiment! I just don't have the patience for it. Lol
Nice demo Mark.
I've tried everything from a Python, Bucket head shop vac, Cobalt inline pump that you featured in an older video and finally the VCA maxijet attachment. All work well but the VCA makes things much easier and you don't have to mess around trying to prime the inline cobalt pump. Price is right for the VCA attachment for quick cleanup of your sump. Don't feel bad, the first time I used mine the hose popped out of the filter sock and flooded my floor. LOL
What actually happened was the collection cup drainline was propped up so I wouldn't bump it. Apparently it got bumped, and since I was working in the sump the skimmer started to fill up quickly, and that was draining out of that tubing over the edge of the sump. 95% of it drained into the pan liner, and then trickled out toward the french drain, but it looked like my sump had sprung a leak... took me a minute to figure out where the water was coming from. lol
@@melevsreef Ha ha. At least you had a french drain. I was over carpet. YIKES!!!! LOL!
Neat video, not a big fan about how easily the nozzle clogged but I get why it does it. I used to actually do something similar on my display tank where I'd run a siphon hose from that to a filter sock in the sump so I can suck all the detritus out of that, however with a 100micron sock it was only marginally effective, will need to look into adding some 10micron socks to my tool supply now though.
Awesome video Marc!
Great video! Forgive me. I’m new to the hobby. Does this affect the copepods? Do I just add more pods after vacuuming out the detritus? I’m at the point needing to clean my sump.
Did the calcium carbonate deposits block your pump? Thats all I have in my skimmer section and im wondering if the impeller of the pump will last after a cleaning...I use an old Marineland Magnum canister 350 for freshwater with filter floss inside the canister and it works great. I use it with a 3/4" tubing also. Return water is returned back into a 10 micron filter sock. Very clean water returning. Theres also no need to prime it, its very powerful when it starts up.
I used a canister filter once but my results weren’t what I hoped for.
Flakes of carbonate aren’t an issue in my system as you saw.
My sump is also full of those tube worms , they look like feathers dusters, are they any good to the tank , I know they are filtered feeders
They aren't bad, but if you end up with a lot you may not be happy.
Could you use a gravel tube connected to the maxi jet? Maybe add five mesh to prevent large particulate from going through
A gravel vac doesn't really work well in sump situations. I've tried the smallest one I could find and it was kind of frustrating rather than helpful.
I've tried loads of pumps over the years for cleaning tanks like this method but find having to stop every few mins to clean out the impeller infuriating & wastes too much precious time. I've always wondered if it would be possible to rig a pump up to use the Venturi affect to pump out the crud then the detritus wouldn't have to come into contact with any moving parts (but guess you might need a pretty big pump so may not be practical). Also wondered if pond vacuums would be any good for aquarium use but never seem to get round to trying it.
The new VCA vacuum attachment has a small screen. I just used it a week ago, and as it “clogged”, I just bonked the entire thing against the edge of the collection bucket, and continued. I didn’t need to take it apart or access the impeller. It’s very convenient. It’s available on my website for $12.
@@melevsreef Tapping the screen definately sounds better than opening up the volute to tapping the impeller clean… however call me picky (& I probably am) but I still don't want to be pulling it out of the tank dripping water all over the place to tap it every time it clogs especially when I'm cleaning lots of tanks. I'm still searching for my dream detritus sucker :P
@@northeastcorals a drip towel is the simpler solution, but I get it.
@@melevsreef Oh believe me there'll be more towels laid down on my floor than a Spanish beach resort when the Germans are in town but no amount will suffice on tank cleaning day!!!
@@northeastcorals 😄
Nice job. I have always kept strong power heads in my sump so never had this problem.
Awesome tool Marc! will have to check it out.
Just put some powerheads in the sump so there arent areas with stagnant water, everything is always free-floating; that's what I do.
Looking good Marc. How do you feel about so many tube works?
I’ve ignored them. Clearly. Lol
I don't care for it, based on your demonstration. I would likely attach the device to the hose, directly and through a larger reservoir (like a RODI filter housing) and have the Maxi-jet further down the line, before the filter sock. You would have to prime, but you would be able to catch any larger debris in the filter chamber to avoid constant clogging. For that matter, a modded out canister filter might be a better option altogether.
When I was making that video, I really took my time initially. I kinda wished I'd used it a few times before I filmed it but I was kinda excited to film how well it worked in a really messy sump. In the meantime I've used it about six times, and it works so quickly and nicely especially now that I just have small piles of detritus to suck up and not all those calcified tube worms.
But I like your idea. I tried to make it work with a canister filter and that didn't go as expected.
@@melevsreef Understood. It was clear that the tube worms were a big part of the problem, that likely won't present an issue in any future use of the device.
Way better than any infomercial...
Thanks Chris, I know people prefer quick videos and if I could have knocked it out in 2 minutes, the majority would be happier. But I like to show the process and what I ran into or thought about during the experience.
Keep up the great work Marc!! Really appreciate the knowledge share!!
I've been using the Bucket Head from Home Depot a couple of times per year.
@@hayesch1 Can you describe your set up with the Bucket Head?
I've been thinking about making one of these, diy style, lol. Does this fit both the colbalt and marineland style mj pumps? Great video!
Drama D yes it does.
Would you consider running powerheads to circulate detritus before it accumulates and have that pump run all times in the place where detritus accumulates and drain into the filter sock?
Yes, that's another good method. If/when I replace this sump, I'll set it up differently.
After taking out those tube worms, could you make a fish food out of them? Recycling back into the tank etc..
I ended up adding that bowl of life back into the refugium since there was no reason to throw them away. They just didn't belong in the rest of my sump. :)
Marc they should sell extension tubes for those hard to reach areas or for people that don’t want to “get dirty”
Great demo!
Thanks for the demo!
great video! going to have to get one now. curious, Is there rock in your bubble tower? seems like no bubbles are escaping
Yes, it's full of live rock rubble. Four drains pour into it, and boil away under the lid but the water beneath is bubble free where it comes out.
Great video Marc! 👍 Looks like an awesome product
Nice video seems to work well :)
I use a small cheap canister filter from Ebay and it works great as vacuum! I even use it to clean detritus and green hair algae when I had an out brake on my rock work.
I got one as well in the past, but it didn't work out as well I I'd hoped. Glad yours does though!
Are calcified tube worms desireable?
They are filterfeeders. If they were under the liverock, we wouldn't care. But all over my skimmer, the skimmer compartment and elsewhere, not so much. ;)
Good one bro! That was tube worms from Hell! Where did you find the larger 10 micron socks? I was looking for some large size ones.
I sell 4" and 7" socks on my website: www.melevsreef.com/product/filter-sock-10-microns
melevsreef - Ohh sweet!
I'm only able rmto click 1080p on TH-cam. I done see the 4k option
I don't know why. It's had plenty of time to process, and it is a 4k file. Guess we have to wait and see, or I have to find a new codec.
Looks like this works as good as my loc line with silicone hose to attach to pump lol
Looks cool. You destroyed a tube worm world lol. Are tube worms at all beneficial? You would think so since they are filter feeders. I have none in my current build since its heard to find quality live rock anymore.
They are totally fine to have in the reef. But in the sump and on the equipment, it's a pain - I've even gotten sliced by sheared-off tubes that became razor sharp. That being said, I ended up looking at all the life in the container and poured them into my refugium zone that night. lol
Nice gadget but I think I would turn off the return, scoop out the tube worms with a net, let it settle then start up the return and then vac out the detritus.
That works too.
Looks like I need a vacuum head and a maxi jet next lol
You are correct.
Marc what gph do you flow thru your sump?
At least 2500gph, maybe higher.
@@melevsreef How wide is your sump?
@@justforkiks29 Total width is 31.5" x 58" x 16" tall. The skimmer and return zone depth is 24" of that, the rest of the width is taken by the refugium.
@@melevsreef So per square area not a ton of flow in that compartment. Was just curious I don't get detritus build up in my skimmer or fuge compartment. I only seem to get it in my return compartment around my seachem matrix media.
Interesting video! I need to syphon mine out tomorrow! Yuck! LOL!
Id use a scraper on those tubes and a net to scoop them out. scrape and vacuum.
Maybe placing a small powerhead in the sump would prevent buildup like this.
Good theory, but detritus always finds a hangout area.
He is right the Home Depot bucket works much much better
It’s another method. This hobby offers all sorts of choices.
Could just use another piece of tube instead of the nozzle. Cool idea though.
The wide nozzle with the notches is easier. You've seen me work with a piece of tubing in a previous video, right?
melevsreef I haven’t mate. I’ll have to check it out.
Great👌👊👍
love this, just what I need but unfortunately shipping to the uk is $37 lol
That seems like a lot to me as well.
Good Stuff
Shop Vac!
Or this!
ITS better the vacuum cleaner AND change of water
What a gimmick ! pmsl 😂
A gimmick that worked. 👍🏻
No good
Too succinct.