How do you clean your AIO

Jrambo88 · 06/17/2015, 08:04 PM

So I e had my 28 gal setup for about 6-7 months now. It was my first time taking out all the equipment in the back and siphoning out the detritus in the back. Man was that a headache. How do you clean and how often the back chambers?

smtank · 06/18/2015, 07:16 AM

I siphon out the back chambers on my JBJ 20 RL every other water change. Front every two weeks, back chamber every two weeks.

The 28 is much harder to clean then the RL. It's really surprising how much crap accumulates back there.

ReefWreak · 06/18/2015, 07:21 AM

I siphon for my water changes directly from the bottom of the back last 2 chambers, so I have to move my pump, 2xtemp and ph probes, and heater from the third chamber. Right now my second chamber is empty.

I only siphon from back there, as it holds just over 5 gallons (probably closer to 6 gallons), is relatively easy to access, allows me to siphon without disturbing any corals or fishes, and conveniently collects detritus back there.

I should alternate between vacuuming the sandbed and siphoning from back there, but honestly my sandbed is largely covered by corals, so it's tough to siphon from the sand bed.

soulpatch · 06/18/2015, 12:20 PM

I do the back chambers about once every other month. I have quite a bit in my back chambers so it is a pain to get to. The first chamber however I try to do every water change as it is a bit easier to navigate around the heater...

XtremeFromHell · 06/18/2015, 01:47 PM

I havnt cleaned the back of mine in forever.. But i sure have been wanting to clean it. I think next water change im going to get back there and blow up the detritus with the return pumps

homer1475 · 06/18/2015, 05:55 PM

I siphon from the back chambers every water change(once a week). Its roughly 5 gallons, and the perfect amount to change without disturbing anything in the display. Also I pull my skimmer from the first chamber and get the detritus, its where it accumulates the most.

hig789 · 06/19/2015, 05:00 AM

Guess I am lucky. Mine was a custom made acrylic that I bought used. The whole back chamber is wide open minus my heater and some live rock rubble. Easy to siphon out and clean the detritus out. On the acrylic I use a magic eraser.

soulpatch · 06/19/2015, 07:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hig789

Guess I am lucky. Mine was a custom made acrylic that I bought used. The whole back chamber is wide open minus my heater and some live rock rubble. Easy to siphon out and clean the detritus out. On the acrylic I use a magic eraser.

Our chambers were wide open till we added equipment to do other things like pumps for reactors and such...

hig789 · 06/19/2015, 08:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by soulpatch

Our chambers were wide open till we added equipment to do other things like pumps for reactors and such...

Very true. I was referring to the bio cubes and such that have built in dividers.

soulpatch · 06/19/2015, 08:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hig789

Very true. I was referring to the bio cubes and such that have built in dividers.

I have a biocube and the divider would not hinder sucking anything out. Every sump should have a baffle of some sort to process flowing water in the appropriate manner...

hig789 · 06/19/2015, 08:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by soulpatch

I have a biocube and the divider would not hinder sucking anything out. Every sump should have a baffle of some sort to process flowing water in the appropriate manner...

Okay. Not bashing biocubes or any of the other AIO, just saying I like mine the way it is.

soulpatch · 06/19/2015, 08:59 AM

you have no baffles in your sump? It just flows into a basin and is pumped back out?

ReefWreak · 06/19/2015, 09:01 AM

Yea, I've seen pictures of some of the original all-in-one systems that were like that. Some of the old(er) reefing books from before the mid 2000s (when biocubes started coming out) just had one large partition in the back to hide equipment.

I'm not sure if they even sell tanks like that.

My favorite though is how some people have set up their tanks with an extra long tank, and they set a side partition for a refugium and sump, so it's all one long horizontal tank, with horizontal partitions so that you can see/display your refugium, and have sump equipment behind it.

hig789 · 06/19/2015, 09:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ReefWreak

Yea, I've seen pictures of some of the original all-in-one systems that were like that. Some of the old(er) reefing books from before the mid 2000s (when biocubes started coming out) just had one large partition in the back to hide equipment.

Yes this is how mine is, no idea how old it is either. I bought it used and scratched up. Going to put some cheato in there sandwiches in some egg crate. It's going to get a whole lot harder to clean though. Adding a ATO and a Tunze 9001.

hig789 · 06/19/2015, 09:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by soulpatch

you have no baffles in your sump? It just flows into a basin and is pumped back out?

For right now yes. Goes through some floss under the overflow and some live rock rubble piled in there the back to the display. Not much different than just running live rock and sand as a biological filter

JakeK · 06/20/2015, 02:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ReefWreak

I siphon for my water changes directly from the bottom of the back last 2 chambers, so I have to move my pump, 2xtemp and ph probes, and heater from the third chamber. Right now my second chamber is empty.

I only siphon from back there, as it holds just over 5 gallons (probably closer to 6 gallons), is relatively easy to access, allows me to siphon without disturbing any corals or fishes, and conveniently collects detritus back there.

I should alternate between vacuuming the sandbed and siphoning from back there, but honestly my sandbed is largely covered by corals, so it's tough to siphon from the sand bed.

ReefWreak, thanks for this advice. I was doing water changes from the DT and I know that it has to stress the fish out. Good to know that chambers 2 and 3 hold just about the right amount for a water change.

terrypercula · 06/23/2015, 03:21 AM

I have an old utility pump and some clear tubing. Makes things a lot easier. For the back compartments, I clean them throughly about once a month or every other month. It's definitely worth doing though. Detritus sitting in the back compartments will lead to high N03 and P04, which will inevitably lead to algae blooms. I couldn't imagine what mine would look like after 6 months

06/17/2015, 08:04 PM	#1
Jrambo88 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Murcia' Posts: 465	How do you clean your AIO So I e had my 28 gal setup for about 6-7 months now. It was my first time taking out all the equipment in the back and siphoning out the detritus in the back. Man was that a headache. How do you clean and how often the back chambers?

06/18/2015, 12:20 PM	#4
soulpatch Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Downingtown, PA Posts: 4,017	I do the back chambers about once every other month. I have quite a bit in my back chambers so it is a pain to get to. The first chamber however I try to do every water change as it is a bit easier to navigate around the heater... __________________ 150 SC tank build: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2550948 Some have bar tabs. I have a coral tab at my LFS. Life goals.

06/18/2015, 05:55 PM	#6
homer1475 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Upstate NY Posts: 5,313	I siphon from the back chambers every water change(once a week). Its roughly 5 gallons, and the perfect amount to change without disturbing anything in the display. Also I pull my skimmer from the first chamber and get the detritus, its where it accumulates the most. __________________ 80G SCA Build: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2560256 Originally posted by der_wille_zur_macht: "He's just taking his lunch to work"

06/19/2015, 08:59 AM	#12
soulpatch Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Downingtown, PA Posts: 4,017	you have no baffles in your sump? It just flows into a basin and is pumped back out? __________________ 150 SC tank build: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2550948 Some have bar tabs. I have a coral tab at my LFS. Life goals.

06/23/2015, 03:21 AM	#17
terrypercula Registered Member Join Date: May 2012 Location: Buffalo,NY Posts: 4,354	I have an old utility pump and some clear tubing. Makes things a lot easier. For the back compartments, I clean them throughly about once a month or every other month. It's definitely worth doing though. Detritus sitting in the back compartments will lead to high N03 and P04, which will inevitably lead to algae blooms. I couldn't imagine what mine would look like after 6 months __________________ Dave Current Tank Info: IM Nuvo Fusion 10, Kessil A160, Tunze Osmolator 3155, Ecotech Vortech MP10

06/18/2015, 07:16 AM	#2
smtank Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 1,204	I siphon out the back chambers on my JBJ 20 RL every other water change. Front every two weeks, back chamber every two weeks. The 28 is much harder to clean then the RL. It's really surprising how much crap accumulates back there.

06/18/2015, 07:21 AM	#3
ReefWreak Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Astoria, NYC Posts: 10,159	I siphon for my water changes directly from the bottom of the back last 2 chambers, so I have to move my pump, 2xtemp and ph probes, and heater from the third chamber. Right now my second chamber is empty. I only siphon from back there, as it holds just over 5 gallons (probably closer to 6 gallons), is relatively easy to access, allows me to siphon without disturbing any corals or fishes, and conveniently collects detritus back there. I should alternate between vacuuming the sandbed and siphoning from back there, but honestly my sandbed is largely covered by corals, so it's tough to siphon from the sand bed.

06/18/2015, 01:47 PM	#5
XtremeFromHell Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Miami, FL (hialeah area) Posts: 735	I havnt cleaned the back of mine in forever.. But i sure have been wanting to clean it. I think next water change im going to get back there and blow up the detritus with the return pumps

06/19/2015, 05:00 AM	#7
hig789 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: owensboro, ky Posts: 208	Guess I am lucky. Mine was a custom made acrylic that I bought used. The whole back chamber is wide open minus my heater and some live rock rubble. Easy to siphon out and clean the detritus out. On the acrylic I use a magic eraser.

06/19/2015, 09:01 AM	#13
ReefWreak Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Astoria, NYC Posts: 10,159	Yea, I've seen pictures of some of the original all-in-one systems that were like that. Some of the old(er) reefing books from before the mid 2000s (when biocubes started coming out) just had one large partition in the back to hide equipment. I'm not sure if they even sell tanks like that. My favorite though is how some people have set up their tanks with an extra long tank, and they set a side partition for a refugium and sump, so it's all one long horizontal tank, with horizontal partitions so that you can see/display your refugium, and have sump equipment behind it.