Mr. Saltwater Tank Friday AM Quick Tip #144: How To Get More Life Out Of Your Pumps
Unless you are a reef junkie, you probably don’t dig cleaning your saltwater tank. And no matter what your tank personality, dealing with a seized up pump is a real downer. Here’s how I keep my pumps in top shape, even if they are already running great.
Browse the Store! Questions?
Solid advice from my favourite little scrubber… 🙂
You can go look that one up chap 😉
I upgraded my system over a 4 month period. Of which was the radion pro. I’ve asked around about if you should really get the pro model over the gen2. Do you think the yellow/orange led and the semi uv LEDs are really worth it? I love ecotech marine and I find myself going online to their website looking for new or upgrades to their products.
What about larger ext pumps like dolphin pumps? Kinda hard to let it soak in solution.
Jaysen, you can usually take apart the external
Pumps and soak the parts with buildup.
I have had a terrible problem with my pumps that have a ceramic shaft and magnetic impeller. If they cease up, I can’t get the shaft out of the impeller even after soaking them in straight vinegar for 24 hours. Thus, a purchase of a new impeller unit. So I am now taking all my pumps with a ceramic shaft apart monthly to clean and soak away the calcium deposits. It saves me the cost of expensive parts, especially when it comes to my skimmer pumps. Does anyone else have the same problem with ceramic shaft pumps?
See Mark’s video on Hydor MagiKleen for the best way to clean pumps. Vinegar is harsh and made one of my pumps run noisy. MagiKleen is faster, cleans more thorough, and won’t harm internal parts. Mark, can you reply with the link?
Carl…here’s the link to my MagiKleen video
Jaysen..as Merne said, on external pumps, clean the seals and the impeller and you’ll be fine.
How often do you clean your powerheads?
Chris…I give my power heads a light cleaning about once a quarter and a calcium-removing soak once a year