Ounce of Maintenance, pound of cure

[Toomanymatts]

No wonder the pump barely worked. The internal filter was caked in sponges. Along with the inside of the returns. 

[Nano sapiens]

Since each tank is different, the length of time in between pump cleanings varies.  Especially if just one pump is powering the system, it's best to clean the pump a bit to soon than leave it too long.

 

I clean my single pump every month and even then it has a few growths on the outside grills that reduce flow a bit.

 

 

[Nano sapiens]

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[Toomanymatts]

Agreed.  This was the first time I cleaned it since I set it up.  6 months was way to long.