Cleaning Overflow

[ollie51]

Thought I Saw Something On Here About Cleaning Overflows Is This Required Maintance Or Something Best Left Alone ,i Was Changing The Pre Filter And Noticed A Lot Of Stuff ,small Thin Tube Like Things Lots Of Them, Mini Starfish ,aiptasia Only One That I Could See Small Layer Of Mud? On Bottom ,i Got Big Hands So I Cant Get In There To Easyany Thoughts?

[missionsix66]

The small tube-like things are feather dusters and are good filter feeders, so, keep. I'd get rid of the small starfish if they are asterinas and, the aptasia has to go. Can you get to them with a pair of tweezers(long ones)? And I'd say yes that your overflow should be maintained.Starfish: Considerations for the Common (and Commonly Misunderstood) Varieties by Anthony Calfo - Reefkeeping.com See if these are the starfish.

[omard]

Originally Posted by ollie51

Thought I Saw Something On Here About Cleaning Overflows Is This Required Maintance Or Something Best Left Alone ,i Was Changing The Pre Filter And Noticed A Lot Of Stuff ,small Thin Tube Like Things Lots Of Them, Mini Starfish ,aiptasia Only One That I Could See Small Layer Of Mud? On Bottom ,i Got Big Hands So I Cant Get In There To Easyany Thoughts?

Lots of gunk accumulates in those overflows over time. I did not clean mine out for like 3/4 years.

Good hiding place for microfauna. May even act like a refugium...

To clean mine out, I taped up a syphon hose on a small shopvac hose and sucked it all out.

Must be a zazillion asterina's and small snails living in them. Don't think they hurt anything and overflows may serve as sort of an algae sump...I have very very little in main tank.


Not really sure...