Sand + gravel vac = mess?

[LiveMermaid07]

Hi :)

How does one clean a tank with sand? I would think it would get vacuumed up? And make a mess, particularily trying to put more back in..
:huh:

Thanks!
:nilly:

[Lycanthropic]

You are just supposed to siphon the top layer of the sand off... don't worry, it does take time to perfect this!
As for adding new sand... I would turn your filter off, have it ready and washed, and slwoly try to get it in. After a lil bit it should settle, but until then, I suggest wrapping pantyhose/ mesh on the bottom of the filter intake, so it doesnt ruin your filter.
Or, in my case, I have a fluval u2 submersible filter and I have poly wool near the intake so that it doesnt pick up much sand at all.

[Carla G]

Hi :)

How does one clean a tank with sand? I would think it would get vacuumed up? And make a mess, particularily trying to put more back in..
:huh:

Thanks!
:nilly:

Just vacumn it. It swirls around a bit and drops back down. You dont have to go as deep with the vacuum as with gravel, not so much crap gets into it.

[coach_z]

i hover my gravel vac over the surface of the substrate to avoid sucking it all up. this will usually pick up everything if it does not do that then swirl your gravel vac around a bit until the stubborn thing you are trying to pick up lifts off the sustrate. if that still does not work then i will just stick the gravel vac 1/8" into the sand to pick up the junk. the sand then gets discarded and then never replaced.

[SubRosa]

If you control the flow by keeping the hose partially pinched closed you can clean sand exactly the same way you would gravel. You'll have to practice a few times to get a feel for it, but it's really not difficult, just much more time consuming than vacuuming a gravel bed of the same size.

[Squawkbert]

Also - get as long a vac. tube as will comfortably fit in your aquarium. This increases margin of acceptable error.

[James0816]

The best way to clean it is by removing the tube from the gravel vac and just using the hose. Hover that about 1/4 to 1/2" above the bed and it'll do it's thing. I like to use the tip of my finger like a valve. I can manuever the hose right next to the plants and get all the goodies out from under them without disturbing the plants. Place your finger over the opening to pause the flow and move to the next area. Allows for more cleaning time as it drains less water. Works every time! :cool:

[SubRosa]

The problem with just skimming the surface isn't apparent for a while, but a several yr old sandbed that hasn't been deeply vacuumed will be full of sludge. Try looking at one from underneath the tank and you'll see how cruddy it gets.

[corrieberry]

I siphon the top layer lightly - most of the crud comes up but only a few grains of sand. Note that if you do this, you need to make sure you stir the sand with a wooden spoon or something. You could also get some Malaysian Trumpet Snails (MTS) which crawl around in the sand and stir it up. This prevents bubbles of toxic gas building up in the sand due to bacteria feeding on the residue in the tank that live in the sand.

[khalsell]

Speaking of sand. I am starting 225 gal aquarium I was wondering if I could put lake sand in the bottom.

[andyjs]

As in from an actual lake? I'd be worried about introducing things from the lake into your tank, or just adding some organic material that could be in the natural sand bed and will just dirty up your tank. I'd just stick with pool filter sand, play sand, or concrete mixing sand (make sure it's ONLY the sand component-no cement or anything else). I used Qwikcrete construction sand (I think that's what it was called) on a tank I had running a while back and it was darker and large grained-probably similar to what the lake sand would look like

[katana1200]

The problem with just skimming the surface isn't apparent for a while, but a several yr old sandbed that hasn't been deeply vacuumed will be full of sludge. Try looking at one from underneath the tank and you'll see how cruddy it gets.

I've found that by taking a bamboo skewer and stirring the top layer of sand, I can keep the black sludge (wich I believe is an anaerobic reaction) under control. Plus my panda corries are always stirring things up and the Amano shrimp pick through the sand looking for goodies.


The best way to clean it is by removing the tube from the gravel vac and just using the hose. Hover that about 1/4 to 1/2" above the bed and it'll do it's thing. I like to use the tip of my finger like a valve. I can manuever the hose right next to the plants and get all the goodies out from under them without disturbing the plants. Place your finger over the opening to pause the flow and move to the next area. Allows for more cleaning time as it drains less water. Works every time! :cool:

This is the same method I use. Instead of buying a gravel vac or a python, I went to the home improvement store and bought a good long length of 1/2" clear water line. It comes on a roll near all the sprinkler fittings etc. Cheap, 23 cents a foot or so. I got enough to go from my tank to my sink, or out the door. Then I got a garden hose size female end and adaptor for my sink, and a plastic male to male hose insert and this is how I clean and fill my tank. I hook it up to the sink and fill the hose with water till the air is out then switch it over to the tub and presto there's the siphon. The male to male plastic insert gives the end of the hose a rigid opening that's a bit smaller creating just a bit more suction. Makes it easier to cap it off with your thumb and move it around the tank if you need to get it out of the water for a bit. When its time to refill I just re-connect it to the faucet, treat the water in the tank with dechlorinator (prime etc.), turn on the water and do my best to temp match with the thermometer I have in the tank. Think I paid less than $10 for the whole setup and it works well for me.