How to clean sand?

[Turchanski]

We just switched one of our tanks from white gravel to white sand. It looks great, but the fish waste is so much more noticable now compared to the gravel. I find myself wanting to clean it every few hours!
Can anyone recommend an easy way to keep the sand clean without disturbing the sand itself too much?

[NJ Devils Fan]

To clean sand, you hold your gravel vacuum above it about 1-2 inches, or closer or further away, depending on how strong your syphon suction is.

How big is your tank and what kind of filtration do you have? Also, what kind of fish do you have in the tank. Just asking because in my tank, I also have sand, yet, I hardly ever see fish waste because my Emperor 400s get it all relatively quick. Maybe you could get some fish like cories to get the fish waste off the sand.

[Turchanski]

The tank is a 50g (long) and I am running a fluval 304. I am guessing that is not sufficient filtration as it is not removing hardly any waste from the bottom. That is a good idea about getting some cories though. They would dig around and send the waste into the water? I will definitely try that. Can you think of any other fish that might do the same thing?
I tried using the gravel vaccum and holding it above the surface of the sand. It does fairly well, but I am still getting sand sucked up with it.
Do I just take that sand and throw it back in after doing the cleaning?

[o snap its eric]

cory cat eats fish waste? i have some cichlid family catfish its really cool looking but i dont think he eats poop. anyhow. just suck up the sand i guess and then pour the sand back into the tank when filling water back up

[kveeti]

I don't think either was implying that corys eat waste.... just that by their nature of digging around, they would dislodge it from sitting around, and the filter would suck it up.

[NJ Devils Fan]

Yea, you need to get another filter to go along with the fluval. I was going to say in my first post that maybe you didn't have enough filtration, but I didn't want to get you mad. I would recommend getting an Emperor 400 or an AC 500. Both great filters what will greatly improve circulation and will get a huge amount of fish waste.

The cories do eat fish poop, I see mine do it when they are not resting on on the sand or going psycho when I walk over. Another good thing with the cories is that they turn the sand, which will help prevent anaerobic spots.

[Turchanski]

Well, I threw a few cories in today so we'll see how that works.
I also converted the water return on the fluval to the Eheim style with the tube with muliple water jets. It seems to create a lot more currect in the tank and I can aim it a bit better. Seems to be pushing all the waste towards the filter. If this doesnt work then I may have to get a bigger filter.
Does anyone have any idea if by restricting the flow of water coming out of the fluval (the tube with drilled holes instead of the one large output) can damage the filter at all?
The holes are fairly large, but I cant tell if its putting any more backpressure on the system than normal.

[stik6shift98]

my pleco eats all the crap up or it just disappears....

[NJ Devils Fan]

Now plecos I am sure don't eat fish poop. It is another fis, or your filter(s) is getting everything.

[OCSupertones]

Originally posted by NJ Devils Fan
Now plecos I am sure don't eat fish poop. It is another fis, or your filter(s) is getting everything.

what fish eats poop...i'd have to get me a few if they truly exist.

[tyler]

you could place a power head in the lower half of you tank on the same side as your return line.

i think the best you can do as far as livestock is the previously suggested cory cats. they're entertaining anyhow.

i've always wanted to try a freshwater clam in a sand tank to see if it stirs up the bottom or does anything of benifit. i kept an inch long clam in a small tank for about a year, and it spent all of its time burried verticaly in the gravel. i'd think it would stir the bottom of a sand tank for sure.

[JSchmidt]

Cories do NOT eat fish poop!

Puh-lease! You aren't serious, I hope...

JIm

[NJ Devils Fan]

That odd because I have seen mine do it.

[kveeti]

NJ Devils Fan, there are all kinds of microscopic life in an aquarium. It may be possible your corys are picking at stuff on it, but they are not eating the poop.

[NJ Devils Fan]

I guess that when I was watching them the other day, the guy I was following got the poop confused with food. He ate it and then moved on, so I assumed that they all ate it.

[Woozledad]

I have sand in my 29g with 3 cories and I don't notice any trash in the tank....then again, I'm still running a ac200 and a penguin 125 so that is probably where all the trash/poop is going....