How to best clean sand substrate and related questions.

[kyperman]

Just today I switched from a black gravel substrate to a white estes sand substrate with the intention of switching my stock (ethically of course) to africans. Is there a best way, or really any way to clean sand...or is this not needed, or even possible.

I realize that using a vacuum is not going to work...any other ideas.

Also, is there anything I need to know about sand that I might not.

I have some corys in my tank right now, are they going have problems eating or adapting to sand?

[mduros]

I don't know why you would want or need to clean the sand, but if you feel it is dusty or dirty, a mesh spaghetti strainer works pretty well at holding wet sand if you want to rinse it.

Don't have an answer about the corys.
Take care,
Mary.

[kyperman]

That is part of the info I wanted...don't need to clean sand...where does all the waste go?

[Sploke]

I use my regular gravel vacuum to clean the sand in my 10gal. I have a smaller hose for it so the water flow is slowed a bit, and you can dig real deep, just go slowly and it works fine for me. It does suck up the lighter particles, but if they're gone its no big deal, helps it to settle faster. Sand does need to be stirred periodically to keep anaerobic bacteria from establishing, they can release toxic gasses into the tank.

[patoloco]

1- SAND NEEDS NO CLEANING??? False. You have to clean it periodically just as you'd do your gravel. Sand is harder to clean since you can not dig a lot without disturbing it, but also has the advantage of keeping the dirt on top of it, so you can suck it up more easily.

2- If sand get compacted, it can create anaerobic spots, which, are dangerous for the mentioned above. Stir from time to time to make sure these anaerobic spots don't form. Keeping the sand layer thin (less than 1" or 1½") makes compacting more dificult.

3- Cories will do fine in sand. DOn't worry about it.

4- Watch yout filtration: UGF's can not be used with sand. You'll have to use a power filter. Depending on the type and model of filter, you might find that sand can go into the propeller. This will clog the filter impeller and damage it. If your filter passes water thru the filtering material before it reaches the propeller (most canisters) the is no problem. However, most HOB filters' propeller is not protecrted by the filter and the you'll need to cover the filter intake with some non toxic sponge until the sand settles down.

NEW SAND:
Put the new sand in a bucket of water and stir it until ALL OF IT is wet and holding no air bubbles. Rinse and repeat. This might take long, but floating sand look horrid.

PAT
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[tank90]

A couple things i have picked up on sand, again like the other post said you MUST occasionaly " stir " the sand bed or poisonus gasses will build up in the bottom of you sand.....the poop and crap will stay on the very top of your sand so it's very easy to suck up. I clean mine every day so very little builds up...so in my case ( this might sound strange ) I took one of those long plastic rods that go on your vinyl blinds that move the slats open and shut and used electric tape to tape a 1/4 inch hose to it. the rod lets you stick the hose exactly where you want in the tank, I have a long one so i dont even get my hand wet, then i just start a syphon and suck the crap into a bucket...takes me about 10 seconds total to clean my sand every day. another life saver......put a slight slope to your sand bead from one end to the other..( for instance 2 inches down to 1 inch ) since the crap all stays on top of the sand, the water movement will cause everything to end up in a nice little pile on the lower end of the tank..between the sloped sand and my little hose rod it literaly takes seconds each day to keep my sand totally clean...