How Do you clean your Sand Bed

[snaz]

Every month I vacuum the detritus off the accessible areas of the sand bed during the water change; then once every three months I clean 1/2 of the sand bed at a time using a Magnum 350 and a vacuum tube followed by a water change.

I Move the LR from one side of the tank to the other every two months.

This works as long as my Corals & Clams don’t attach to large rocks.

I like this method, because I get a new landscape every two months.

Please share you thoughts on how you keep your sand bed clean.

 

[Woodstock]

Before I went BB, I would vacuum my shallow SB every water change but I never moved the rocks. I just vacuumed the open areas.

 

[Gina]

We vacuum the sandbed during every water change and we use Nassarius snails.

 

[Barcochris]

If you vacuum the sand bed are you sucking up little goodies as well?

 

[mps9506]

I vaccuum the sand bed in our fish only tanks with the same method. However in our reef tanks I usually just stirred up the bed and siphon the stuff out of the water column during the water change and hoped the filter removed everything else.
Hence why I went BB.

 

[Warnberg]

I do not vacuum my deep sand bed in my reef tank, my yellow head watchman goby does a good job of that for me. When I do a water change all I do is stirr the bed a little and change the water.

 

[jimeluiz]

I typically use a turkey baster and "puff" the top 1/2" or 1" of the sandbed, putting a cloud into the water column. Then I vaccuum the surface while doing a water change.

Lately I've had to fight back cyno algae. I'm concerned that perhaps 'disturbing' the sandbed so much is adding to the problem.

But I do want to get all that gunk out of there...

 

[Warnberg]

jimeluiz, I had the same issue from new (start of tank) until about 22 weeks, then it just went away. I routienly change my filter socks (every 2 to 3 days) and clean the skimmer.

 

[Cougra]

I have a canistor filter that I use specifically for vacuming the substrate whenever I notice something on it or before I do a water change. I turn off all the pumps in the tank and stir up the substrate a bit and then let things settle. Once everything settles then I use the canistor to vacume the substrate clean. Then once I'm done doing that I'll do a water change to get rid of whatever is remaining in the water column.

 

[snaz]

Michelle,
Interesting approach, I might have to try the stir, settle, and vacuum approach myself.

Karma for you.

 

[jimeluiz]

I'm waiting for my credit card billing cycle to tick to next month , then I'm going to finally get a canister filter for both the sandbed - for use as described by Michelle - and for my sump. I'm gonna lick this thing... :bluenod:

We had a pristine sandbed for the first year and a half.

 

[Witfull]

i used a large plastic cup and moved it to the driveway~~

 

[snaz]

i used a large plastic cup and moved it to the driveway~~

LOL, How did you clean the SB off your driveway? HEHE

 

[Witfull]

hosed it into the gravel---haha

i live in the country,,we dont have fancy schmancy heirs like cement ponds...lol

 

[snaz]

Wit,
How do you get Karma?

 

[Witfull]

under a members avatar, there i the word KARMA with a number next to it. click it and sign the karma.

 

[duuce]

You should not be going that crazy to clean your sand if everything in your tank is doing it's job you should not need to clean it.I use my sand stars and cucumbers and snails and gobies to do it and I never need to clean it manually.

 

[Mebigloser]

I clean my sandbed the same way wit does.......man is it easy.....

MBL

 

[snaz]

You should not be going that crazy

I like going crazy :grind: :lookaroun Plus my SB is sooooooo clean it looks Sterile. I love the look of a nice clean SB.

 

[cheeks69]

If you have a DSB you definitely don't want to vacuum or have fish that will eat the infauna which make it work ! I don't touch my DSB unless moving rockwork or corals my cleup crew of fighting conchs, nassarius snails and bristle worms keep my DSB very clean !