To vacume or not is the question

[coreef2006]

I was wondering how many of you out there vacume your sand? Is so how offten and do you move your rock around to do so? Or is it more of a touch up to remove left over food and such? Do you really vacume deep or it is just the top bit. Thanks

[InLimbo87]

I believe most would say to never vacuum your sand, as it removes beneficial bacteria to the cycling process. However, it is recommended to slowly replace it after a certain number of years.

[blue_eyes53813]

My tank is way to deep to vacuum, But in my other tank I have vacuumed a section at a time - like left side than right side next time. I don't do the whole tank at once.

Now with my big tank, I have a stick I will stir the very top 1/2 inch or so.

I never vacuum or stir deeper than that.

[cheeks69]

If it's a DSB then no I don't recommend it. If you have detritus accumulating then your feeding too much, don't have enough flow or need to focus on a cleanup crew to maintain the SB clean. You could possibly add a SS Goby if your not overstocked and don't have aggressive fish to keep it pearly white.

[charlesr1958]

For a live sandbed, and I mean one that has the life forms (worms and such) that make a sandbed functional, I would never vacuum the sand for obvious reasons, nor would I add any type of sand sifting animal. Such animals sift the sand to eat the life forms that are needed. To deal with any surface accumalations, I use sea cucumbers.

Chuck

[lcstorc]

I vacuum just the top of the sand abiut every 4th water change. I don't go very deep just the top 1/2 inch or so. I do not move the rocks or anything else. Just vacuum around the top a bit.

[Wooden Harpoon]

I paid something like $80 for 20 lbs. of premium live sand. I purchased the live sand for the little "live" critters that it hopefully came with. I too was afraid to vaccum my tank, but wasn't sure if I should. Vaccuming out the little critters and debris defeats the whole purpose of a deep sand bed as part of my filtration system. (Plus, I like counting how many little worms there are pressed up against the glass!)

[vdituri]

I hired Gary the yellow head sleeper goby to take care of that.
Now if he would just put it back where he found it instead of spitting it out all over the *!"x& tank.
I'm better now that I've vented.

** I just named my first fish. I hope you are all happy.

[lcstorc]

LOL
I think Gary is a good name for him.

[coreef2006]

Thanks for all your answers, that was what I was thinking is not to vacume. But I am getting a light brown colored dust that seems to settle in places, and I'm thinking that that may be causing my phosfate to come up a little but I'm not sure. I as of late have been trying to stur the the areas that its collecting to get it to go down to my skimmer for which I had bought it.

[cheeks69]

But I am getting a light brown colored dust that seems to settle in places, and I'm thinking that that may be causing my phosfate to come up a little but I'm not sure.

It could be diatoms or even cyano which indicates an excess of dissolved organic material. How much flow do you have ? What size is the tank ? How much LR do you have ?

[mps9506]

Barebottom here. So yeah, I vacuum religiously Someone should invent the roomba for barebottom reef tanks

[coreef2006]

I have alot of flow, to ports with a 3250 gph pump and the valve is about 3/4 open, any more and my zo's aren't happy.

[murkywaters]

Originally Posted by vdituri

I hired Gary the yellow head sleeper goby to take care of that.
Now if he would just put it back where he found it instead of spitting it out all over the *!"x& tank.
I'm better now that I've vented.

** I just named my first fish. I hope you are all happy.

congratulations!!!!!
I name corals too. LOL but I'm not so obsessed that I name each polyp....yet

[DrHank]

If it's in my tank my wife has named it. To make matters worse I'm supposed to remember the names and understand which she's talking about because of their names. Garry is definately the way to go for the sandbed!