Sand cleaning advice

Please could someone help a complete novice with recommendations on keeping sand clean? The recent addition of guppies to our tank has massively increased the amount of waste matter accumulating at the bottom of the tank between weekly water changes (they poop for England!!)

It seems to me that, in addition to cleaning up each week during the water change, I may well need to do a mid week sand clean.

I had been using a pipe with a hand pump and non-return valve, but am finding that both tedious and inefficient (plus I’m sucking up sand whilst trying to make sure I’m removing the waste).

Does anyone else do an interim clean up? Or am I overthinking it!?

Best vacuum for cleaning sand?

TIA!

Get a basic model gravel cleaner like the one in the following link. Use it to drain some water our and suck the poop out. If you get sand up the tube, kink the hose a bit so the sand drops out and then move onto another area.

guppiesandtetras said:

Does anyone else do an interim clean up? Or am I overthinking it!?

Best vacuum for cleaning sand?

Click to expand...

I use a really basic vacuum cleaner

I found it took a bit of practice but I can clean the surface of the sand without sucking up much sand at all now. I have seen a YouTube video where the person uses a flat ended implement to stir up the surface soil to then be sucked up the tube, but I haven’t been able to get the hang of that. I also have a large turkey basted that is good for targeting something specific…

I find this one really good. It has adjustable flow which should help avoid sucking up sand.

NannaLou said:

I use a really basic vacuum cleaner View attachment 152595

I found it took a bit of practice but I can clean the surface of the sand without sucking up much sand at all now. I have seen a YouTube video where the person uses a flat ended implement to stir up the surface soil to then be sucked up the tube, but I haven’t been able to get the hang of that. I also have a large turkey basted that is good for targeting something specific…View attachment 152597

Click to expand...

Fantastic, thank you and good idea with the turkey baster

I just got this one:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BDPFYEI/?tag=ff0d01-20

It works very well for me.

connorlindeman said:

I just got this one:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BDPFYEI/?tag=ff0d01-20

It works very well for me.

Click to expand...

Thank you

Mikeyboy123 said:

GravelVAC Multi-Substrate Cleaner (S/M), up to 20" / 50.8 cm - Fluval Aquatics UK

Take total control of the aquarium cleaning process with the Gravel Vac Multi-Substrate Cleaner.

fluvalaquatics.com

I find this one really good. It has adjustable flow which should help avoid sucking up sand.

Click to expand...

Thank you - starting to wonder if sand was the best choice!! All part of the learning curve I guess

I used a hose on my little 10 gallon as I don't have a siphon head small enough for it, and I may got all the debris but I got at least half the sand. I'm not hand washing it. I'm dumping it in the yard. with a 1/4 inch of sand I guess I'll give the cories a castle, definitely not enough to anchor a plant in and I don't want to bury food waste under clean sand and have a gas pocket.

Hi, I don't have the same fish as you and I know from reading the forums that some are real "top producers" but substrate is really in the eye of he beholder, AND it influences what fish and plants you might keep and help them thrive.
All that aside, I have both, each on a different tank, and really don't see any real downside to either.
Gravel naturally provides crevices for extra food and poop to literally fall thru the cracks, but when you're siphoning thru it doesn't create any turbulence and it's not as "messy" as sand.
On the sand, you can clearly see the problem areas and with enough practice you'll be cleaning it in a fraction of the time it initially takes.

Others have already provided great links to tools, I'll simply add that I saw a video once where this lady gently "agitated" the substrate surface to ensure all the loose crap was visible, then siphoned around at about an inch or so from the surface to prevent sucking up the sand itself.

On a related note, how often how much and what type of food do you give your fish?

@AbbeysDad had a thing on here about mulm and not getting too anal about too clean of a substrate, that a little dirt might even be a good thing.

I was supposed to siphon ABOVE the sand. (I just had my little hose, I have no idea where that siphon head is.....)