How To Clean Sand As A Substrate

[drooke]

Hi all,

I've recently swapped my pea gravel substrate for Tropica Plant Substrate with play sand on top for the benefit of both my plants and future Corys.

Now that I've switched, I'm having difficulty cleaning the sand however. I have a siphon (hard plastic nozzle with tubing) which I used to vac the gravel with very successfully by sifting through it. This doesn't work well for sand as it just sucks it all up being lighter than the gravel. If I just hover the siphon above the sand to pick up the fish poo on the surface, it doesn't seem to suck it up - I have to get close enough so that the sand gets sucked up too.

How does everyone keep this substrate clean? At the moment, I'm finding it quite a pain!

 

[Murphee]

I have sand too, and use the ''python system'' its just basically a gravel syphon. What i do is hover about 1cm above the sand, and move in slow circles, this creates a little tornado like thing, and most of the crap gets sucked up. It is impossible not to suck any sand up, but you only get a tiny amount sucked up, and most of the time the sand will just sink back down the tube in to the tank if you lift the siphon away from the sand. Also, if you hang the siphon out of the window, or down the toilet (not actually in it of course) this wil create more suciton and it will be more powerful. You will get really use to it to be honest. The more you do it the more you get the feel for it, and then you know how low to hover, and when to lift the vaccuum up etc..

Hope that helped

 

[geer head]

Just some other things I have been told about cleaning sand (I haven't done it myself but I wanted to get sand at one point):

1. Turn off your filter, etc, before starting and wait until the sand completely settles before turning on.
2. Every so often (maybe once a month?) you need to 'stir' your sand or else 'decaying' material will get trapped and then rot and get really stinky. If you have fish that like to play and dig in sand, you won't need to turn it as often.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi drooke

If you are using a regular syphon, the lower the bucket, the more suction you will get. Unless your bucket is on the floor already, try lowering it. This used to be a problem (before I got the Python) when I cleaned the tanks on the bottom shelves of my stands.

 

[drooke]

Thanks for the replies.

The tank is quite high on a stand and so I have the bucket on the floor when siphoning which results in a good flow rate. I will have to try out swirling the siphon to lift the debris from the surface of the sand making it easier to get out.

Any other tips?

 

[tenohfive]

I wouldn't even bother using the syphon, I'm surprised anyones managed to get sand clean with a syphon.

Just normal plastic tubing works fine. With practice you learn how close to the sand to hold the pipe so that you're picking up the rubbish but not the sand. You will still suck up some sand but a tiny amount, and as you're using play sand its cheap to add more (not that you'll need to do that often - every 6 months to a year maybe.)

Try it just with plastic tubing.

 

[thewindowwoman]

put a cotton bag over the end the water comes out. Suck up the top layer of sand with the poo. It catches in the bag and the water flows through into the bucket. Get the sand in the bag and wash it in a bowl, like gold panning get rid of the poo. Put the nice clean sand back in the tank. Don't suck too much at a time.

Works for me and you wont mind sucking up some sand!