I've tried about every kind of sand out there. Still sucked up a cupful everytime. I tried different size vacuums, put some polyfilter on the end, everything. Still sucked up sand. Just no easy way to get waste off of it without sucking some up.Teelie said:If you know how to clean sand, you never have to replace it. I've had sand in my tanks for months and it's never been hard to clean.
Most people suggest sifting the sand to get the stuff up in the water and then you can start to vacuum it. I usually run my vac over the sand and let it pick the stuff up. My grains are heavy enough not to get sucked in and sand is compact so most of the detritus never gets underneath it unlike gravel.