What is Best Way to Clean crap from Sand

[kosovobarry]

I have just set up a tank for my tropicals with sand. Having never had a tank before I ask when buying my tank what was the best medium for the bottom, the guy told me sand. What I haven't been able to find out is how do you clean the crap from the sand without losing lots of sand in the process, the guy who recomended sand conviently forgot to tell me how difficult it is to clean. There are hundreds of gravel cleaning kits out there, but nothing that says it can clean sand, anyone out there got any tips/ideas?

 

[WILDER]

Never had sand in my tank yet, but fish keepers tend to use gravel vacs with sand, you just keep the gravel vac slightly above the sand so you don't pull it all into the vac, switch filter off as you don't want it getting blocked up with sand, as it's no good on the propellar inside the filter.

 

[smithrc]

i find it useful to USE THE SEARCH...

sorry.

Right - use a bit of hose and syphon normally with the end of the hose just about eh surface ot the sand.

 

[CathyG]

Keep your syphon about an inch or so above the sand, move it in a circular motion (creating a small eddy) and the detritus will lift from the sand (since it is lighter in weight)

 

[StarOrbs]

Keep your syphon about an inch or so above the sand, move it in a circular motion (creating a small eddy) and the detritus will lift from the sand (since it is lighter in weight)

That's what I do seems to do the job well. Sand looks better too hope you'll be happy with it.

 

[freddyk]

Add a powerhead or two to the bottom of the tank to stir up debris and you may find you never need to clean the sand - I know I don't.