Cleaning Sand

Can someone please tell me how to clean sand? I like the way it looks i just dont know how to clean all the shit off the top of it, its in my guppy tank so there is literly ALOT of shit on it i got my filter cranked

 

I just switched a tank over to sand last weekend and I'm noticing the same thing. Basically I just hover the gravel vac over the top of the sand which sucks up the waste on top and not the sand. I've also created an indent in the sand so that all the stuff collects there. It's really not hard to care for at all IMO and gets you motivated to keep cleaning the tank because you can actually see all the gross stuff.

 

Sand sounds pretty cool, wont it cause ur water to become salty? like beach sand?? or is there a special sand i can purchase or find somehow?

 

I just used sterilized play sand. $2.92 for a 50 pound bag at wal mart, can't beat it!

 

I did the same thing as tina 18kg bag of sanatized play sand for like 4 bucks pretty cheap conpared to Gravel i like the way it looks to and the fish can dig

 

WUT! YOU CAN HAVE SAND IN A FRESH?? damn i had no idea...

 

I have sand in all my tanks (except my betta jars). Most people use play sand or pool filter sand (don't use marine sand). You just have to make sure you rinse it really well before putting it in your tank and make sure you either have a spong pre-filter or make your filter intakes at least 6" above the surface of the sand.

When I clean my tanks, I hoover the siphon a little above the survace to get all the loose debris. Then I go along the bottom of the tank and stick the siphon in the sand every few inches. I let the sand get lifted up the tube a little then let it fall back down. That helps mix up the sand a little (to prevent anaerobic pockets) and frees any debris that could have collected in the sand. It does take a little practice to be able to do it w/o sucking up all the sand.

-Chelle

 

i clean my sand with a aquavac. but stirring it up works fine too.

 

Matt i told you how to do it why must you egnore me?

 

suddanly im starting to like my gravel, its a lot easier. lol, well so i think. What do you guys thing what is better? sand or gravel? but as for the cleaning i think the idea of using the suction over the sand would be a good idea! but wouldnt you have to keep replacing the sand after awhile?

 

You'd have to leave the siphon in one place for quite a while to suck up a significant amount of sand. And even then, it's more likely to clog up the siphon than all go out the tube.

Personally, I much prefer the look of sand over gravel. I don't think it's that much more difficult to take care of than gravel.

-Chelle

 

hmm thats cool, i also like the look of the sand, i have just found that my fish love the gravel. though i cant make much of a choice since i have only tried gravel.

 

You told me how to clean sand?