How do you keep your sand bed clean?

How do you keep your sand bed clean?

  • Have a DSB; don't touch it!

    Votes: 4 12.9%
  • Vacuum portions to pull out the gunk directly

    Votes: 12 38.7%
  • Stir portions and let the filtration pull out the gunk

    Votes: 6 19.4%
  • Barebottom tank; Get Off My Lawn!

    Votes: 2 6.5%
  • I need to clean my sand bed??

    Votes: 7 22.6%

  • Total voters
    31

McPuff

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I'm curious to know what others do to keep their sand bed clean. What type of sand do you have? How deep is it? How often do you clean it and what method do you use?

The poll itself will provide some basic data but it will be more interesting to see some more details. Should be useful for the noobies as well. So please, share some details.

I have about 140# of special grade sand in my 300DD. To be honest, I don't clean the sand often (3x per year?) and when I do I typically vacuum about 10-20% of the sand, then do it again the following week and repeat until I've completed the task. There are really only a few areas that need to be cleaned as the fish have re-distributed the sand as they saw fit. I rely on my sand sifters for some sections because they are simply too hard to access. Also have 4 cucumbers, two sand sifting stars, and a watchman goby (sand sifter) to help me out.

Let's hear your rituals!
 

sde1500

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I've vacuumed it a few times, don't anymore though. Added a couple fighting conchs, they are doing the leg work now.
 

MaiReef

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I have a conch and an engineer goby. I also just mix it up during water changes. I use a small pump that I put in the tank to remove water and I often spray the rock and sand in between buckets. Sometimes I just mix it up with my hand.
 

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