To Clean / Sift Sand or Not To...THAT'S My Question :)

[Colorz]

Hey HEy HEY

Back into the hobby after 25 years! Feel like a rookie all over again. Consulted my 2 lfs for advice on leaving sand bed alone or to siphon it during H20 changes...both gave me different answers so turning to you for advice!

Currently have a 28gl nano set up in Feb and took my time adding some family to the tank. Started seeing this line in sand last week. One lfs said leave sand bed alone ALWAYS as that's beneficial bacteria...other lfs says clean small parts of it every water change?!

Thank you in advance for your thoughts

 

[Jekyl]

You can't harm bacteria by cleaning. I would do a third with every water change.

 

[Colorz]

You can't harm bacteria by cleaning. I would do a third with every water change.

Thanks for input! My cuc consists of 5 tiny red legged hermit crabs & 2 margarita snails. Was wondering if I should get a snail that literally dives in the sand bed to assist on helping sand bed turn over or just do as you said since its only 28gl cube?

 

[Jekyl]

Nassarius are good for the sand bed. Variety is always best though. Check out reefcleaners.org and their packages of cleaners. I'd recommend the package for half your tank size. I would still be cleaning a third of the bed every change though.

 

[zalick]

Snails poop. So they eat food in the sand and leave poop in it’s place.
I agree with @Jekyl to siphon a portion every water change.
No need or benefit to storing tons of poop/waste in the sand bed IME.

 

[brandon429]

agree to all above. I try to not sway someone into a certain method (ok that's a lie I secretly like to watch folks rinse their sandbeds out with tap water) but a nicer option is to simply have big work threads for proof for any method you like regarding sand, then you select. and we'll put weight on the occasional tap rinse lol but in the end you select.


Sandbedding in reefing comes three ways: unassisted, partially assisted, and blasted the heck to mars. If there wasn't a direct public need for the third option, nobody would ever do it.


Unassisted reef sand: check any post from 1998-current that has sand, they're likely using it. We can see how some work out, some get dinos, some get wrecked with X and it cycles into other invasions. its a mix of results.

Partially assisted
heres about fifteen or so pages of folks who physically intervene with sandbeds before they act up. stick stirrers. detritus casters/

" MY WHITE SAND METHOD "

I've always talked about this in the fb groups because i get so many questions and compliments on my sand bed ....well here's my method....note: I've never tried this on a tank older than 3 years !!!! I'm well aware of the problems that can occur on older tanks...this is a "DAILY" method i use...

www.reef2reef.com

Blast cleaners:
there is a segment of the reefing population that if you don't blast your sand with tap water for eight hours, your reef might die. This thread is approaching fifty pages because that need set is rather pronounced lol, and well-tested I might add for being such a controversial model.

Official Sand Rinse and Tank Transfer thread

If you are reading this thread to cure a tank invasion from a link I sent you, we do not need to identify your type of invasion here we do not need you to test anything at anytime regarding nitrate, phosphate etc Above all, we do not need to see a microscope slide picture of your invasion at...

www.reef2reef.com

do not accept your total sandbed input from a one tank perspective. there's gold in seeing what five hundred reefs can do with a particular approach.

 

[bReefedBaker]

Thanks for input! My cuc consists of 5 tiny red legged hermit crabs & 2 margarita snails. Was wondering if I should get a snail that literally dives in the sand bed to assist on helping sand bed turn over or just do as you said since its only 28gl cube?

Pick Me Pick Me!

 

[BoxKing]

Siphoning your sand bed can be a tedious practice when doing water changes... and I feel it adds unnecessary time to a maintenance schedule that everyone strives to make simpler/quicker.

I disturb the entire sandbed with a turkey baster every other water change. At this time, I turn off my wave makers, put the baster roughly 1/2" below the sanbed and lightly blast away. Shortly after, turn on my wave maker on a turbulent cycle for 10-15 minutes to allow for the overflow to pull as much down to my filer media (poly fill); then I commence my normal water change practice, and replace with new poly fill.

 

[mike550]

I alternate between stirring up about 1/3 of the sand bed and blowing stuff off rock and stuff during water changes. So first week it might be 1/3 sand bed, second week blow stuff off rock, third week 1/3 of sand bed, fourth week blow stuff off rock, ....

 

[vabben]

I vacuum my sandbed weekly for two reasons.

1. I have a dead spot in my tank that collects waste. Currently just watching my local forums for a nice used MP10 to become available.

2. I have a pistol shrimp that likes to take all the sand surrounding his rock and make one massive pile for him and his YWG buddy to perch on like kings.

So I vacuum the collected detritus and knock down their mountain and redistribute around the rock.

 

[Jekyl]

I vacuum my sandbed weekly for two reasons.

1. I have a dead spot in my tank that collects waste. Currently just watching my local forums for a nice used MP10 to become available.

2. I have a pistol shrimp that likes to take all the sand surrounding his rock and make one massive pile for him and his YWG buddy to perch on like kings.

So I vacuum the collected detritus and knock down their mountain and redistribute around the rock.

Ditch the MP and just get jebao. Fraction of the price and can adjust angle.

 

[brandon429]

nice call

we should add a fourth mechanism: animal assisted. be it those fine snails above or a diamond goby for sure some are able to arrange sandbeds that have animals doing the bulk of the work. in my estimates I put the intervention routes as slightly outpacing the others. we're starting to manually mess with sandbeds more now than we ever did in the past.

 

[Jekyl]

nice call

we should add a fourth mechanism: animal assisted. be it those fine snails above or a diamond goby for sure some are able to arrange sandbeds that have animals doing the bulk of the work.

I added a pistol shrimp to my system for this sole purpose. Really makes a mess with my crushed coral substrate

 

[HB AL]

I can't see or access 99% of my sand so "cleaning" it isn't an option even if I wanted to but I've never really "cleaned" the sand in my tanks. My fish specifically the triggers do mix up the sand looking for snacks or digging out sleeping quarters under rocks. On the right bottom front in the pic the sand is piled up high from my clown trigger digging out his large cave under the rocks (pic is a month old or so and sand is piled up higher than in pick). So "cleaning" sand imo from the experience of not really ever doing it in 35+ years is its really not necessary at all or my tanks throughout the years would have always had issues or crashes. I would not worry about it.

 

[Colorz]

Nassarius are good for the sand bed. Variety is always best though. Check out reefcleaners.org and their packages of cleaners. I'd recommend the package for half your tank size. I would still be cleaning a third of the bed every change though.

Thanks so much!!!!!

 

[Colorz]

Snails poop. So they eat food in the sand and leave poop in it’s place.
I agree with @Jekyl to siphon a portion every water change.
No need or benefit to storing tons of poop/waste in the sand bed IME.

Good point Thanks!!!!!

 

[Colorz]

agree to all above. I try to not sway someone into a certain method (ok that's a lie I secretly like to watch folks rinse their sandbeds out with tap water) but a nicer option is to simply have big work threads for proof for any method you like regarding sand, then you select. and we'll put weight on the occasional tap rinse lol but in the end you select.


Sandbedding in reefing comes three ways: unassisted, partially assisted, and blasted the heck to mars. If there wasn't a direct public need for the third option, nobody would ever do it.


Unassisted reef sand: check any post from 1998-current that has sand, they're likely using it. We can see how some work out, some get dinos, some get wrecked with X and it cycles into other invasions. its a mix of results.

Partially assisted
heres about fifteen or so pages of folks who physically intervene with sandbeds before they act up. stick stirrers. detritus casters/

" MY WHITE SAND METHOD "

I've always talked about this in the fb groups because i get so many questions and compliments on my sand bed ....well here's my method....note: I've never tried this on a tank older than 3 years !!!! I'm well aware of the problems that can occur on older tanks...this is a "DAILY" method i use...

www.reef2reef.com

Blast cleaners:
there is a segment of the reefing population that if you don't blast your sand with tap water for eight hours, your reef might die. This thread is approaching fifty pages because that need set is rather pronounced lol, and well-tested I might add for being such a controversial model.

Official Sand Rinse and Tank Transfer thread

If you are reading this thread to cure a tank invasion from a link I sent you, we do not need to identify your type of invasion here we do not need you to test anything at anytime regarding nitrate, phosphate etc Above all, we do not need to see a microscope slide picture of your invasion at...

www.reef2reef.com

do not accept your total sandbed input from a one tank perspective. there's gold in seeing what five hundred reefs can do with a particular approach.

Wowza!!!!! Thanks for your in depth response! Will give me something to check out tonight

 

[Colorz]

Pick Me Pick Me!

Turbo snail? Still re-learning names of everything again after 25 yrs lol

 

[Colorz]

Siphoning your sand bed can be a tedious practice when doing water changes... and I feel it adds unnecessary time to a maintenance schedule that everyone strives to make simpler/quicker.

I disturb the entire sandbed with a turkey baster every other water change. At this time, I turn off my wave makers, put the baster roughly 1/2" below the sanbed and lightly blast away. Shortly after, turn on my wave maker on a turbulent cycle for 10-15 minutes to allow for the overflow to pull as much down to my filer media (poly fill); then I commence my normal water change practice, and replace with new poly fill.

I learned a few lessons today trying to barely siphon a corner of my sand...don't purchase ultra fine sand again AND get a different siphon w pump on it so I don't choke on saltwater again Bahahahahaha

After that, called my 2 lfs for advice and now absorbing all you reefin rockstars advice!!!! Thank you!!!!!

 

[Colorz]

I alternate between stirring up about 1/3 of the sand bed and blowing stuff off rock and stuff during water changes. So first week it might be 1/3 sand bed, second week blow stuff off rock, third week 1/3 of sand bed, fourth week blow stuff off rock, ....

Simple! Love it!!! Thank you