Cleaning sand on a pico?

[ajm83]

There is not enough room to get a normal gravel vac in there without removing all the rocks & corals. Normally I like these as they pull the dirt out of the sand but the sand tumbles back down and resettles without it getting sucked up into the bucket.

 

If I use something thinner (e.g. airline tubing or silicone hose), it just sucks the sand out rather than just the detritus.

 

So how do you go about cleaning it? Or do you just leave it for the CUC to attend?

 

 

 

I'm about to reboot the tank anyway, and so am wondering if bare bottom would be an easier choice.

 

ETA, bare bottom tank not arse

[brandon429]

I take apart my entire tank, clean the rocks and rinse the sandbed out with tap water, then saltwater, and its 100% clean and no cycle upon reassembly its been like 20 times now on the same system.

[steste1122]

I have heard mention of some people using a turkey baster to stir up debris which you can vac out or let the filtration get it.

[Oracus]

I opted for crushed coral instead of sand for this reason

[gaspipe1]

I take apart my entire tank, clean the rocks and rinse the sandbed out with tap water, then saltwater, and its 100% clean and no cycle upon reassembly its been like 20 times now on the same system.

 

I know this is a stupid question.. but I rather ask and look silly. Every week you rinse the sandbed with tap water then add saltwater and dump (basically to rinse out the tap water) and refill with saltwater. Do you prepare the tapwater (temp, jar it for a few days, RODI or distilled) or actually right out of the faucet?

 

Also.. (here's the stupid part) You rinse the rock that have corals (zoas, LPS) with tap water as well?

 

I may have to take a trip to TX and watch how you do all this.. get a brisket while I'm there

[brandon429]

no for sure no rinse of the rocks and coral, that's only sand this is good clarification.

 

 

the tenet is that straight out of the tap water, blasted into a disgusting sandbed with literally no corals or rocks, is only touching tap water to sand literally nothing else. I could clean it just as well blasting several gallons of saltwater through the sand. but I cheat, by using tap water any temp and then the final rinse is in saltwater, so I don't set up the bowl back over tap water.

 

all that sounds crazy but the point is clean the sand any way

 

it is good to rinse off rocks and corals during cleaning, but use only temp'd saltwater. the sand we can mistreat, as long as its cleaned very well. to partially clean it out of fear, and reinstall waste, would be bad.

 

people who vacuum or clean the sandbed in increments are fine as well, at least they aren't perma storing. I choose to just rip it all out at once, options vary.

[gaspipe1]

That's great info right there!! Thanks again. I know I been asking a lot of questions regarding the maintenance but I feel that it may be the most important step due to the fact that it is reacurring.

 

It's an expensive lesson to make the same mistake week after week. ?