Vacuuming sand?

[Lizbeth90]

I have a nuvo 20 and I’ve read that you shouldn’t vacuum the sand on deep sand beds. Mine is an inch or maybe smaller but I’m always afraid to clean it.

[biofool12]

I usually skim the top of the sand alittle bit just to pick up anything that is on the surface. I never stick the siphon into the sand though. 

[Lizbeth90]

Okay good to know thanks ??

[HarryPotter]

I disagree, it is best to mix up the sand bed before each water change. You DO NOT want the sand bed to become a nasty nutrient time bomb. By mixing it up and then doing a water change you are removing junk and also corals love the poo!

[Cintax]

I agree with HarryPotter. If you are concerned about stirring up too much, you can vacuum small areas each water change. Eventually you will have given the entire sand bed a deep cleaning.

[TheBig053]

34 minutes ago, HarryPotter said:

I disagree, it is best to mix up the sand bed before each water change. You DO NOT want the sand bed to become a nasty nutrient time bomb. By mixing it up and then doing a water change you are removing junk and also corals love the poo!

^this. Vacuum thoroughly and regularly! I learned this the hard way after sending my tank through a mini-cycle, and several month battle with cyano, after stirring up the sand too much during a rescape. Best to just keep it as clean as possible from the get go. 

[Butchy21]

I had my siphon/vacuum break awhile back and never replaced it.  I also hated vacuuming because of the large attachment- it would constantly knock corals over, etc.  I finally bought a thinner type vacuum and you would not believe how gross the water was that I pulled out.  

 

As stated above- vacuum sandbed before each water change- honestly it takes a few minutes and it doubles as a way to siphon out the water you have to pull out anyways.

[Lizbeth90]

Thank you guys any recommendations on which siphone to use? 

[TheBig053]

1 minute ago, Butchy21 said:

I had my siphon/vacuum break awhile back and never replaced it.  I also hated vacuuming because of the large attachment- it would constantly knock corals over, etc.  I finally bought a thinner type vacuum and you would not believe how gross the water was that I pulled out.  

 

As stated above- vacuum sandbed before each water change- honestly it takes a few minutes and it doubles as a way to siphon out the water you have to pull out anyways.

Yep, I actually take out all the water I am changing while vacuuming. It's amazing how much crud can build up in there in just a week. 

[HarryPotter]

1 minute ago, Lizbeth90 said:

Thank you guys any recommendations on which siphone to use? 

 

I mix it up using a powerhead and then use regular tubing to drain the water. Most siphons are the same.... A soft tube that connects to a wider hard tube.  

[Cintax]

I have two, one is fairly large and good for bigger areas. I have another which is pretty small, maybe like 1" tube. It's a good size for getting between rocks and such.

[TheBig053]

4 minutes ago, Lizbeth90 said:

Thank you guys any recommendations on which siphone to use? 

I just got a cheap one from PetSmart with a pump start and 1" mouth. 

[Sneds]

1. I don't actually vacuum the sand, mine is very fine and I find it very difficult to not suck it up.  I instead have a long acrylic rod, I stir the sand (what little I have, my bed is mostly covered in rock) and let the dirt (poo) fly.  I do this about an hour before I do my water change with all my pumps off, the water gets filled with dust and poo and my corals seem to love this.  I then kick my pumps back on until the water is mostly clear, I always use a filter sock, ALWAYS.  I then change my dirty filter sock and water change.  My corals look best the next few days, there must be some magic in that dirty old sand.  I think this would be difficult to do without the ability to use a filter sock.  It has worked great for me for years.

[SURVEYMAN46123]

I stir and vacuum every water change in my nano.  

 

 

 

[Clown79]

Not vacuuming a sandbed is an old school rule, that is just old.

 

If it's not a dsb - vacuuming should be done.

 

I thoroughly vacuum mine every week like everyone else has mentioned  with a gravel vac- they still get disgusting with regular vacuuming, can't imagine what one looks like after yrs of not being cleaned.