How to clean sand

[GreatBarrierReef]

Hello, 

I am just trying (for a month) a 70 litres aquarium.

There is a simple cycled pump and two wave makers (small) plus eBay light :D

Fish? Yellow Tail Blue Damsel, Clownfish (Nemo), Blue Tang (Dory) - yes, I know she will soon outgrow the tank, and a Domino Damsel. Plus 4 little corals.

Sorry, risky, I know.

I have even put sand! Plus live rocks. Used Probibio to start quicker.

How to clean the sand? I am loosing it as the detritus does not go by itself even using one of those special things. It gets trapped and pushed down again by the sand.

Thanks in advance!!!

[Devin's Reef]

Use a siphon or get some kind of sand cleaner,like a sand sifting starfish

[GreatBarrierReef]

Hi Devin,

 

Thanks for your help.

 

The Siphon is the one failing me as the detritus goes up and then down again as the sand also tries to go up.

 

About the starfish, the aquariums told me I have to wait 6 months. In the meantime, I bought a second wavemaker to see how I go. I mean, to see if the high flow keep the detritus floating so it goes fast out of the tank being sucked up by the filter. (Sorry about my English)

 

Cheers

[Clown79]

I vacuum my sand with siphon on an angle. As the sand rises I put my finger on the end of the hose to stop flow, let the sand drop and then release finger which pulls the detritus out 

 

Most sand sifters are not recommended for nano tanks. Nano's simply can't provide the amount of food these creatures need.

 

Nassaurius and cerith snails can help, stirring sand mid week gets things into the water column and filtered, and vacuuming during waterchanges will all help

[RustyRocket]

I think your clam is dead 😖

 

For the sand, I recommend increasing the flow in your tank, and every week when you do water changes to stir it up a bit. Use a turkey baster and blow into the sand to kick all the detrius up. Then your mechanical filtration or water change should get it all out. 

 

Other than the dory, your tank looks good. Keep it up. 

[jservedio]

Stir the sandbed with a chopstick or something similar and let your filter do the work. When you change your water, you can siphon any big crap off the top and take some of the sand with it. After a few water changes when you have a pile of sand in your water change bucket, fill the bucket up with tap water, stir around vigorously, and pour off the water/crap that was in there and return the sand to the tank.

 

Take the blue tang back now and take the domino back while you are at it. That tang will be dead within the year if you leave him.

[jservedio]

33 minutes ago, RustyRocket said:

I think your clam is dead 😖

 

I don't think it was ever alive in OP's tank - lots of LFS sell tridacna shells in with their LR. They make great hiding spots for fish.

[RustyRocket]

Just now, jservedio said:

I don't think it was ever alive in OP's tank - lots of LFS sell tridacna shells in with their LR. They make great hiding spots for fish.

That was just me poking fun...its blatantly a decoration, so just ignore me xD!

[GreatBarrierReef]

Hi all,

 

Thanks heaps for your suggestions!!! 

 

I have increased the water flow by situating another wave maker. Now... what is the best place to situate the wave makers? 

Filter: situated at the right wall of the fishtank, close to the wall

Wavemaker one: situated at the top, next to the filter

Wave maker two: situated at the bottom, in the opposite wall (pushing a bit of sand up 😉 to be honest)

 

Thanks, huge thanks in advance...

[mcarroll]

On 4/27/2020 at 11:55 AM, GreatBarrierReef said:

How to clean the sand? I am loosing it as the detritus does not go by itself

It's fine to remove some sand along with the detritus.

 

In the longer term it would be better to deal with the detritus by having more flow.  This will keep it from settling so fast.  Intern, that will give corals (et al) more chances to turn the detritus into food.

 

Another thing to consider is whether you're creating any part of the problem by overfeeding or anything else.

 

On 4/28/2020 at 6:40 PM, GreatBarrierReef said:

I have increased the water flow by situating another wave maker.

Excellent!

 

On 4/28/2020 at 6:40 PM, GreatBarrierReef said:

Wavemaker one: situated at the top, next to the filter

Wave maker two: situated at the bottom, in the opposite wall (pushing a bit of sand up 😉 to be honest)

Sounds good, including the location of the filter, but can you post a pic that shows the setup?

 

Do you have the pumps on a controller or appliance timer?  

 

Running one pump for a few hours and then switching to the other pump for a few hours would give you a simulated tidal flow.  Usually this gives EXCELLENT flow.