cichlids and sand
- Thread starter bigbrad73
- Start date
Try stirring up the sand and letting it settle first (all the trash will stay on top) and hover OVER the sand with the vacuum to get it. Don't let it have contact with the actual sand but the suction will get the trash up still.
is the sand going all the way into your bucket ? mine goes a few inches up the tube , then falls back down , perfect for vacu-cleaning . if its going all the way out of your tank , maybe its the wrong kind of sand , or not well rinsed .
I had sand in my african tank for about a year. Looked AWESOME but was a royal pain in the plecostomus.
Duston is dead-on. I have pool filter sand in my 220 Frontosa/Haps/Peacock tank. It looks awesome, but requires a lot of work. I contemplate switching back to gravel almost daily.
I personally have no problems with my sand-bottom tanks. I use Pool filter sand and it works great for me. It's light enough for my fish to sift through and move around without being injured or making a mess of the water. But it is heavy enough that it doesn't easily get sucked up in the python during water changes. It all depends on how you clean the substrate. I easily clean my sand and water without any cloudiness occurring in my tanks. I will be getting another large tank soon and it will have a sand bottom.
I use pool filter sand and it works much better than gravel for me, all the dirt and poo just sits on top of the sand and then the filters can suck it up.When i gravel vac I just keep the tube at an angle and that seems to sort out the problem with the sand getting sucked up.
I used dryed play sand for a sand box i rinsed it thoroughly at about ten times per bag and let it sit in the sun during the summer to warm up and then put it in my 150 gallon tank. It is a pain to clean but i enjoy watching my geo's sift the sand through their gills its a cool site to see. sure cleaning is a pain but in the end sand costs a fraction of the price gravel or rock would cost. And the best part about it is the crap sits on top of the sand so its easy to just take the siphon vac off and just use the tube to collect the garbage on the top. then you can rinse the sand you accidentally siphoned out and gently set it back in the tank just make sure your filters are off so they dont mess the propeller up in the pump. But other than that i love the way sand gives more of a natural look and looks nice with some root wood or manza wood and some live plants. Good luck with any choice you make
I use a 24" clear siphon tube( my tank is 24" deep) with a 90º at the top. The 90º is a barb fitting so I can attach a hose. The hose is then attached to a ballvalve. The ball valve can be turned on and off as the sand gets sucked up into the tube.
The length of the siphon tube, I believe, is critical. If its to short, the sand gets pulled up and out before you can turn the valve off.
I have had sand for a long time and this method takes a little practice but when you get the hang of watching the sand as it goes up the tube, you wont lose any sand.
For me, sand has been a solution to many issues including nitrate levels. The sand holds far more beneficial bacteria than gravel, even the finer gravel. Excess food and poo tends to stay on top of the sand, actually making it easier to remove. And I personally think it looks better. I prefer black sand over others but this does show everything.
One thing to remember with sand is that certain grain sizes will compact more, like Tahitian Moon and Sugar grades. Blasting and pool filter sand tend to be less apt to compact. When sand compacts it will go into an anerobic condition releasing natural gas into the water column.
My 2¢
The length of the siphon tube, I believe, is critical. If its to short, the sand gets pulled up and out before you can turn the valve off.
I have had sand for a long time and this method takes a little practice but when you get the hang of watching the sand as it goes up the tube, you wont lose any sand.
For me, sand has been a solution to many issues including nitrate levels. The sand holds far more beneficial bacteria than gravel, even the finer gravel. Excess food and poo tends to stay on top of the sand, actually making it easier to remove. And I personally think it looks better. I prefer black sand over others but this does show everything.
One thing to remember with sand is that certain grain sizes will compact more, like Tahitian Moon and Sugar grades. Blasting and pool filter sand tend to be less apt to compact. When sand compacts it will go into an anerobic condition releasing natural gas into the water column.
My 2¢