I might change my substrate to sand. how do you clean it? does the python work or will it suck up the sand?
how to clean sand?
- Thread starter jagsandpits
- Start date
I use a python with my sand tank; you just hover right above the debris and the python will pick it up. If it picks sand up with it you can tilt in and the sand will pour back out. I also use a smaller siphon to get poo out of problem areas since my tank is heavily planted. For upkeep in between water changes you can just suck things up with a turkey baster.
I would place my siphon about 1 inch above the substrate and make a small tight circular rotation. That would cause a mini whirl pool of poo to get sucked right up through the siphon without disrupting the substrate
Feeding properly, not overstocking and good water flow in the tank and you really should not have to clean the sand, also certain fish can help stir the sand.
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My python has a valve to slow the flow of water so I slow it down till sand will go up about 3/4 of the tube and drop down. The small poop and debris flows right to the top and out. Big turds are a different story. Gotta have full suction to get them baby's out and even then sometimes it won't go all the way out. Usually for a thorugh clean I run my fingers through the sand all over to get the stuff into the water column to be sucked out. This cleans your sand and helps against anaerobic pockets developing although I've never had an issue with them myself.
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This. I never have to do anything to my sand. I have a powerhead pointed in such a way that detritus never settles on the sand, and eventually gets sucked up by my filters. I also keep cichlids, and all of mine dig all day, so I have no worries about anaerobic pockets forming (although I wouldn't anyway as I dont have very deep sand).
All I do for weekly maintenence is:
1) Suck water out
2) Dose with prime
3) Re-fill with water
Done. I'll never go back to a tank that I have to vacuum again.
turkey basters r for the kitchen only....unless im raising a turkey in my tank then that's a different story
Hello; When I used sand I would first dry sift it thru a colander or a home made set of screens. Sifting this way can get rid of much of the very fine dust and tiny particles found in sand. The size of the sand grains you wind up with will depend on the openings in the screens.
I found that unsifted sand was much harder to wash and caused issues in the aquarium. After dry sifting I would rinse it well in buckets.
I stopped using fine sand some decades ago due to the various problems when in the aquarium. Good luck.
I found that unsifted sand was much harder to wash and caused issues in the aquarium. After dry sifting I would rinse it well in buckets.
I stopped using fine sand some decades ago due to the various problems when in the aquarium. Good luck.
I think he means after it is in the tank not before.. Lol... What I do is use my python and move it around about a inch from the sand and the picks up everything out of the sand so I can suck it up with the python, I also turn the water to go back in the tank for a minute and use that to flush everything from under and around the rocks and plants and then I set it back to suck the water out and suck everything that came out of the rocks out... I do this once a week on most of my tanks with a 50% W.C. A few of my tanks I do it twice a week...
Just remember to stir the sand after getting the crap off of it as it can get pockets of bad bacteria in it that can kill your fish