How to keep Sand clean?

[Safi'jiiva]

So I switched to a 100% Quartz Sand substrate in my 1000 gallon tank. The old substrate was gravel.
I got very used to cleaning out the gravel in that tank. What I am struggling with is cleaning the sand.
Vacuuming it is tremendously irritating. I've gotten good at preventing the sand from leaving the tank, but it takes ages now. Not only that I can't even suck out most of the crap because it just floats away. So then I do a water change hoping the pump grabs the floaties, but it hardly does.
Is there an easier and far more effective way to clean this sand?
My 150g with sand doesn't even need to be vacuumed because my goldfish filter it out. So is using a fish to clean sand a good idea? Or am I missing up my 150g too?
Sorry for so many questions, but I'm a newcomer to sand.
I see now Quartz Sand may have been a mistake, since people on Facebook tell me it's harder to clean than other sands. Wondering if there's a way I could more easily and effectively clean it.

 

[Toby_H]

I've used Quartz Pool Filter Sand for many tanks over many years. I strongly prefer it to gravel.

What I prefer about sand is, it keeps the waste on the surface. Where with gravel, the waste falls down in the gravel out of sight. Where it can continue to sit and rot, until I manually remove it. Which takes quite a bit of time.

I find it quite simple to use a siphon hose to spot clean waste from the surface of sand. If you are still using the wide mouth tool for cleaning gravel you may wish to discontinue using it and opt for a smaller diameter siphon hose. 5/8" diameter I.D. is my preferred hose for cleaning aquariums.

 

[Rocksor]

Can you explain how waste from the bottom gets buried and then floats while you vacuum the sand? Floating debris is much easier when you position the vacuum gravel towards it. When I went to sand I never went back to gravel since I could now remove 90% of the waste on the substrate as opposed to gravel. Maybe the reason why it's taking you so much longer is that the debris is no longer out of sight and stuck underneath gravel.

Pool filter sand comes in mesh size #20, and it sinks relatively fast due to its much larger size than mesh size #40 and #80 sand.

What type of sand are you using?

 

[tlindsey]

I still use a gravel vac for sand just lift up once sand rises in the tube or crimp the hose the sand will fall back into place. Also the waste will be removed during the process.