sand help

[tigrey]

i have play sand in my tank and have noticed my fishes colors are starting to fade. i want to remove the sand and go bare bottom, the bottom is already painted black. what is the best way to remove the sand, and when should i do it? when i do water change? also what is a good way to secure plants to the bottom if i have no sand?

 

[bob965]

Use a small diameter hose to siphon out the sand into a bucket. Let the sand settle in the bucket and pour the water back into the tank. Dump out the sand. Repeat.

 

[iloveoscars702]

yeah i would siphon it out with some tubing... you should try using black sand or slate tile.

 

[tigrey]

well i have to do a water change so might as well throw the water away and replace with new. im going to try to use the siphon to get most of it out. im gonna get some darker sand later but for right now imma go bare bottom. my tank is painted black so its the same as getting black sand.

 

[Deaths Sting]

i used a hose and garbage bag, then u don't have to clean the bucket!

 

[bobnwieve]

deaths sting, your avatar is too trippy. i just caught myself locked into it for 5 minutes haha

 

[Scorponok]

use a net to scoop sand first then siphon the left over.

 

[tigrey]

ok i took all the sand out of my tank with a siphon but there is a little bit left that my siphon kept on dropping. how can i take that small amount of sand out?

 

[bob965]

Are you using a gravel vac with a big diameter tube on the end, or a piece of small tubing? I've used a plain piece of 1/2" tubing and it sucks pretty hard. Plenty enough to get every single grain of sand. Make the water level in the tank as high as you can and place the bucket as low as possible to maximize the suction.

 

[kjfan1]

Try again man! You'll get her!