Cleaned a sand bed

[DEL 707]

I'm sand bed is starting to look a bit messy, but I'm not sure how to clean it or if I should.
I know your not meant to mess with a DSB, but mines only about 1 and 1/2 inches deep.

How do you "gravel vac" sand without sucking it all up?

 

[UnnamedReef]

How long has your tank been running? Be very careful disturbing the sand bed, you can release toxins and/or detritus. If your tank isn't ready to handle that load it could be detrimental to your livestock (ask me how I know).

Not saying you shouldn't clean the sand bed, just be careful and think it through. When I clean mine I wiggle the siphon back and forth about 1" above the sand bed which stirs up the detritus, then I close in on it and vacuum.

 

[Red_Beard]

I suck it all up into the tube pushing it all the way to the glass, until the sand almost gets to the hose. then you put a gentle kink in the hose just enough to slow the flow so the sand can settle back down but all the fines continue up and out. Once the tube is mostly empty of sand, suck up some more from another spot. Keep the tube at a slight diagonal. You will end up removing some finer particulate sand, but i find that desirable anyhow, as after a while the 'sandstorm' your fish stir up doesn't cloud and settles much quicker. If you are cleaning an older established tank that hasn't been stirred up much, clean it in sections spred across days to avoid kicking up too much anoxic bacteria and or causing destabilizing event.

 

[jamesb07]

How long has your tank been running? Be very careful disturbing the sand bed, you can release toxins and/or detritus. If your tank isn't ready to handle that load it could be detrimental to your livestock (ask me how I know).

Not saying you shouldn't clean the sand bed, just be careful and think it through. When I clean mine I wiggle the siphon back and forth about 1" above the sand bed which stirs up the detritus, then I close in on it and vacuum.

I have a feeling I know this the same way you do hahaha

 

[slingfox]

Look up YouTube videos on "siphon sandbed". I also have a 1" sandbed in my 110g display and I siphon a large portion of it as part of my weekly water change. No issues from what I can tell. I also have a goby, 4 conch, and a few nassarius who help keep the sand churned.