how do you clean live sand?

[pnkflydlvr]

i am setting up a tank and will be using arag-alive fiji pink live sand which is .5 mm-1 mm in diameter. i know that you can't use a siphon to clean it (which is what i used on my last tank with crushed coral). how do you guys clean yours?

 

[robdog696]

I have the same sand. I do siphon it. It's slow going, and mostly just mixes it up. I use a really fat siphon tube and stick it just barely in the sand. I pull it out and give the sand a few seconds to fall out of the siphon tube. Then repeat ten thousand times. But I'm able to get a small amount of junk out of the sand. For the most part, you have to rely on a good cleanup crew to keep the sand clean.

 

[rebelprettyboy]

no need to siphon.
Nass snails will do the job! Keep my sand sparklin clean!!

 

[pnkflydlvr]

so when you do water changes you just take out water instead of siphoning the sand? also how many snails would i need? my tank is 45 gal.

 

[rebelprettyboy]

yes yes yes. Stirring up the liv sand will cause ur parameters t spike.
What size tank you got? and whats all on ur sand that need to be cleaned? and whats ur CUC consit of?

 

[jerryatrick]

Originally Posted by rebelprettyboy
http:///forum/post/2683955
no need to siphon.
Nass snails will do the job! Keep my sand sparklin clean!!
Nass snails and turbos? are they okay together? same for hermits and nass snails?

 

[rebelprettyboy]

[hr]
the hermits. More of a mess than a help to me. Soon as a snail turn over its a free meal if ur not around to help flip it over. And they always seem to find a way to knock over coral and I dont like the way they look at coral likes it tasty or something.
But with Nass snails I esp hate hermits. Since the Nass bury theirselves in the sand they tend to disappear very quickly IMO

 

[rebelprettyboy]

And Nass and turbos are great together. Both clean total diff things.
My clean up crew I consist of. which Mr. X doesnt like lol
Is
Nass Snails
Cerith Snails
Turbo/Astrea snails
1 or 2 Margaritas
maybe a Mexican Turbo
Emerald crab
And thats always been my special token n my tanks lol!
But depending on the size of the tank and how much leftovers and algea there is for them to eat you need to get them accordingly

 

[pnkflydlvr]

the tank is pretty small--only 45 gallons and its not set up yet. i'll probably have about 60 lbs. or liverock in there. right now, i'm mainly worried about how to do water changes. so to get this strait, snails will keep the sand clean so i just need to siphon out water to do a water change and not disturb the sand?

 

[rebelprettyboy]

Dnt diphon sand. If you do lighty go over the top of it. Not deep down in there as if it was freshwater gravel. Nass snails will keep you clean!

 

[rcoultas]

There is beneficial bacterial colonization in the sand bed - by siphoning the sand you are disturbing and/or destroying those colonies. A good clean up crew and good water movement are the best solutions. Agree with post above re: snails and hermits together - IME they just don't last long - hermits are opportunistic feeders and can not grow there own shells

 

[pnkflydlvr]

ok so i'm gonna go with the snails. how many would i need for a tank this size?

 

[hlcroghan]

Okay so what about if you have an aggressive tank where you can't have snails? how would you do your sand then?

 

[rebelprettyboy]

Thats when u have to do your best with syphoning? I would guess.. never been on the agressve end!