Sand? How much?

[jac913]

How much is too much sand? I see a lot of tanks with 3-4" of sand, to me it looks like there is too much. I guess my real question is how much is desirable, and why?
Also, how do you clean the waste out of the tank with sand? I have been stirring it up A LOT, I am afraid I maybe stressing out my fish when I do this, but I can't see, therefore I can't tell! Is there something else I can do?

 

[steveoutla]

You shouldn't have to clean your sand at all. Do you nave a clean up crew in the tank? You should have enough water circulation in the tank so that not much can just settle into the sand. Your filtration and skimmer will take care of what's in the water and your clean up crew will handle anything that gets on the sand.

 

[jac913]

Awsome, but how deep should my sand be?

 

[nas19320]

If your going for a DSB then I believe 4" is the minimum. My DSB is a little more than 5".