Best way to remove sand bed?

[CodeBlueMedic]

Howdy all,

I'm replacing my black sand with new special grade caribsea. I'm only doing a little bit at a time, but I'm wondering what the best way to actually remove the black sand? I tried using my siphon hose, but I get very little out. The majority of what I'm pulling out is water. Any suggestions other than scooping it out by hand and scaring the poop out of my critters?

It's a stocked FOWLR

 

[ShannyG]

I've never had to do this but I think that a little at a time is probably your best bet. Disturbing the entire sand bed all at once could stir up all sorts of bad bacteria, rotting food, general nastiness.

 

[CodeBlueMedic]

Certainly...I guess my question is more geared towards the actual mechanics of how to remove it best?

 

[JammyBirch]

i use a Python connected to my sink...but you'll take some water with it. i jam the pick up into the sand bed and let'er rip, sand starts moving right away into the hose.

if i had to do it to save water i'd use the python to draw up the sand then transfer it to a container in the water and drop vacuum... the sand would fall into the container not the sand bed.

good luck

 

[goncharkina]

I used to scoop out little by little of my 100 pounds of sand, I tried it with a regular plastic cup, worked, but stirred up lots of dirt,

 

[shesacharmer]

I've been pulling up lots of sand using my turkey baster. You could release the sand into a filter sock if you want to return the water to your tank.

 

[cloak]

You might want to get yourself a bigger hose. (diameter wise) Removing the sand should be a piece of cake IMO. Just siphon out as much of the sand as you can into a 5 gallon bucket and then replace the water. Wait until you due for a another water change and then repeat.

 

[explorer07]

I've been pulling up lots of sand using my turkey baster. You could release the sand into a filter sock if you want to return the water.

+1

 

[CodeBlueMedic]

My substrate is too big for the turkey baster opening :-/...I tried to siphon with large diameter hose and it was only pulling water. I'll have to just scoop it

 

[cloak]

I tried to siphon with large diameter hose and it was only pulling water.

How big are the particles your trying to siphon out? I don't understand why you would only be getting water and not sand. Once you get the siphon going, all you have to do is put the end of the hose down close to the sand. It's not rocket science.
Oh well... Have fun scooping that sand out.

 

[Browndawg80]

Siphon all the water without disturbing any of the sand into a brute trash can or two, shop vac all of the sand out and pump the clean water back in. This way you're not releasing any of the crap in the sand into the system or giving the rock a chance to absorb any dirt. Done.

 

[droog]

Can use the false syphon trick... syphon into a filter sock attached to your sump and stop when you have a filter sock full of sand.

Or use a bucket and spade Either way 20-30% at a time. Getting the new sand in can be done by thorough washing, then shoot down a funnel / PVC pipe to where you want to put it.

-droog

 

[RocketEngineer]

I've used a fish net to scrape up sand before. The only problem is all the crud in the sand ends up in the water column so you would need to be slow about removing it so the skimmer has enough time to pull the majority out before going on to the next scoop.

 

[fredro]

how deep is the sand bed? if you don't siphon, slowly and carefully, you can stir up some horrible detritus and crap that can crash your tank. If i were you, strictly my opinion, i would siphon out as much as you can each week with the water and make it coincide with a water change. SLOWLY AND CAREFULLY!!!

 

[droog]

Draining the DT and putting the fish in a brute container while you change the sand in one go might be easier than a bunch of partial changes. Not a "good idea" in general because it will start a cycle. But it looks like you would still have LR and a remote sand bed for biological filtration. If you have bacteria in a bottle and a product to bind/remove ammonia should it start to build you may be able to manage the operation in one go without harming your livestock. I'm still a relative newcomer so I wouldn't attempt this idea unless more experienced folk agree its safe.

Putting some additional bio-filtration media like a marinepure ceramic block or bio balls in the sump to beef up your surface area for a couple of weeks before you change the sand might make it safer also. I would take those media out a week or so afterwards though.

Its an interesting logistical problem how to do this with the least amount of work for you, and stress for the livestock.

-droog

 

[fredro]

ps, i would suggest 1/2" - 5/8" clear tubing.

 

[swhobbie1]

Siphon all the water without disturbing any of the sand into a brute trash can or two, shop vac all of the sand out and pump the clean water back in. This way you're not releasing any of the crap in the sand into the system or giving the rock a chance to absorb any dirt. Done.

+1 If I did it again .. this is what I'd do.. I tried the scoop it out over time and it created a huge mess. Also you will not believe what dirt/muck is in that sand. I use to periodically vac the sand during WC too.

 

[JoelA7]

I would think 1/2" ID vinyl tubing would bring it out just fine. Siphon during water change eliminates the risk of the detritus entering the bio system en mass.

 

[cidbozek]

Get a shop vac setup that fits on a 5 gallon bucket. When time for a water change suck up a small section of the sandbed then replace the water.