Do you siphon your sand?

[sean obergfell]

Hello all,
I have a sand bed of about 2-3"....not DSB....

Should I siphon every time I do a water change?

Every week or every other week....

Thanks ,Sean

 

[suppressivefire]

I siphon my sand every week when I do a w/c, sometimes when I'm not pulling anything out ill skip the gravel vac.

 

[Randy15]

I have a cucumber, conchs, and dove snails. I vacuum sand once in a while, maybe once every couple months or so. Sand is always nice and white, and all levels test great so that's what works for me.

 

[tmz]

I just puff it up with a turkey baster and let any buildup float off to the the filters and skimmer.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

Sean- what's your 2-3" SSB made of?

Personally, I would not have a 2-3" bed... but if I did, I might siphon it depending on several factors.

 

[BigBarnacles]

My nassarius snails clean the deeper parts and my diamond goby cleans the rest. He's non stop sifting the sand.

 

[sean obergfell]

caribsea special grade

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

My nassarius snails clean the deeper parts and my diamond goby cleans the rest. He's non stop sifting the sand.

where does their poop (ie: PO4) go?

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

caribsea special grade

I would siphon sections occasionally. Don't let detritus (looks like gray dust) accumulate. Stirring sections of SSB can accomplish desired results if water currents are strong enough to carry suspended matter to the overflow(s).

 

[Capt_Cully]

I siphon almost every water change. But my sand bed is quite shallow. I'm not sure I'd run a DSB anymore either. Had one reach a saturation point a few years ago and started leeching back into the water collumn. Sucked it out, and never went back.

 

[BigBarnacles]

where does their poop (ie: PO4) go?

My understanding is that it's first broken down by bacteria in the sand, dispersed into the water column where it is then removed via protein skimmer and biological media. Water changes also help expidite the process. Remaining po4 is removed via phosban reactor. I'm no expert and could very well be wrong on this subject. However, my aquarium is doing great. The water is crystal clear and tests 0.00 for po4 and nitrates have never exceeded 5. I must also mention I have a light bio load in my 100 gal system consisting of 2 true percula clowns, a mandarin goby and a diamond goby along with an assortment of snails, 2 peppermint shrimp, and 6 red legged hermits.

 

[dieseldaisy]

I have always siphoned my sand bed each week while performing my water changes. I personally think that if done on a normal basis it can only help. I mean why wouldn't you want to get as much detritus as you can out......right?

 

[solRNY]

i siphoned the sand till it was all gone

 

[BuffaloReef]

My last tank had 1/4" of crushed coral for a sand bed. I would siphon it each time I did a water change. I never felt like I could get all the detritus out though. I'm not sure what I'll do with he next tank but I don't care for the aesthetics of a bare-bottom tank. Maintenance wise, bare-bottom is the best.

 

[Meanmike]

Two vortechs keep it suspended so there's no need for me to siphon it.

 

[iamwrasseman]

i always siphone the sand bed and there is always crud there to be pulled out so why leave it there to decay ? i know its the best thing to do and have seen what happens if i just rip out some water and replenish it vs.vacuming the sand bed . i have never seen a sand bed that was left alone for a few weeks and still be perfectly clear of detritus,never .
just the way that it needs to be done IMO.

 

[sean obergfell]

Thank you....