How many people vaccum their shallow sandbed?

[ChicagoReefOne]

With good flow (which you MUST have in an SPS tank) it should stay pretty clean on its own; when I added my MP10 I haven't noticed much or any fish waste settling on the sand anymore and so I'm not vacuuming it up either.

If you are vacuuming frequently or vacuuming a lot of waste then something is up.

 

[iriejp1]

A friend of mine put me up on this trick...

Use a gravel vac but put the exhaust end of it into a filter sock and place in your sump. This way you can vacuum as long as you need and you dont have to stop in between to dump water out. It just gets pumped back up by your return pump! :thumbsup:

 

[ct_vol]

In my experience, stirring and vacuuming is vital to the long term health of the tank.

If you haven't been maintaining your sandbed, start slowly and do just a small section (such as 25% of the whole) at a time with like a week in between.

:thumbsup:

 

[Backinthegame]

A friend of mine put me up on this trick...

Use a gravel vac but put the exhaust end of it into a filter sock and place in your sump. This way you can vacuum as long as you need and you dont have to stop in between to dump water out. It just gets pumped back up by your return pump! :thumbsup:

I know this friend of yours and He's is soo right on this process! LOL!

Let's just say he is an expert in SPS husbandry!

 

[reefsahoy]

A friend of mine put me up on this trick...

Use a gravel vac but put the exhaust end of it into a filter sock and place in your sump. This way you can vacuum as long as you need and you dont have to stop in between to dump water out. It just gets pumped back up by your return pump! :thumbsup:

I do that too but be careful if you haven't vacuumed in a long time, vacuum into a bucket the first couple of times otherwise I think when you first disturb the sand bed you'll create havoc if you circulate the really dirty sanded water. Just my .02cents

 

[Reef Bass]

I like the filter sock in the sump idea for catching particulate matter. However, it seems to me that there are some super tiny ones which would go right through even a 100 micron sock. The test would be to put the sock in a white bucket, vac some sand and then check the bucket. If the water is discolored at all in the bucket (and I sure bet it would be), "bad stuff" is getting through the sock and would be returned to the tank.

Also, getting the "less than pristine" water out between the sand particles seems worthy, and obviously that foul water will pass right through the sock in the sump.

IMO, when vacuuming sandbeds with the specific intent of removing accumulating potentially noxious compounds, I'd stick to vacuuming into a bucket which gets emptied not back into the water system.

 

[SaltwaterAdict]

I vacuum as much of my shallow sandbed as I can each time I do a water change (once a month). The water I take out when I do this is opaque brown and has a foul smell to it, so I am convinced that my sandbed is a vital way for me to export nutrients and waste from my tank.

I experimented a few years ago by leaving the sandbed alone for a while, and eventually ended up with cyano and diatom algae blooms. When I keep things vacuumed, I never have these problems and my corals stay healthy and happy.

Just my 2 cents...

I agree, keeping up on vaccin' is a great proactive way of keeping your system nice and pristine. I've left it at times and it got to the point where it was dark sewage brown. Not too pleasant! lol

 

[SaltwaterAdict]

i dont keep sand, but i would imagine as often as you would want to, and the more the better... however, reef tanks arent typically supposed to have their sand vacuumed... defeats the purpose of having it so organisms can thrive who live in it... jmo GL

In a perfect world it would be nice not to maintain a sandbed, but I really enjoy how natural substrate looks. The live rock takes care of the natural biological filter. I feel as if I'm the best part of my clean up crew and siphoning out the crud is more than the little critters could do. The clean up crew can only eat as much to keep them full and the rest sits.

 

[SaltwaterAdict]

I have two tanks, both with shallow sandbeds, and I have experimented with leaving sandbeds sit and with stirring them and vacuuming during water changes. In my experience, stirring and vacuuming is vital to the long term health of the tank.

If you haven't been maintaining your sandbed, start slowly and do just a small section (such as 25% of the whole) at a time with like a week in between.

Good advise. Yeah, it's always good to go slow to avoid those toxic pockets. Hydrogen Sulfide is some pretty harsh stuff! :bigeyes:

Do you think blowing off the rocks and stirring the sand regularly is a good food source for sps?

 

[SaltwaterAdict]

Sorry for the stupid question, but I've always ran bare bottom and just switched to a SSB, how do you'll vaccum the sand

haha no worries. You're probably liking the switch! The python is great! The only thing is I like to drain it into a bucket with a shorter hose and still use the vac attachment. It's easier to run it into the sink, but I just don't like the fact that I can't regulate how much water I take out! With 5 gallon buckets it's easier that way.

 

[SaltwaterAdict]

I like the filter sock in the sump idea for catching particulate matter. However, it seems to me that there are some super tiny ones which would go right through even a 100 micron sock. The test would be to put the sock in a white bucket, vac some sand and then check the bucket. If the water is discolored at all in the bucket (and I sure bet it would be), "bad stuff" is getting through the sock and would be returned to the tank.

Also, getting the "less than pristine" water out between the sand particles seems worthy, and obviously that foul water will pass right through the sock in the sump.

IMO, when vacuuming sandbeds with the specific intent of removing accumulating potentially noxious compounds, I'd stick to vacuuming into a bucket which gets emptied not back into the water system.

Couldn't agree more. I would think some of what you're vaccuming would make it's way back into your tank. Seems like a good idea though!

 

[RynosReef]

I like to blow off my rock regularly. I've noticed that if I don't for a very long time algae or bacteria starts to grow. No matter how much flow you have not every crevice gets blown clean. And yea I vacuum my sandbed regularly too. And once its starts getting too thin I add more.

 

[SaltwaterAdict]

I like to blow off my rock regularly. I've noticed that if I don't for a very long time algae or bacteria starts to grow. No matter how much flow you have not every crevice gets blown clean. And yea I vacuum my sandbed regularly too. And once its starts getting too thin I add more.

What do you use to blow off your rocks, a mj?

 

[RynosReef]

Sometimes. But usually I just use a turkey baster so I can get a squirt of water right where I want it. I think it works well that way personally.

 

[bobbychullo]

I vacuum as much of my shallow sandbed as I can each time I do a water change (once a month). The water I take out when I do this is opaque brown and has a foul smell to it, so I am convinced that my sandbed is a vital way for me to export nutrients and waste from my tank.

I experimented a few years ago by leaving the sandbed alone for a while, and eventually ended up with cyano and diatom algae blooms. When I keep things vacuumed, I never have these problems and my corals stay healthy and happy.

Just my 2 cents...

have to agree, the same thing happens with my tank.