Vacuum sand?

[winstew]

How many of you vacuum your sand bed. I have a year old 72 Bowfront and have noticed that Nitrate levels have started to rise. I do regular water changes and have a mass of chaeto in my sump. I would like to think I do not overfeed and have a sizable cleanup crew, but nitrates still seem to rise. I am around 20 right now. Both Ammonia and Nitrite's have been zero the whole time.l;

Question is... should I vacuum up the sand a little? Who else does this? Any other suggestions?

 

[ChrisBuono]

I have never vacuumed my sand bed, but I do use a turkey-baster to blow out my rockwork about once a month. I typically do this just before a water change.