Keeping Your Sand Bed Clean

alex.mccann99 · Sep 5, 2017

I do the turkey baster technique also. Seems to work well. I typically run the micron filter socks. Before I do a water change I stir the sand with the turkey baster while running Nutrient Export on my Vortechs, I use the mesh filter sock to catch debris. I really only clean my sand about once a month, half at a time.

Shaun Sweeney · Sep 5, 2017

Think I'll switch from syphoning to blasting. Good thread, thanks.

bottspot · Sep 5, 2017

I was wanting to start cleaning my sand however I was concerned that I would remove the nutrients that my sand sifting goby gets. Anyone had any issues?

alex.mccann99 · Sep 5, 2017

My leopard Wrasse follows the turkey baster around when I puff it in the sand, chasing after Copepods and amphipods.

Sent from my Pixel XL using REEF2REEF mobile app

Nano sapiens · Sep 6, 2017

There are many different species of dinoflagellates (per Wiki: 'The latest estimates suggest a total of 2,294 living dinoflagellate species' in many different marine and freshwater habitats). The ones that are really destructive and nasty (and can be toxic) often appear as 'stingy snot with bubbles'. What is described here, however, is a different type in that it looks a lot like diatoms, but it goes away when the lights are turned off and then reappears when the tank is lit the next day. Diatoms stay put day and night (unless eaten).

Many believe that dinos take advantage of system upsets/imbalances, but that they are far less likely to bloom in mature, stable systems with a regular maintenance routine.

Wh00pS32 · Sep 6, 2017

I've been using this method since i got into reefing around 17 years ago, i baste twice a week, once to give the corals a feed and once before the weekly water change which helps with nutrient export.

D_Nyholm · Sep 7, 2017

Hmm, if I do this in my tank, the sand dust gets everywhere. Started it when my tank was new and stopped due to the mess it makes. I can't remember what sand I have but I guess it has some very fine particles in it.

Nano sapiens · Sep 7, 2017

D_Nyholm said:
Hmm, if I do this in my tank, the sand dust gets everywhere. Started it when my tank was new and stopped due to the mess it makes. I can't remember what sand I have but I guess it has some very fine particles in it.

Try attaching a fine filter sock temporarily to your outlet nozzle when you do the stirring to catch the fine particles.

CodyRVA · Sep 7, 2017

Nano sapiens said:
Try attaching a fine filter sock temporarily to your outlet nozzle when you do the stirring to catch the fine particles.

+1, i run dual socks and while turning the sand does dirty/cloudy up the water, which is the intent IMO, the socks clean up the water within 10-15 minutes.

g5flier · Sep 8, 2017

g5flier said:
They are definitely diatoms, they were covering my Vortech's tonight and I just blew them off with my Sea Squirt. Now time to see where the silicates are getting in although I suspect they are already in the sand and blowing it around released them. I only use RODI for ATO and water changes and my membranes are only about 7 months old. I have an ATI lab test in process now and will see the results later this week, silicates are one of the items that are included on the test.

Well the results are in from my complete ATI test...near perfect water in my display with 0.01ppm phosphate and everything else in the good range but the culprit is my RO/DI water, 39.4ug/l of SILICATES. Time to go from a 4 stage to a 6 stage unit.

Broadfield · Sep 9, 2017

g5flier said:
Well the results are in from my complete ATI test...near perfect water in my display with 0.01ppm phosphate and everything else in the good range but the culprit is my RO/DI water, 39.4ug/l of SILICATES. Time to go from a 4 stage to a 6 stage unit.

I'm glad you found the problem!... that's always the challenge in reef keeping.

Brandon7878 · Sep 12, 2017

Broadfield said:
I'm constantly getting asked how I keep my tank so clean. I figured I would make a quick video focusing on the sand bed and how I keep it spotless. I use to "stir" it with the end of my Eheim tongs, but this method is even easier and less invasive around the corals.

NOTE: If you currently have a really dirty sand bed, then I recommend only doing a section at a time, over a few week period. You will keep doing the previously cleaned section(s) twice a week though. Then once you get to the last section, you can do the entire tank twice/week.

The tank for reference:

FTS by Toby Broadfield, on Flickr

I would like to use the sand you have. My problem is that I have had my tank setup for about a month now and have some corals in there with clownfish. I try to stir my sand up and it just flies everywhere creating way to much of a mess. Your sand is nice and I like it. What would be the best approach to switching my sand out? I am very limited. I don't have a second tank at all. Would it be fine to bag my corals and fish and then change the sand maybe within 30minutes and then put everything back? I would have to leave the water in though.

CodyRVA · Sep 12, 2017

Brandon7878 said:
I would like to use the sand you have. My problem is that I have had my tank setup for about a month now and have some corals in there with clownfish. I try to stir my sand up and it just flies everywhere creating way to much of a mess. Your sand is nice and I like it. What would be the best approach to switching my sand out? I am very limited. I don't have a second tank at all. Would it be fine to bag my corals and fish and then change the sand maybe within 30minutes and then put everything back? I would have to leave the water in though.

Are you running socks or filter floss or anything? FWIW, I by no means have the "sugar" type sand and when I hit it with the turkey baster it makes a heck of a mess.. thats the point. If you do want to swap sand, just use a gravel vac and vacuum it all out. Then add in whatever new sand you want; you'll just have to do so very slowly and if you aren't running some type of mechanical polisher like floss or a sock, you may want to consider doing so until the water clears back up.

Brandon7878 · Sep 12, 2017

Just have a canister filter with a in and out tube for the water.

Brandon7878 · Sep 12, 2017

CodyRVA said:
Are you running socks or filter floss or anything? FWIW, I by no means have the "sugar" type sand and when I hit it with the turkey baster it makes a heck of a mess.. thats the point. If you do want to swap sand, just use a gravel vac and vacuum it all out. Then add in whatever new sand you want; you'll just have to do so very slowly and if you aren't running some type of mechanical polisher like floss or a sock, you may want to consider doing so until the water clears back up.

Just have a canister filter with a in and out tube for the water. I just think my sand is very fine that's all.

Brandon7878 · Sep 12, 2017

Brandon7878 said:
Just have a canister filter with a in and out tube for the water. I just think my sand is very fine that's all.

Just seems like it takes more than a day to clear up.

madcanary · Sep 18, 2017

So, ended up with a massive cayno outbreak after trying this.... tanks 8mo old. Chemiclean to the rescue. Is it because I have low nutrients? I seem to keep getting outbreaks whenever I try something in this system.

Broadfield · Sep 18, 2017

madcanary said:
So, ended up with a massive cayno outbreak after trying this.... tanks 8mo old. Chemiclean to the rescue. Is it because I have low nutrients? I seem to keep getting outbreaks whenever I try something in this system.

Did you do smaller sections at a time, over the course of several weeks?

CodyRVA · Sep 18, 2017

madcanary said:
So, ended up with a massive cayno outbreak after trying this.... tanks 8mo old. Chemiclean to the rescue. Is it because I have low nutrients? I seem to keep getting outbreaks whenever I try something in this system.

+1, smaller sections for a while until you rid a lot of the "junk." I do my entire bed 3 times a week now and I run ULN. What do you mean you get outbreaks when you "try something?"

Davy Jones · Sep 18, 2017

Broadfield said:
"Aragonite Sand" is the grade... but they leave that part out in the chart. Essentially Aragonite Sand is the standard Reefflakes... which is 3mm.

Aragasnow - 0.5mm
Tonga Special Pink - 0.8mm
Miniflakes - 2.0mm
Mesoflakes - 2.7mm
Reefflakes - 3.0mm
Reefflakes Grand Select - 4.5mm

After having this sand for some time would you use it again? Same Grade size as well? I am looking to set up a 120 fatboy and am planning on doing a mix of miniflakes and reefflakes. May just end up with strickly reefflakes however. Let me know your thoughs