The great sand bed debate

[BContos]

We started a predator tank so we can not have any fish that clean the sand beds. After the initial cycle was complete I have been vacuuming the sand bed every time I do a water change as a preventative measure. We have a CUC but they don't do the best job at stirring it up.

What do you do with your sand beds and why?

 

[Ultra Aquatics]

The gerneral consensus is either vacuum your sandbed regularly, or not at all. My 400g sps system I don’t touch it. The system is on autopilot. My sons 13.5 fluval evo I do a weekly 50% WC and vacuum the sand.

 

[blaxsun]

I have a mixed reef, but I just leave the sand bed as is. I have a lot of nassarius snails, black cucumbers and conches that do a half decent job of turning it over and keeping it sparkling white.

 

[BContos]

The gerneral consensus is either vacuum your sandbed regularly, or not at all. My 400g sps system I don’t touch it. The system is on autopilot. My sons 13.5 fluval evo I do a weekly 50% WC and vacuum the sand.

In a 400 gallon I would hope it was on auto pilot! Lol. I feel like if it wasn't it would be a chore that got old fast

 

[ApoIsland]

We started a predator tank so we can not have any fish that clean the sand beds. After the initial cycle was complete I have been vacuuming the sand bed every time I do a water change as a preventative measure. We have a CUC but they don't do the best job at stirring it up.

What do you do with your sand beds and why?

I have never cleaned a sand bed while a tank is up and running and have never had any inverts deigned for that either. Have approx 1 inch and just leave it as is. Although I seem to move tanks around every 3 years or so and it gets a really good cleaning then.