# cleaning the sand?



## squeekee35 (Feb 9, 2010)

I am thinking of starting a saltwater tank....but am still researching, and reading, and saving money.

My question is, how do you clean the sand at the bottom of the tank? Can you use an aquarium vacuum on it, or will it suck up the sand? If you can't use a vacuum then how are you supposed to get waste out of the bottom of the tank?

Angel


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## sbetsy (Apr 6, 2010)

I don't have a saltwater tank, I keep freshwater but I have sand. I use a vacuum on it, but I have to have it "hover" over the sand surface (about 1/2 to 1 inch above). It pulls up the waste but unfortunately it also tends to pull up some sand, especially if you have heavy waste or larger leaves from plants or whatever that you are trying to pull off the sand.


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## petlovingfreak (May 8, 2009)

in a saltwater tank that's what you use sand sifting inverts for. Like sand sifting snails, they do a great job of eating decaying matter and stirring the sand, we have tons of these in our tanks. Also sand sifting starfish are good too, but not as cheap as snails.


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## Revolution1221 (Apr 20, 2010)

at work since we cant really regularly stock all the inverts and everything that will stir the sand do to availability we have built in plenums. unsighlty but they do a great job of allowing water to flow through the sand.


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