is stirring you live sand bad

hernluis · 01/18/2007, 02:14 PM

i was wondering, is stirring your live sand to keep it clean bad. i've heard that its essential for keeping a clean sand bed and ive heard its bad because it disturbs the bacteria. what are some thoughts
thanks

55Reef · 01/18/2007, 03:19 PM

You are correct. It's best to leave a Sand bed alone.

When you disturb a sandbed it releases all kinds of bad stuff into the water.

davocean · 01/18/2007, 03:27 PM

You're not suposed to disturb a "deep" sand bed.

kiknchikn · 01/18/2007, 03:39 PM

I thought vacuuming a shallow sand bed is ok as long as you don't do it all at once. A deep sand bed you're supposed to leave alone.

hernluis · 01/18/2007, 03:42 PM

how do i clean all the gunk on it?

kiknchikn · 01/18/2007, 03:53 PM

What gunk? With a shallow sand bed I'm pretty certain you can vacuum it without much ill effect. My coworker and I both do it on our tanks without any noticeable problems. The water is slightly cloudy for 30 minutes and then all is back to normal. The bacteria is on the sand, it isn't going to go anywhere if you know how to vacuum properly (pinch the hose closed when sand starts to go up until it falls back down so you dont suck much of it out).

If I'm very wrong about this someone please correct me so I know to stop doing it.

davocean · 01/18/2007, 04:06 PM

I'll vacuum the very top, lightly.
Some sand gets pulled, I replace a little at a time, no more than 1/2" and usually just one area at a time.

sloshesv · 01/18/2007, 04:15 PM

Some of my critters sure stir up my DSB at times. It doesn't seem to have any negative effect.

lpkirby · 01/18/2007, 06:12 PM

I never stir mine, but it does occasionaly get disturbed by my cleanup crew.

Aquabucket · 01/18/2007, 06:36 PM

I've have continually stirred my sandbeds several times a week for years now. I use a long plastic wand from a set of blinds. When I had a DSB I only disturbed the top 1/2" and never went deeper. I now have a SSB (2-1/2") and stir up the top 1" or sometimes deeper. The key is to do this right from the beginning to prevent organics from accumulating. I would not recommend stirring up an established bed as others have mentioned.

Its also important to have good flow rates allowing organics to then be filtered out after stirring.

01/18/2007, 02:14 PM	#1
hernluis Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Idaho Posts: 177	is stirring you live sand bad i was wondering, is stirring your live sand to keep it clean bad. i've heard that its essential for keeping a clean sand bed and ive heard its bad because it disturbs the bacteria. what are some thoughts thanks

01/18/2007, 03:27 PM	#3
davocean Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 14,655	You're not suposed to disturb a "deep" sand bed. __________________ There's a fine line between owning your tank and your tank owning you! Current Tank Info: SCA 120g RR Starfire, Tunze silence 1073.02 return, 40g sump w/ fuge, SWC Extreme 160 cone skimmer,Geismann reflexx 4xT5, 2x Panorama Pro LED strips, Vortech MP40QD

01/18/2007, 03:39 PM	#4
kiknchikn Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Bel Air, MD Posts: 1,556	I thought vacuuming a shallow sand bed is ok as long as you don't do it all at once. A deep sand bed you're supposed to leave alone. __________________ I am a proud member of the Chesapeake Marine Aquaria Society (CMAS). If you're in the Maryland area check us out! Current Tank Info: 30g nano reef

01/18/2007, 03:53 PM	#6
kiknchikn Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Bel Air, MD Posts: 1,556	What gunk? With a shallow sand bed I'm pretty certain you can vacuum it without much ill effect. My coworker and I both do it on our tanks without any noticeable problems. The water is slightly cloudy for 30 minutes and then all is back to normal. The bacteria is on the sand, it isn't going to go anywhere if you know how to vacuum properly (pinch the hose closed when sand starts to go up until it falls back down so you dont suck much of it out). If I'm very wrong about this someone please correct me so I know to stop doing it. __________________ I am a proud member of the Chesapeake Marine Aquaria Society (CMAS). If you're in the Maryland area check us out! Current Tank Info: 30g nano reef

01/18/2007, 04:06 PM	#7
davocean Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 14,655	I'll vacuum the very top, lightly. Some sand gets pulled, I replace a little at a time, no more than 1/2" and usually just one area at a time. __________________ There's a fine line between owning your tank and your tank owning you! Current Tank Info: SCA 120g RR Starfire, Tunze silence 1073.02 return, 40g sump w/ fuge, SWC Extreme 160 cone skimmer,Geismann reflexx 4xT5, 2x Panorama Pro LED strips, Vortech MP40QD

01/18/2007, 03:19 PM	#2
55Reef Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: San Diego, California Posts: 779	You are correct. It's best to leave a Sand bed alone. When you disturb a sandbed it releases all kinds of bad stuff into the water.

01/18/2007, 03:42 PM	#5
hernluis Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Idaho Posts: 177	how do i clean all the gunk on it?

01/18/2007, 04:15 PM	#8
sloshesv Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: ft myers, fl Posts: 723	Some of my critters sure stir up my DSB at times. It doesn't seem to have any negative effect. __________________ It's just sloshesv, your Honor Current Tank Info: 55 gallon reef, 20 gal seahorse and leaf fish

01/18/2007, 06:12 PM	#9
lpkirby Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Hempstead, TX Posts: 701	I never stir mine, but it does occasionaly get disturbed by my cleanup crew.

01/18/2007, 06:36 PM	#10
Aquabucket Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Green Bay, Wi. Posts: 4,455	I've have continually stirred my sandbeds several times a week for years now. I use a long plastic wand from a set of blinds. When I had a DSB I only disturbed the top 1/2" and never went deeper. I now have a SSB (2-1/2") and stir up the top 1" or sometimes deeper. The key is to do this right from the beginning to prevent organics from accumulating. I would not recommend stirring up an established bed as others have mentioned. Its also important to have good flow rates allowing organics to then be filtered out after stirring. __________________ "Just a drop in the bucket"