Do you vacuum your SB

Josh125 · 09/02/2006, 11:02 AM

Just curious, I'm running a SSB and am thinking about starting to vacuum it.

joeychitwood · 09/02/2006, 11:25 AM

I vacuum it every time I do a water change. I also occasionally stir it while running mechanical filtration to remove detritus.

ACBlinky · 09/02/2006, 12:16 PM

I don't touch the SSB in my 21g, but between the pistol shrimp, cerith and nassarius snails it gets moved around a lot and doesn't collect much detritus.

Josh125 · 09/02/2006, 12:49 PM

Thanks, I think I'm going to start. I been battleling algae for some time now and not sure where the fuel source for it is coming from.

Anyway, thanks

hopper · 09/02/2006, 02:17 PM

Instead of vacuuming the sand, you might just want to stir the top layer of sand around and get the detritus and junk stirred around enough to get it back in the water stream. Once there it will eventually get filtered out.

I see you are in the oil and gas industry. What part of it?

Josh125 · 09/02/2006, 02:25 PM

Downstream, started in a refinery now work a desk in finished lubricants.

gman19 · 09/02/2006, 02:33 PM

I don't touch the sand bed either...the Randall's goby, pistol shrimp, snails and sand sifting stars it stays pretty well stirred up. I will occasionally stir up the edge with the magnet cleaner when cleaning the glass...as mentioned above, the mess that ends up in the water column eventually gets filtered out.

Fountainhead · 09/02/2006, 03:18 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by hopper
Instead of vacuuming the sand, you might just want to stir the top layer of sand around and get the detritus and junk stirred around enough to get it back in the water stream. Once there it will eventually get filtered out.

That's what I do. I just use a turkey baster and blow the top of the sand around, usually in conjunction with a water change. I've never been sure if such a thing is actually a good idea, but most of my life has involved doing things that probably weren't good ideas, so what the heck.

Ritten · 09/02/2006, 03:26 PM

I vacuum my sand bed once a week along with my water change.

09/02/2006, 11:02 AM	#1
Josh125 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Fulshear, TX Posts: 979	Do you vacuum your SB Just curious, I'm running a SSB and am thinking about starting to vacuum it.

09/02/2006, 12:16 PM	#3
ACBlinky Premium Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Peterborough, ON, Canada Posts: 4,954 Blog Entries: 20	I don't touch the SSB in my 21g, but between the pistol shrimp, cerith and nassarius snails it gets moved around a lot and doesn't collect much detritus. __________________ "The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears, or the sea." - Isak Dinesen Current Tank Info: 150g mixed reef, 30g sump/refugium, LED lighting, 100lbs LR, coral beauty, flame angel, blue & yellow tangs, gobies, damsels, 6-line wrasse, lawnmower blenny, dottyback, clown pair, rabbitfish, shrimp, crabs, CUC.

09/02/2006, 02:33 PM	#7
gman19 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Greensboro, NC Posts: 425	I don't touch the sand bed either...the Randall's goby, pistol shrimp, snails and sand sifting stars it stays pretty well stirred up. I will occasionally stir up the edge with the magnet cleaner when cleaning the glass...as mentioned above, the mess that ends up in the water column eventually gets filtered out. __________________ 100G AllGlass reef/Lifereef Filter Systems custom sump/skimmer/filter cylinders. 1/5 HP Aqualogic chiller, ACIII controller, Lifereef LCR1 Calcium Reactor. Current Tank Info: 100g reef/Berlin method

09/02/2006, 11:25 AM	#2
joeychitwood Schrödinger's Mod Join Date: Apr 2001 Posts: 3,488	I vacuum it every time I do a water change. I also occasionally stir it while running mechanical filtration to remove detritus.

09/02/2006, 12:49 PM	#4
Josh125 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Fulshear, TX Posts: 979	Thanks, I think I'm going to start. I been battleling algae for some time now and not sure where the fuel source for it is coming from. Anyway, thanks

09/02/2006, 02:17 PM	#5
hopper Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Bossier City, La. Posts: 623	Instead of vacuuming the sand, you might just want to stir the top layer of sand around and get the detritus and junk stirred around enough to get it back in the water stream. Once there it will eventually get filtered out. I see you are in the oil and gas industry. What part of it?

09/02/2006, 02:25 PM	#6
Josh125 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Fulshear, TX Posts: 979	Downstream, started in a refinery now work a desk in finished lubricants.

09/02/2006, 03:26 PM	#9
Ritten Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 2,164	I vacuum my sand bed once a week along with my water change.