siphoning detritus of sand bed question

linbeg · 07/03/2014, 07:43 AM

Quick question, if you siphon detritus from the sand bed, won't it also take up the sand particles meaning the more you siphon detritus your sandbed would lessen? Or is there another way of doing siphoning detritus from the sandbed without taking out the sand?

thegrun · 07/03/2014, 08:09 AM

Yes, if you are going to siphon you will be removing sand. You can either replace the lost sand with new sand on occasion or clean the sand you remove and then place it back in the tank.

dirtycontour · 07/03/2014, 08:50 AM

Depending on the grain size, sand loss should be minimal. I have a "larger" grain sand and lose very minimal if any sand during siphoning. I use a siphon with a wider attachment like this:

I stick the plastic attachment into the sandbed. The water being siphoned out is a greyish-brown color. When that water runs clear, I pinch the siphon hose to temporarily stop the siphon. Then I move to the next section, etc.

As stated above, it is not an issue to add more once in a while. I'd go with rinsed dry sand for "top-offs".

inetmug · 07/03/2014, 08:51 AM

Get yourself on of those "tank vacuums". It has the wide tube on one side which drops the suction so the sand lifts up a bit, but the sand never really comes out, but the detritus, food, etc. does. Any pet/fish store normally has them.

Good way to do water changes, especially if you have no sump for stuff to settle in.

I use it to supplement my sump cleaning, I just use it to go over all the rocks and any areas where I see detritus settling.

On the pic above, I put in a siphon ball inline so I do not have to do that up/down motion to start the siphon. Works GREAT! Any siphon bulb will work, you can find them easily at wallmart or a marine store.

greech · 07/03/2014, 11:01 AM

+1 to using the wider siphon attachment. In addition, while holding the tubing you can crimp the tubing slightly in order to get the sand to just tumble in the wider tube while the lighter detritus keeps moving up and out. Takes a little practice but you will lose very little sand using this method.

linbeg · 07/04/2014, 09:55 PM

ill try that method. I do have one but i feel like the wider siphon cant reach hard to reach places so i have to physically move my rock so cuz alot of my detritus settles under my rock. Im mostly siphoning sea urchin poop so ill see if itll work.

710Reefer · 07/05/2014, 01:22 AM

Im in the process of adding some black sand to my tank. From reading some posts here, I shouldn't have any trouble by siphoning out some of the old white sand and replacing it with the black sand, right lol?

710Reefer · 07/05/2014, 01:25 AM

In my small 3 gallon cleaning the sand with a bigger vacuum is out of the question, too tight of a space. Any info on a smaller one, or am I ok with adding new sand once I need to?

inetmug · 07/05/2014, 09:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 710Reefer

In my small 3 gallon cleaning the sand with a bigger vacuum is out of the question, too tight of a space. Any info on a smaller one, or am I ok with adding new sand once I need to?

I have one that is about 1" wide, they are available.

710Reefer · 07/05/2014, 10:00 AM

Thanks, ill have to pick one up. Glad they have something I can use..

Quote:

Originally Posted by inetmug

I have one that is about 1" wide, they are available.

3dees · 07/05/2014, 10:03 AM

I lose some sand with every wc. I put it in a small bucket. when I get enough I just wash it and put it back in the tank. why throw it away and buy new sand?

cloak · 07/05/2014, 10:27 AM

Instead of vacuuming the sand bed, you could just use a small power head and stir the entire substrate up right before a water change. Those vacumes can only go so far, whereas the current from a powerhead knows no limits. You'll be amazed at how much crap can accumulate UNDER your rocks. Siphon that dirty water out of there.
Running some sort of mechanical filtration for a few hours will also help to polish the water. GL.

07/03/2014, 07:43 AM	#1
linbeg Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Posts: 65	siphoning detritus of sand bed question Quick question, if you siphon detritus from the sand bed, won't it also take up the sand particles meaning the more you siphon detritus your sandbed would lessen? Or is there another way of doing siphoning detritus from the sandbed without taking out the sand?

07/03/2014, 08:50 AM	#3
dirtycontour Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: NJ Posts: 256	Depending on the grain size, sand loss should be minimal. I have a "larger" grain sand and lose very minimal if any sand during siphoning. I use a siphon with a wider attachment like this: I stick the plastic attachment into the sandbed. The water being siphoned out is a greyish-brown color. When that water runs clear, I pinch the siphon hose to temporarily stop the siphon. Then I move to the next section, etc. As stated above, it is not an issue to add more once in a while. I'd go with rinsed dry sand for "top-offs". __________________ ~Earl~ Current Tank Info: 75 gallon mixed reef, Beananimal overflow, six bulb ATI Sunpower, SRO 1000 INT, Apex Jr., vinegar dosing

07/03/2014, 08:51 AM	#4
inetmug Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Posts: 693	Get yourself on of those "tank vacuums". It has the wide tube on one side which drops the suction so the sand lifts up a bit, but the sand never really comes out, but the detritus, food, etc. does. Any pet/fish store normally has them. Good way to do water changes, especially if you have no sump for stuff to settle in. I use it to supplement my sump cleaning, I just use it to go over all the rocks and any areas where I see detritus settling. On the pic above, I put in a siphon ball inline so I do not have to do that up/down motion to start the siphon. Works GREAT! Any siphon bulb will work, you can find them easily at wallmart or a marine store. __________________ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 250G Acrylic, 40G sump, Dolphin Amp Master 4750, Predator Skimmer, BuildMyLed 20k XB, , ATO,

07/03/2014, 11:01 AM	#5
greech Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Tallahassee, FL Posts: 3,133	+1 to using the wider siphon attachment. In addition, while holding the tubing you can crimp the tubing slightly in order to get the sand to just tumble in the wider tube while the lighter detritus keeps moving up and out. Takes a little practice but you will lose very little sand using this method. __________________ ~Graham Current Tank Info: Tank: 40 breeder; 20H sump w/SWC 120; Sicce 3.0 return; Vortech MP-10; Sundial T5, DIY Actinic LED (3W Cree). Livestock: Pair of Black & Whites; Midas Blenny; Firefish; Yasha/pistol; Black Leopard Wrasse; LPS and SPS

07/05/2014, 01:22 AM	#7
710Reefer Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Merced, CA Posts: 203	Im in the process of adding some black sand to my tank. From reading some posts here, I shouldn't have any trouble by siphoning out some of the old white sand and replacing it with the black sand, right lol? __________________ -Robert “For every dark night, there’s a brighter day” Current Tank Info: 20gL- 2 Koralia Nano 240s, 60gph powerhead, AquaTop PFE9 power filter, Surface skimmer, Biocube protein skimmer, T5 Lights, AquaTop LEDs, 24lbs live rock, 25lbs live sand,

07/03/2014, 08:09 AM	#2
thegrun Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Garden Grove, Ca Posts: 17,023	Yes, if you are going to siphon you will be removing sand. You can either replace the lost sand with new sand on occasion or clean the sand you remove and then place it back in the tank.

07/04/2014, 09:55 PM	#6
linbeg Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Posts: 65	ill try that method. I do have one but i feel like the wider siphon cant reach hard to reach places so i have to physically move my rock so cuz alot of my detritus settles under my rock. Im mostly siphoning sea urchin poop so ill see if itll work.

07/05/2014, 01:25 AM	#8
710Reefer Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Merced, CA Posts: 203	In my small 3 gallon cleaning the sand with a bigger vacuum is out of the question, too tight of a space. Any info on a smaller one, or am I ok with adding new sand once I need to? __________________ -Robert “For every dark night, there’s a brighter day” Current Tank Info: 20gL- 2 Koralia Nano 240s, 60gph powerhead, AquaTop PFE9 power filter, Surface skimmer, Biocube protein skimmer, T5 Lights, AquaTop LEDs, 24lbs live rock, 25lbs live sand,

07/05/2014, 10:03 AM	#11
3dees Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Chicago burbs Posts: 793	I lose some sand with every wc. I put it in a small bucket. when I get enough I just wash it and put it back in the tank. why throw it away and buy new sand?

07/05/2014, 10:27 AM	#12
cloak Moved On Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Stockton, CA Posts: 14,854	Instead of vacuuming the sand bed, you could just use a small power head and stir the entire substrate up right before a water change. Those vacumes can only go so far, whereas the current from a powerhead knows no limits. You'll be amazed at how much crap can accumulate UNDER your rocks. Siphon that dirty water out of there. Running some sort of mechanical filtration for a few hours will also help to polish the water. GL.