Vacuuming aquarium sand

How do I clean aquarium sand?

 

I'm inferring that you have a gravel siphon. Take the big part of the siphon out and that will just leave you with a tube.
Start the tube just like how you would with a siphon and and hover over the sand about a inch or two.
You will suck up the debris and poop because all of it is directly on top and not in-between crevices like gravel. (unless you have a sand-stirring fish)

If you do have a sand-stirring fish, I can't help you and another member has to come and help you

Good luck!

 

I'm inferring that you have a gravel siphon. Take the big part of the siphon out and that will just leave you with a tube.
Start the tube just like how you would with a siphon and and hover over the sand about a inch or two.
You will suck up the debris and poop because all of it is directly on top and not in-between crevices like gravel. (unless you have a sand-stirring fish)

If you do have a sand-stirring fish, I can't help you and another member has to come and help you

Good luck!

Lol, when I get fish for my aquarium I am getting a bristlenose pleco and some cories

 

I can't remember the thread but another member had the idea of hanging a measuring cup on the rI'm of the bucket you use for water changes and running the outlet of your siphon into the cup. This way, as the water over flows the measuring cup and goes into the bucket any sand you sucked up stays in the cup and the lighter crud overflows into the bucket.

 

If your sand is dense enough, there really should be no problem with sucking it up. Mine is the Petco stuff more on the coarse side and I also picked up pool filter sand (20 grade) for a new tank which is also a bit more coarse. At most if you do stir up the sand, it usually just spins around the siphon for a bit and then falls back down to the substrate. I have cories on the bottom of my tank, but I just do the first method described as poop is usually still right on top or in plants.

 

I would not worry about saving any sand that gets sucked out. unless it;s really fine, or you just aren't paying attention to what you are doing, there will only be minimal amounts.

 

My Corys kick up any dirt on the sand and my good water current carries it into the filter.

My sand is always pristine.

If I didn't have the Corys I would syphon any dirt out and replace any evacuated sand at intervals. As said above this would be minimal amounts if you syphon carefully.