Make My Marine Tank Sand White Again
You have been to the fish store or take been perusing the online photos and drolling at some of those incredible aquariums and there is ane thing they all take in mutual, a pristine sandbed.
You wait over at your aquarium and its a dull, algae-covered mess! You want that pristine sandbed! I know I did when I first started!
Suggested Ways To Keep a Reef Tank Sandbed Clean:
- Algae Nutrient Control
- Stirring
- Sand Vacuuming
- Increased Water Flow
- Snails
- Starfish
- Conch's
- Diamond Spot Gobies
Each one of these has its caveats so let's look into each one and likewise a few other things to consider.
Visually Clean Vs Biologically Make clean
Sandbeds need to be clean on ii fronts:
- Visually clean to heighten the dazzler of your aquarium. A grotty looking sandbed tin can really make a dent on the impressiveness of your aquarium
- Biologically clean to ensure you practice not take issues with high Ammonia, Nitrate, and Phosphate
The methods mentioned shortly volition be able to take care of both these situations but information technology is of import to know that both types of clean play a major role in the overall health of your aquarium and how much work it may create for you.
Algae Blooms
If your aquarium is nether six months old and you lot are having algae growing all over your sand then don't worry, it is just part of the ecosystem trying to establish equilibrium.
Algae blooms announced when in that location is an abundance of food FOR the algae to feed on. Phosphates and Silicates are two of the major foods for Diatom Algae, CyanoBacteria, and Dinoflagellates. these volition pass with time but during their presence, they can brand your tank wait actually bad!
Slowly adding a CUC (Clean-Upwardly-Coiffure) after your aquarium has cycled volition help to keep your tank clean – Be sure not to add a huge amount of critters to clean upwards your algae blooms as one time the algae has gone, they volition starve!
For more than information on Algae please see the 'Further Reading' section at the stop.
What Type of Sand Can Be Used IN Aquariums?
The type of sand or substrate y'all take in your aquarium tin can also play a function in how clean it looks. Larger particulate substrate like CaribSea'southward Crushed Coral has grains 2.0-5.0mm in diameter which can exit larger pockets for uneaten food and detritus to settle in.
Larger particle sands tin can besides exist likewise large for some of the livestock we are going to talk about to effectively motion through and clean.
Smaller particulate sands like CaribSea's Republic of the fiji islands Pinkish and Special Grade Reef sand have grains 0.5-2.0mm in diameter which tends to let junk to settle on the top rather than go trapped. The smaller grain sizes also allow critters to clean it easier.
CaribSea's Fiji Pink is one of the nigh popular sands in the hobby and information technology is the sand I select for many clients aquariums and my own – It's very piece of cake to keep make clean.
Depth Of Sand
Although non as popular nowadays, but Deep Sandbeds was the norm 20 years ago as this was the main area to colonize aerobic and anaerobic nitrifying bacteria.
Deep Sandbeds were never to be touched equally Hydrogen Sulphide gas could be present in the very lower parts of the sandbed. Disturbing the sand and releasing this gas virtually always leads to the death of your inhabitants.
Today, all the same, the evolution in technology has fabricated the need for a Deep Sandbed not required. A shallow sandbed of 1″-iii″ of sand depth is at present the norm and this is non deep enough to provide areas for anaerobic bacteria to colonize and produce Hydrogen Sulphide gas.
The regular stirring upward and vacuuming of today'south sandbeds tin can be done without risk.
What Are Ways to Keep Aquarium Sand Clean?
Similar almost aspects of this hobby, a multi-angled approach will work far better than relying simply on one beast or maintenance chore. Here are some of the all-time ways to go along your sandbed clean:
Flow
Increasing the flow in your aquarium is usually one of the simplest things to practise. You tin can either adjust the powerheads and wavemakers yous currently own or add another. The trick is to proceed the h2o moving over the sandbed and not allowing any dead spots. This will help to keep detritus, uneaten food, and fish excrement from settling on the sand.
If it settles on the sand it tin can exist left to intermission downward and raise your Ammonia, Nitrate, and Phosphate levels. Keeping the waste in pause will let it to be passed to your mechanical filtration for removal.
Increasing period around your sandbed can have some playing with as using smaller grain sand can crusade it to accident around like a sandstorm, but with patience, y'all tin find the right positions and settings.
One affair to exist aware of as your tank matures and your corals grow is that they tin prevent menstruation and cause dead spots. If you find you lot are having detritus settle in i spot or y'all become algae growing in a sure area, yous can be sure the coral's growth has impeded flow.
More powerheads or an alternate blazon of catamenia creator may be required.
Gyre Wavemakers are great for helping to reduce flow dead spots due to the laminar menstruum they create throughout your entire tank.
For more information on the different types of powerheads, wavemakers and pumps that are available see the 'Further Reading' department at the end.
Stirring & Vacuuming
Moving the sandbed around allows whatever trapped particulate matter the chance to be picked up by the menses and sent to your mechanical filtration.
A good habit to go into from mean solar day one and a addiction that I religiously practice is to stir upwardly my sandbed and vacuum information technology with every water change.
A simple vacuum like the Python Gravel Vac volition remove then much junk each calendar week, it's simply like vacuuming your carpets at dwelling.
With regular vacuuming, you will be able to keep any waste product from settling and breaking downwardly. It does not accept long to do but your sand volition be cleaner and your aquarium will be far healthier for information technology.
This is i process I highly recommend you do every time you change your water! Blasting your rocks with a turkey baster only before you lot vacuum your sandbed will help to get the junk out of them too 😉
Snails
Past far the best snail for keeping your sandbed clean is the Nassarius Snail. These guys spend most of the day in the sandbed with the snout poking out of the sand waiting to odor nutrient.
Once they smell food they all seem to appear out the sand like a scene from Michael Jackson'south 'Thriller' video – Showing my historic period now!!
They are mainly nocturnal and plow through and on top of the sandbed searching out detritus and waste.
They are a great snail for stirring up the sandbed and the best thing about these guys is that they tin can use their snout to rite themselves if they get knocked over.
These are not a snail to add together straight afterward your aquarium has finished cycling as they will have no food, but once y'all have some fish and you are effectually the six month mark, having one for every 10 gallons is a great starting bespeak!
I love mine!
Conch's
Conch's are a funny-looking graphic symbol that brings an interesting conversation starter to your aquarium. They are fantastic sandbed janitors spend all their time cruising through and over your sandbed, just like the Nassarius Snails.
They are an easy herbivore to keep and can disappear for weeks on end if you have a big plenty and deep enough sand bed. Just every bit you lot start to worry, they pop out to say "Hello"!
The Tiger Conch is the nearly popular in our hobby and you should exist able to find them in most reputable fish stores or online retailers.
Also, similar the Nassarius snail, practise not become and introduce these until your aquarium is mature enough for them to have food in the sandbed or they will starve.
Starfish
As a beginner, I have to advise you AGAINST buying a Starfish or SeaStar for keeping your sandbed clean. The most common Starfish sold to clean sandbeds is the Sand-Sifting Starfish.
These poor guys have such a high bloodshed rate in home aquariums considering they have a ravenous ambition. To be able to meet the needs of these Starfish the owner needs to have a big aquarium with ALOT of food inside information technology.
These Starfish spend most of their life cached in the sand and once their food source depletes they volition starve and die somewhere in your sand where you may not detect them. They are also a big organism so once it dies it is going to crusade your parameters to rising.
Even though they may expect cool, only stay away from them.
Diamond Spot Goby
The final i of the sandbed janitors and aquarists have a Dear/Detest human relationship with this fish! The Diamond Spot or Orange Spot Goby is one of the hardest working fish in your tank!
This is all they do – sifting your sand through their gills. This is where the substrate size I mentioned earlier comes into play. Too big a grain size and he will non munch it.
The reason why they create a Love/Hate relationship is they can be a corking tank mate or a royal pain in the barrel. Mine is a model denizen, my friends fish drives him nuts and here is why:
- They can swim up into the h2o column and eject the sand grains – Covering your coral
- They are prolific jumpers if startled – Continue shut-fitting lids on your tank
- They can terrorize other sand-home inhabitants
If you tin discover i that behaves, your sand will never be cleaner! They are by far the all-time sandbed cleaner in our hobby, merely just be prepared to leave the turkey baster or discover them stale up on the floor!
To End
Keeping your sandbed clean is an piece of cake process once you have the correct maintenance habits and a few aquatic helpers to do their role! A clean sandbed actually does assist your aquarium to sparkle and these few tips volition really assist you achieve information technology.
Further Reading
If you found this article helpful please have a read of some of the topics mentioned above simply in more than depth and detail:
- How To Get Rid Of Brown Diatom Algae
- What Is Reddish Slime Algae? Piece of cake Ways to Foreclose & Eliminate It
- Types Of Aquarium Pump – What To Use & Where
- Sand Vs Crushed Coral – Which Is Improve?
- Tools For Cleaning A Saltwater Aquarium
- The Best Reef Tank Algae Eaters
Source: https://www.thebeginnersreef.com/how-to-keep-sand-clean-in-a-reef-tank/
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