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umm. starting to regret adding moon sand to my freshwater aquarium.

How do you clean if via waterchange and a phyton WC system.

so how do you clean sand during awaterchange.

there is nothing to regret when adding sand. there is more then one way to do things you know all the junk that you want to remove should be on the surface of the sand, just hold the vacuum close enough to suck the stuff up with out getting the sand. if you dont have any burrowing creatures in your aquarium such as trumpet snails or some loaches then id suggst stirring the sand up a bit after cleaning to release any anearobic bacteria. now your done! much easier then gravel

I've found it easier than gravel. I prefer to pull the large end off a gravel vac system and use just the tube. Run it lightly over the top of the sand while trying to suck up the waste without sucking up the sand. When the top looks clean then stir the sand and suck up any areas of water where alot of dirt comes up to finish your water change. Not much should come up if you've been doing enough maintenance. If it does then make sure to change and rinse the filter media to remove any of the detritus that got stirred up and pulled into the filters.

Gotta admit I used to have nightmares with sand, and only found it practical with very low stocking. I used to get problems with it trapping too much detritus so that I didnt dare stir it up for fear of choking fish and releasing foul pollutants, and even when I did that it would immediately necessitate filter maintenance. I had to spot clean it every 2-3 days in the end. Ultimately I got sick of the rigmarole, not to mention also having to provide a lot of flow aimed at the aquarium floor to provent saprolegnia outbreaks, and ditched the lot in favour of a fine gravel, which was a totally different league of ease when it came to gravel cleaning.

Sand has its uses, but I find fine grade gravel so much easier, cleaner, and less likely to harbour disease, plus it doesnt discolour anywhere near so easily.

When gravel cleaning I always liked the dirt to go straight from the substrate , up the tube and out, never saw the point of stirring things up, annoying the fish, and covering the decor with crap. Plus its great when all the substrate doesnt end up in the bucket. Not having to deal with caking up is bliss. I'd still use sand for burrowers, and rays, and of course the rift cichlids, but for anything else I dont find it worth the hassle.

ok thanks, my first WC with sand, ended up less than ideal.

sucked up about 1/2 inch of sand... stupidly..

Don't worry if you suck some sand up. All you have to do, is put it back in the tank, after throwing the water slowly away.

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Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
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