Lots of debris on my sand from LR, best way to remove it?

[courtneyclv]

When I added my fiji LR awhile ago I never rinsed it. Many little thingies came off the rock, from the crevices, and are sitting in my sand. My aquacultured rock was rinsed but there is still some debris that came off.

This isnt uneaten food, just pieces of crap, that looks bad. I tried to get it with the net but that just made a sand storm. And I had some crabs eaten before, so there are bits of shell and things like that.

Any suggestions?

Courtney

 

[Hara]

I use a siphon tube that is about 1/4 inch in diameter...I went to lowes and bought a bunch of clear tubing that was assorted sizes, that seems to be the best size for me to use to vacuum the sandbed.

 

[courtneyclv]

Sorry such a dumb question but..how do I use a siphon tube and how do I not suck up all of my fine grain sand?

DUH...

 

[Hara]

put one end in the tank, suck quickly on the tube to start the siphon, then get close to the sand, but not in the sand and it will pick up the detritus. You will lose a little bit of sand,but not much.

 

[dianeww]

I siphon off the top of my sand by not quite touching the sand bed with the siphon. All the loose junk will be sucked up, and the sand for the most part is left behind.

 

[courtneyclv]

Cool! That sounds easy enough. I will go to Lowes tomorrow and get a tube that is about 1/4 inch-1/2 inch and will use an empty buckets.

And I thought I had to buy some kind of special sand/substrate vacuum...
thanks for the advice!



Courtney

 

[roka64]

And I thought I had to buy some kind of special sand/substrate vacuum...
thanks for the advice!

I bought a Python one from Wal-Mart. It has a bigger opening so it makes it easier to siphon and keep the sand in the bottom. Sometimes I use that nad other times I just use my regular hose, but you have to watch it, or you will suck up a lot of sand.