How to: Vacuum sand?

[The Trooper]

I done my first vacuum and w/c yesterday on my sand based tank, in the pleco's cave was a number of jobbies... I tried to vacuum them, but i couldn't get them without a load of sand.

What's peoples method to vacuuming sand based tanks?

 

[Carnifex]

I'm also interested in this. I just put sand in my 55 and want to know how to not vacuum sand up when doing w/c lol

 

[Goldfish loach boy]

What I do is that I stir up the sand without touching it, and then suck it up

 

[Super_Blueberry]

Your going to lose some every time. There's not really a way around it, just to minimize the amount lost.

The two methods I have used since setting up my sand substrate is disturbing the bottom to get the debris floating, then suck it up. When there is a lot piled up, I take the wide 'tube' part off the changer and use just the hose. Be careful though....there is a lot more suction so the piles of debris get sucked up better, but get too close to the sand and that will get sucked up quickly as well.

 

[Mebbid]

Hold the gravel vac at a 45 degree angle. The sand should fall down out of the strongest current and fall out (depending on the grain size)

 

[The Trooper]

Just found this helpful video, same as the above mentioned method.

Cichlid-Forum.com

 

[Canary bird]

I done my first vacuum and w/c yesterday on my sand based tank, in the pleco's cave was a number of jobbies... I tried to vacuum them, but i couldn't get them without a load of sand.



What's peoples method to vacuuming sand based tanks?

Lol ... Jobbies

Unfortunately it's a pain I have just had to add more sand due to vacuuming ... I use a power vac and it's great but it still sucks up some sand ,

 

[The Trooper]

Haha, i've taken the nozzle thing off the siphon I am now only using the hose, it works alot better if you're careful.

I lost some sand too, but that comes part and parcel i guess, got a load of spare in the cabinet.