Cleaning substrate

[minotaur]

My tank has been cycled for a couple of weeks now, but I am going to wait a few more to add fish.

I plan on doing my first pwc soon. I have a python siphon. I was wondering, how I am going to vacuum the substrate without picking up all of the small snails and crabs? Most of them I can see, but a bunch of them are real small.

I dont even know if I should even vacuum the substrate. I put in the cleaners when I started to get algae, and they cleaned it right up, even the algae on the substrate is gone.

To clean or not to clean...and if so...how?

Thanks

[lando]

If you have sand as a substrate you do not need to vac it. That is what the crabs are for. If your are concerned about detritus just "disturb" the top of the sand to stir up the detritus and siphon it up that way.

[minotaur]

I do have sand...thanks