How do i clean white sand?

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Brian_Nano12g

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Just got a new Fluval Edge and set it up 2 weeks ago with Caribsea white sand as the substrate. Cycling it with seeded media from my other tank.

Anyway, I just don't know of any good techniques on how to clean the surface of the sand of all the gunk (i.e. uneaten food, fish poop, etc.) that is discoloring it. If I run a siphon, how do I vacuum the gunk without sucking away the sand? LOL... I've always used gravel in the past and this is my first time using sand. So advice is appreciated!
 
Use ur siphon just above the gravel. You will still suck up sand but not as much as u think. I got PFS in two tanks and caribsea in another.
 
Does the sand always look dirty? I am considering it but I am afraid it will always look dirty since it doesnt blend into fish poop.
 
Does the sand always look dirty? I am considering it but I am afraid it will always look dirty since it doesnt blend into fish poop.

yes, fish poop is alot more noticeable on white sand.
However, I personally like it, so I can clearly see and keep track of the waste and vacuum it accordingly.

I also find it helps remind me of water changes. When I see the dirty sand, its time to clean the tank.


If you don't like the dirty look. You can always purchase BLACK sand.
Hope that helps.
 
Thanks for all the advice. The white sand definitely has it's pros and cons. When clean, it looks pretty neat. On the downside, everything including poop and leftover food really shows on it. I just know its going to look really bad if my tank goes through the diatom stage (if and when).

So being new to white sand and a Fluval Edge was a double whammy! First off, it's a bit challenging to clean white sand and a bit MORE challenging in a Fluval Edge. What I did was get the smallest gravel vac siphon and a turkey baster. I had to cut the gravel vac head tube shorter to reach the edges in the tank. I took the Turkey baster to push the debris closer together. Then used the siphon and hovered it just above the gunk to suck it up. And used the turkey baster to suck some debris that I missed or just couldn't reach with the siphon tube. It's definitely more work and time consuming than vacuuming up my other tank with gravel. Not to mention the higher degree of difficulty due to the small opening on top of the Fluval Edge. However, despite my complaining, my efforts seemed to have paid off.

Today I picked up a couple small Cory cats and they, immediately upon introduction to the tank, started sifting through the sand and eating leftovers. Now I need to find something small to help with the hair algae that I'm seeing on the new plants I picked up a couple weeks ago... What an eye sore... LOL
 
Im just wondering what kind of black sand is best for aquariums, and where do you get it?
 
I have to stir my white sand everytime I vacuum or else it still looks dirty. Never again will I do white sand. :|

maxwellag said:
Im just wondering what kind of black sand is best for aquariums, and where do you get it?

I think most go for the 3m black quartz sand. At least that's what I've seen.
 
Im just wondering what kind of black sand is best for aquariums, and where do you get it?

Well I got the Caribsea white sand... BUT, if I wanted a nice black sand, the caribsea black tahitian moon sand looks pretty nice. Check out some of the youtube vids with the aquariums with black tahitian... Looks pretty nice IMO.

Seachem Flourite Black Sand is another good one to consider.
 
Here's what the tank looks like after a cleaning. The white sand is still looking neat (for now).
 

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