Andy Sager
Aquarium Advice Addict
Sand is lighter than gravel so highly possible it's going to clog. This also should make you hesitate with a DIY setup as well since you are at the mercy of the power head.
So instead of the " easier" way, you still have the option of putting a piece of clear rigid tubing ( I suggest a length as long as the depth of the tank) on the end of your siphon hose so that you can control where you are collecting the water and debris. Just keep the hose slightly above the sand bed in order to not pick up the sand. If you have a lot of siphoning you need to do, run that water through a filter pad or floss sitting in a net on a bucket so that you can replace that water so not doing a large volume water change.
So instead of the " easier" way, you still have the option of putting a piece of clear rigid tubing ( I suggest a length as long as the depth of the tank) on the end of your siphon hose so that you can control where you are collecting the water and debris. Just keep the hose slightly above the sand bed in order to not pick up the sand. If you have a lot of siphoning you need to do, run that water through a filter pad or floss sitting in a net on a bucket so that you can replace that water so not doing a large volume water change.