Quick question!

[Ethos]

I have to leave in about 7 mins, so I just need this answerd fast!

Can you siphion sand? The lady that we talked to at my LFS said you have to scoop sand out and filter it every 2-3 weeks. Is this true? I wanna use sand, but can IO siphon it, for vacuming?
Edit: So far I've only bought the 55G tank...

 

[Nospherith]

It wouldn't hurt to try. You probably could just not as intense as gravel.

-sorry didn't know you haven't gotten the sand yet. I think most people siphon just above the sand surface to get all the muck accumulated there.

 

[MasterP]

Don't understand question. Don't thinkl you can use a tube to transfer it but to clean it yes.

 

[Teelie]

Depending on the heaviness of the grain you can siphon it and you don't have to take it out and clean it. That's just plain stupid. Almost everything is on top of the sand so there's not much to clean underneath the top layer. If you want to keep it very clean though, then run your fingers or a comb through it every week or so.

 

[Ethos]

So you can siphon it? What if the sand is really light though? And do plants do better in a sandy substraited tank?

 

[FishEnthusiast]

I use play sand in a lot of my tanks. I don't siphon it per say, but I do wave the vaccum over the top of the sand to get the muck off the top. I also try to stir it up a bit before I get the vaccum going to avoid getting toxic air bubbles.

I have heard mixed reviews about sand and plants, the major con being that because sand compacts you may find the roots of the plants suffering. In my heavily planted tank I use gravel, so I don't have first hand experience with it.

 

[Teelie]

If the sand is light you just hover the siphon about a quarter to half inch from the surface and let the water current take up the detritus. Almost everything that comes out of a fish or doesn't get eaten will be sitting on the top of the sand if it isn't taken up by the filter or broken down quickly by bacteria.

 

[Ethos]

So its almost as easy matinence with sand instead of gravel?

 

[modernhamlet]

Maintenance with heavier sand (like pool filter or sand blasting sand) is really easy. I heartily recommend it. If you're doing planted though, you may want to provide a base of fine gravel and pour the sand over top.

 

[Teelie]

IMO, sand is easier than gravel to clean. Everyone has their own opinion though and some will swear by gravel or other kinds of substrate.