Regardless of what substrate you have in your aquarium at home, it is very important for the health of your aquarium inhabitants to keep it clean. Sand as a substrate, from coarse to fine grain, can be a little more difficult to handle due to its lighter weight. Most discoloration on sand is a nuisance to humans, but does not bother fish and invertebrates much. However, routine cleaning of the sand bottom is an important task that needs to be done regularly.
Here you can find out how to clean aquarium sand and why this is so important for aquarium maintenance.
The Importance of Clean Aquarium Sand
“Clean” aquarium sand may not look the way you expect it to. Even if you start out with pure white or light brown sand, you may find that it turns brown or green very quickly. That’s fine – it’s normal algae growth and shows that your ecosystem is healthy. Your fish and invertebrates may ingest some of the sand, swirl it around in their mouths and then spit it out again to clean it. This can certainly help keep your substrate clean, but you need to do a little more.
Prevent Compaction
The biggest problem with sandy substrate is that it can compact quickly. Compaction occurs when the sand settles without being disturbed over a long period of time. This may be due to your fish not being substrate cleaners, a lack of invertebrates or the substrate being inaccessible due to excessive decoration. If the sand becomes compacted, it can lose contact with the water and the oxygen it contains. This can lead to the formation of anaerobic bacteria, a type of bacteria that requires sulphur instead of oxygen to survive.
If this pocket is ever disturbed and oxygen is reintroduced, the bacteria are killed and hydrogen sulfide is released, which smells like rotten eggs. This compound can be very toxic to fish and invertebrates, such as corals. Routine cleaning of the substrate, not necessarily to restore its color, but to ensure adequate oxygenation, is a very important task.
Necessary Tools and Materials for Cleaning Aquarium Sand
You will need a gravel siphon to clean the sandy bottom. Although it is designed for gravel, it also works very well for sand. Most gravel siphons are long, clear cylinders connected to a smaller diameter hose. For sand, you should choose a wider cylinder, as this sucks up the lighter sand less strongly.
Step-by-Step Guide to Cleaning Aquarium Sand
The simplest and most effective method for cleaning aquarium sand is to use a siphon. Here you can find out the easiest way to clean your aquarium sand:
- A lot of debris can get caught under stones and decorations, so remove as much as possible before you start cleaning.
- Connect your siphon and insert the end into a collection container.
- Let the water flow through the siphon into the bucket.
- Insert the wide end of the hose into the sand and allow it to rise about 1/3 to halfway up the siphon.
- Pull the siphon upwards out of the sand and let the sand fall back to the bottom.
- Move the siphon one width and repeat the process to create small mounds in a grid.
- Keep an eye on your filling bucket and stop vacuuming when the bucket is full. Depending on the size of the bucket and tank, it may take a few rounds to reach all the sand.
- Use the waste water to rinse the filter media.
Add Cleaning Species to Your Tank
You can also consider letting your fish or invertebrates do the work for you. Many shrimp species love to dig for particles in the substrate, and some saltwater fish species, such as jawfish, like to move sand around to create underwater caves. But even with these species, routine sand cleaning is recommended at least once a month.
What Not To Do
Don’t just stir the sand from time to time and expect your filter to do the work. Or even worse: just leave the sand lying around. This is especially true if the sand is more than one centimeter deep. Cleaning the sand and removing the decoration can be tedious, but leaving it for months can have disastrous consequences.
Tips for Maintaining a Clean Sand Bed in Your Aquarium
Cleaning and maintaining your aquarium sand may be one of the biggest maintenance tasks, but it can go a long way towards keeping your environment healthy for the fish. These tips should help you make the process go more smoothly.
- The substrate should not be deeper than 1 inch unless you have substrate-dwelling fish or invertebrates.
- Introduce species that will help keep the substrate clean, such as shrimp, crayfish or other fish species.
- Use your gravel siphon regularly. This is the easiest way to keep the sand clean.
- Remember that your sand should not always be pristine white or light brown. A little brown, red or green is a sign of a healthy system.
