Vacuuming a sand bed or not That is my question

[jorjef]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

I would do the same if some idiot hadn't put egg crate across the bottom of my tank!

Way to go....now Buddy is going to make another thread on the do or don't on using egg crate

[jorjef]

This bad boy is awesome for cleaning bare bottom. May be a wee under powered for crushed gravel and wouldn't use with sand.




http://www.jlaquatics.com/images/ehe...ck_vac_pro.jpg

[denny_C]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

if some idiot hadn't put egg crate across the bottom of my tank!

lol

[don.ald]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

I would do the same if some idiot hadn't put egg crate across the bottom of my tank!

Tear down that tank and remove the egg crate...I know you want to!

[albert_dao]

Aquariums sand beds and natural ecosystems are like comparing a picture of New York City to the real thing. They're imperfect recreations and expecting them to operate like the ocean is, at best, a joke.

Keep your sand bed shallow and clean it often. Five minutes of gravel vacuuming > a year's worth of cleanup crew activity.

[Aquattro]

Here is a pic of 50g water siphoned to remove a third of my 1.5" sand bed after 3 years.

[randallino]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

I would do the same if some idiot hadn't put egg crate across the bottom of my tank!

+1

[Masonjames]

IMO sand is just a toilet you can't flush. Eventually (even years) that toilet is gonna fill up to the brim. Want the aesthetics of a sand bed, then start bucketing all that s*** out on a regular basis. Sand beds should be maintained and cleaned religiously IMO which is hard to do a good job of with live rock, coral,etc in the way. Never mind when that toilet bowl starts to fill up the the brim it will eventually start to wick all it's yummies into all that pretty live rock you got sitting on top of it. Sand has one purpose and one purpose only in a tank, aesthetics. It offers nothing more to the health of the system. And gives the user a false sense of security that they don't need to be removing the debris that builds up and that somehow that sand bed indefinitely process all that s*** for them. So IMO if you want to look at a pretty sand bed and not a pane of glass then it needs to be maintained.

[pinkreef]

my candycane pistol shrimp would hate me if I took it out

[jorjef]

Originally Posted by pinkreef

my candycane pistol shrimp would hate me if I took it out

I have a Melanurus wrasse that for a year or two had the comfort of a sand bed. After I went bare bottom he adapted. I have to admit it freaked me out a couple times when I went down to check things in the morning when the lights are out and found him laying on his side on the bottom.