syphon advice for live sand bed

[2008pollyanna]

Hi, what have you all found to be a good syphon for water changes in a deep live sand bed. My live sand bed is about 3-4 inches deep and I was given a very small syphon with like airline hosing to use. It takes me forever...I am still trying to learn how to do it, without plugging it up all the time. What have you all found that you like for cleaning your live sand bed. And how much are you taking out? How often. I have a 46 gallon bowfront. I have taken about about 20% out thru siphoning my sand bed, and it has been taking me like an hour and ahalf to get it down, because the siphon is small. Do I need a larger syphon? Also, I know I dont want to lose my good bacteria. So should I clean my live sand like once a week and take like 5 gallons out perhaps from my 46 gallon tank? And do you pull the pumps off and clean them each week thouraghly? Should I be cleaning my sponges from my charcoal filters in salt water or fresh water? How often do you all clean your sump and how thorough. Do you ever clean your bio balls? I have heard yes and now no. And some of you refer to filter floss, what is it? Is it beneficial? I have a skimmer on my sump underneath as well.

[NewbReefer]

I dont think you want to disturb a DSB much if at all just barely skim the top layer.

[2008pollyanna]

when the deep sand bed gets that brown orangey vein of debris running thru it, my friend told me thats what we need to get out. But, we shouldnt have to go any deeper? Here she told me to go all the way to the bottom. But then she has a gravel bed and mine is live sand.

[bri74]

I usually only clean the top 1/2 inch or so maybe once every two months or so. But thats just me

[NewbReefer]

i've never cleaned my sand bed in the year it's been set up. If you suck up the particles in the DSB your also sucking up and disturbing the good bacteria that is the whole purpose of a DSB. Is what you can do so that you dont have to look at that orange line through the glass just under the sand surface, you could slope the sand upwards away from the glass so that you cant see under the sand through the glass.

[2008pollyanna]

So when you are all doing water changes each week...your just doing that only like changing the water and not syphoning the live sand? Boy, I really need help. I thought I had to clean the live sand very well each week also.
When I see that sediment thats brown, gray, and orange like in the LS...do I need to get that out as asap? The fellow I bought this from also has like small charcoal stuff in the live sand as well. So that may be breaking down and coloring the sediment as well.
How do you all do a water change?

[NewbReefer]

that orange brown sediment under the sand surface may be the good bacteria that you want, i would just let it go, it wont go anywhere other than under the sand. when you do a water change you could syphon the LR to kinda help keep that clean but you dont need to go crazy with it. the biggest purpose of a water change is to remove nitrates and phosphates which lead to algea. How long has your tank been set up?

[Gooseman]

the only time i siphoned off my DSB is when i had the cyano algae in the first few months after cycling ... i only took out the very top layer of sand and only in the bad areas ... i used a 5/8" tube 6' long and siphoned into a bucket ... it never plugged up and siphoned off fast so you have to be careful not to leave it in one place to long ... just hold it close enough to the sand for it to start sucking it up ... never stick it into the sand otherwise it will suck up way more sand than you want

[bri74]

Originally Posted by NewbReefer

that orange brown sediment under the sand surface may be the good bacteria that you want, i would just let it go, it wont go anywhere other than under the sand. when you do a water change you could syphon the LR to kinda help keep that clean but you dont need to go crazy with it. the biggest purpose of a water change is to remove nitrates and phosphates which lead to algea. How long has your tank been set up?

I take all my LR pieces and shake em around to float all loose debris off of them then do a water change when there is the floaties from the rock in the water but I do have pretty sloppy eaters in there, alot like my kids lol. or you could use a turkey baster to blast the stuff off the LR if you have that stuff. Make sure the replacement water is the same temp as the water you remove my critters dont like it when I cool down their home. And make sure the water is fully mixed so there is not a bunch of salt in the bottom of the bucket.

[fatman]

You should not need to disturb your deep sand bed. If it is made up of large particles you siphon above the bed. Typically deep sand beds are of a fine sand that will keep all detritus on the surface . For the detritus to get below the surface critters living in the sand need to pull it below the surface. There should be enough circulation in a reef tank that you seldom see any aprticles of food or other detritus laying on top of the sand, only in crevaces provided by rock and larger substrates should cleaning be necessary. You can use any size hose you want to siphon with as long as you hold it far enough away from the sand that it does not pick it up. You should never have to remove and clean any part of a deep sand bed made with fine sand. I do not recommend a deep sand bed made of any substrate larger than 1 mm, and 0.5 mm and finer is better.