Laz
Reefing newb
Hi guys,
I'm cleaning out my tank and my sand is full of fish feces and other dirt build-up from old diatoms etc. It's not extremely dirty but it's extremely ugly to look at, so I'm considering taking the sand out and cleaning it. The tank was fully running yesterday and the water is still in it. I've been moving the sand around trying to pick up the dirt and debris from it but it's a losing battle as it's way too small and is all dug in with the live sand.
What's the best way of cleaning it? I was going to use just plain tap water as I imagine mixing a ton of saltwater is going to be a waste seeing as I'll be washing this out a lot to get everything out of it.
Will I cause an instant ammonia spike? My clowns and CUC are out in a bucket which can be their temporary home for a while until I sort this out, so that's not a concern, although I would like to get it back to an established set-up ASAP.
My LR is going to get a clean as it's also got this fudgy soft dirt on it's surface, but I'll be using saltwater so I don't kill it off.
If anyone could point out if it's alright to do and any advice, it would be appreciated. Thanks
I'm cleaning out my tank and my sand is full of fish feces and other dirt build-up from old diatoms etc. It's not extremely dirty but it's extremely ugly to look at, so I'm considering taking the sand out and cleaning it. The tank was fully running yesterday and the water is still in it. I've been moving the sand around trying to pick up the dirt and debris from it but it's a losing battle as it's way too small and is all dug in with the live sand.
What's the best way of cleaning it? I was going to use just plain tap water as I imagine mixing a ton of saltwater is going to be a waste seeing as I'll be washing this out a lot to get everything out of it.
Will I cause an instant ammonia spike? My clowns and CUC are out in a bucket which can be their temporary home for a while until I sort this out, so that's not a concern, although I would like to get it back to an established set-up ASAP.
My LR is going to get a clean as it's also got this fudgy soft dirt on it's surface, but I'll be using saltwater so I don't kill it off.
If anyone could point out if it's alright to do and any advice, it would be appreciated. Thanks
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