Cleaning Aquarium sand is easy, although some
people do struggle. I have three easy tips
to keeping your sand clean.
1. Water Flow
Water flow is very important to all aquariums,
but especially in ones with a sand substrate.
To stop dirt from settling it is important
to have a good flow around your aquarium.
This can be done simply by using a filter
properly rated to give enough flow for the
size of your aquarium. Sometimes though, even
this isn't enough flow, in this case use a
filter rated over your aquarium size, or even
use multiple filters or power heads if needed.
You will sometimes get areas of dirt buildup
(mulm) called dead spots, these are areas
where the flow isn't strong enough. Disrupt
these areas by moving the direction of your
water flow or add a second power head.
2. Livestock
Bottom dwelling fish are ideal candidates
when adding to a sand substrate aquarium.
They will swim and root around in the sand
disturbing the top layers. This will turn
the sand over to stop algae growth and also
re agitate any dirt which has settled so that
it is picked up by the filter. Ideal candidates
to add are catfish such as Corydoras, Synodontis
and Ancistrus; loaches are also an excellent
choice as they will dig into sand giving excellent
disturbance. Make sure to pick the correct
species for your aquarium size as many catfish
and loaches become quite large.
Malaysian trumpet snails (MTS) are a favorite
of mine for sand substrate aquariums, especially
ones with live plants. MTS are burrowing snails
which scavenge for food and also eat algae.
While they burrow they will move the sand
around, rotating it as would happen in the
wild. This is great as it also means that
nutrients will be delivered to middle and
bottom layers of the sand which is great for
aquarium plants which root feed. They will
also disturb and buildup of toxic gases caused
by rotting organic matter in the sand. MTS
can become a pest if they are given too much
food as they are prolific breeders, but so
long as they are not fed too much they will
rarely be seen and are an excellent addition.
3. Manual removal
When you get a buildup of dirt and mulm in
an aquarium, such as that caused in dead spots;
the only way to remove it is manually. This
is easy to do and can be done during your
regular water change. Simply use a small hose
to siphon the mulm off the surface of the
sand. Be careful to not get to close to the
sand, other wise you will be removing your
substrate as well. You can see how to do this
in the video at the top of the page.
Thanks for watching!
