Siphoning sand?

[AG458]

I really enjoy the white sand substrate I chose for my tank. However, my juvenile peacock bass is a very voracious eater with eyes bigger than his stomach. As a result, there is a lot of waste on the substrate, which really contrasts the white sand. I know too much waste is also not good for his tankmates nor himself. I have a siphon at home that I plan on using to rid my tank of the waste. However, I don't want to siphon too much sand along with the waste. I read that using the siphon above the substrate instead of digging into the sand is the best way to go (which makes sense). What do you suggest I do?

 

[philipraposo1982]

I bought a smaller siphon ment for a fluval edge for my 75g. I only use it to.siphon my.gts poop from the surface of the sand. It doesn't have enough power to.pickup much sand.

I drain to.a 5g bucket then dump. If I get some.sand in there I leave it for a while till it accumulates enough to be scooped up.and put back into the tank.

This normally takes a few minutes to get it all. I do this often like every water change which right now is every other day.

For the sand once all the top.crap is picked up I use my hand to gently brush through sections of the sand to have it float in the water and the main siphon will draw it out of the tank.

Needless to say my sand is spotless most of the time but since my gt poops often i have to keep on it. I don't think a week worth of.poop is that bad though.

 

[Jexnell]

I have a smaller hand started siphon for like a 5 to 20 gal tank, and like above siphon into a 5gal bucked so you can get what sand you do suck up back. Then I use a normal faucet powered siphon to do the majority of the water change

 

[tlindsey]

Just crimp the hose for less suction.

 

[skjl47]

I don't want to siphon too much sand along with the waste. I read that using the siphon above the substrate instead of digging into the sand is the best way to go (which makes sense). What do you suggest I do?

Hello; First thing that may help is to get one of the siphons which has a long flexible small diameter tube attached to a much larger diameter rigid tube. I found these several years ago and they generally do not suck out my gravel substrate. I can stick the large rigid end deep into the gravel. As I became disgusted with sand some decades ago and now longer use it, I cannot say how these will work.

The other thing I did before finding the above mentioned siphons was to have an extra cleaned and ready to put into my tanks supply of the substrate on hand. I would use a clear hose to siphon out water and substrate together into a bucket during a water change.
At the end of a water change I would add some of the extra substrate to replace that amount which was siphoned out.
The siphoned substrate would eventually be rinsed and made ready to be reused in my tanks.