Having a dirty sand bed in your reef aquarium can be unsightly and over time can be a ticking time bomb of nitrate and phosphate buildup. Keeping your sand bed clean helps keep your reef tank healthy and thriving.
Keeping your sand bed clean can be accomplished in two general categories manual methods and natural methods. Manual methods involve cleaning the sand manually. Natural methods rely on the use of cleanup crew members that clean or stir up the sand for you. Below is a list of different manual and natural methods to clean and keep clean your sand bed.
A word of caution, if you have a long-established reef tank with a deep sand bed you must take caution before cleaning your sand bed. Overtime waste will settle into sand beds and get trapped. If you release too much of this into the environment at once you do risk changing water chemistry and potentially causing a catastrophic die-off in the tank. If your tank is aged with a deep sand bed that hasn’t been maintained, take your time cleaning it. One approach is to divide your tank into sections and clean one section a week during water changes.
Manual Methods
1. Siphoning the Sand During a Water Change
This is an excellent way to clean your sand bed, especially if your sand bed is very dirty and hasn’t been maintained in a while. For this method, you use a siphon vacuum. Aquarium Siphons come in various sizes with different features to help start the siphon. Aquarium siphons typically have a soft hose tubing that connects to a hard plastic tube. A siphon is created that pulls water through the tube and hose out of the tank into a container.
This method is best done during a regular water change as you are removing water from the tank that will be replenished during the water change. Start your siphon depending on the siphon device you have. Once the water is draining with no air coming through the tube you are ready to start cleaning sand. Your siphon should have enough suction to pull small amounts of sand into the tube. Lightly press the tube into the sand and you should see sand sucked into the siphon tube and some of it stirring up in the tube. Moving the siphon off the bed and back onto the sand bed will exchange gravel in the tube. Slowly make this up and down motion throughout the tank sand bed in the areas that you want to clean. Take your time and try to trap as much of the waste in the tube as possible. Once you have covered the area you want to cover continue with your water change and add fresh saltwater into the tank.
This method works great and can be done as needed or even during every water change. There are a lot of beneficial bacteria and other life that live in the sand bed so I like to do this on an as-needed basis to not disturb bacteria and other life populations. If your bed is very dirty you may need to repeat a few times to get the bed where you want it.
Aqueon Aquarium Siphon Vacuum Gravel Cleaner
Aqueon Siphon Vacuum Gravel Cleaners help to make this job easier and take less time. Just a simple up and down motion with the intake tube will quickly prime the siphon to begin water flow.
2. Vacuum Siphoning the Sand into a Filter Sock
This is another method very similar to the above method. For this method, you take the same steps as the previous above method, but instead of draining the water into a separate container for removal, you drain the water into a filter sock in your sump while your return pumps are on. This method will allow you to continuously siphon if you have a large area to clean. Once you are finished, you simply break the siphon and remove the filter sock for cleaning. This is a good method to get a lot of cleaning done, but I would caution you if your sand bed is very deep and hasn’t been cleaned in a while. There is the potential for dissolved organic waste to slip through the filter sock and end up in the water column.
How to Make and Use an Aquarium Sump Waste Vacuum
3. Stirring the Sand to Keep it Clean
Stirring the sand is a great way to keep your sand looking nice when it is done consistently. For this method, you simply use an item to gently stir the sand bed. You can use any item for this task, on my tank I use the long set of aquarium tongs as pictured. I simply insert the tongs into the sand bed and gently stir up the sand. This is a good method to use once a week if your sand bed is relatively clean. Doing this consistently will keep the sand bed clean. You may see slight cloudiness in your water after this method, but it usually dissipates and clears up in under an hour. This is not a method I would use if you have a deep dirty sand bed as it would release the waste directly into the water column. This method is best as a maintenance task with a generally clean well-maintained sand bed.
JBJ Lighting Aquarium Tongs
Jbj aquarium tong is a helpful tool for all works in the aquarium. Spring-Action with trimmer, ideal for general plant or reef maintenance, as well as other purposes.
4. Stirring the Sand and Adding Micro Bubble Scrubbing
This method is the same as the above method, with the addition of microbubbles. Microbubbles can be created by moving your powerhead up so it is partially exposed to air or you can run your water level slightly low in the sump so that the return pumps create microbubbles. After stirring up your sand the microbubbles will attach to waste in the water column and move the waste to the top of the tank and eventually down into the sump where it can be processed by filter socks or the protein skimmer. This method helps clear up the water quickly can help remove a higher amount of waste before it can settle back into the bed after stirring. Be sure to swap new socks and empty your skimmer after this method.
5. Turkey Baster Sand Bed Cleaning
The turkey baster method is another way to easily stir up the sand bed. Simply use a general kitchen turkey baster to blow water into the sand bed. You can control the amount of force used by how hard you squeeze the baster. The use of a turkey baster can be used in conjunction with other methods for hard-to-reach places in the tank. Another type of baster you can use is coral feeders which are typically longer than a turkey baster to help keep your hands and arms out of the tank. A turkey baster also can serve double duty as a way to blow debris and waste off of the live rock. I find that the good old kitchen turkey baster works a bit better than the longer version pictured above that is designed more for coral feeding and doesn’t have as much pressure per squeeze.
Kent Marine Sea Squirt Coral Feeder
The Kent Marine Sea Squirt makes it possible to target-feed liquid supplements to corals or other aquatic animals so they receive the nutrients for proper health and growth.
6. Removing the Sand and Rinsing or Replacing it
The last manual option I’ll list is removing sand from the tank, rinsing, and replacing it in the tank. Instead of rinsing the old sand, you can also just replace it with new sand. This is a method to be used with caution. If you have a deep aged sand bed this may not be the best option as you might run the risk of disturbing waste trapped in the bed and releasing it into the water column with disastrous effects. This method involves manually removing the sand or a portion of the sand and replacing it with new sand or rinsing the sand and then putting it back into the tank. You’ll also want to do this in waves so that you preserve a good amount of beneficial life like bacteria and other microorganisms in the sand bed.
First, find a scoop that will help you remove the sand from the tank. Next shut off all flow in the tank to help prevent a stir up of waste and over clouding the aquarium. Gently remove the sand from the aquarium and place it into a container. I find that a 5-gallon bucket works well for this. Once you have the amount of sand out of the tank that you’d like either replace the sand with new sand or move on to the rinsing process. If you are putting new sand in the tank it’s usually best to rinse the sand a few times to limit the cloudiness that the sand will put off once in the tank. Slowly add the new sand trying your best not to cloud the water by gently putting it on the bottom of the tank.
If you plan to rinse the sand removed from the tank keep it in the bucket and move it either outside or to a sink. I prefer to take my sand outside and use a garden hose to rinse sand. To rinse the sand you should have no more than half the bucket full of sand. Add water until about ¾ of the bucket is full and stir up the sand with your hand. After it is well stirred empty the water out of the bucket. You’ll continue this process a few times until the water is reasonably clear. Depending on how dirty your sand is this may take a few times. Once the sand is up to your standard place it back into the tank where it was removed as gently as possible.
This works well to clean the sand but will strip it of both the bad and good. This is a tricky task with an established tank and not one I really would recommend, but have seen it work. If you are moving your tank or looking to reuse sand, this is a great method to utilize.
Natural Methods
7. Sand Sifting Gobies
Sand Sifting Gobies are a great option for cleaning and keeping clean a reef aquarium sand bed. There are many different types of Sand Sifting Gobies and many do a great job and are terrific tank mates. Most Sand Sifters are peaceful tank mates with other fish but can be territorial to their species. Sand Sifting Gobies eat various things in the sand including algae, pods, waste, and other things trapped in the sand. They do this by taking a mouthful of sand and filtering items they can eat. They do this all day long methodically working throughout the tank keeping the bed nice and clean. They often will burrow under rocks and spend their day plowing through the sand. Some Sand Sifting Gobies will pair with pistol shrimp creating a very entertaining symbiotic relationship in the reef aquarium. The best Gobies for sand sifting, in my opinion, are the Diamond Goby and various Sleeper Gobies.
8. Sand Sifting Starfish
Sand Sifting Starfish are a good option for the reef aquarium. These starfish are peaceful, are easily recognized by visitors, and do a great job as a member of the cleanup crew. These starfish like to burrow in the sand bed and move a lot of sand when burrowing and unburrowing from the sand. They don’t particularly clean the sand, but moving in and out of the sand helps keep it aerated and stirred up so that waste doesn’t settle in. They are a good member of the cleanup crew as they do consume waste in the aquarium. Another job that these guys perform is an early warning system that something is wrong in the tank. Starfish, in general, are very intolerant of changes in water chemistry. Sand sifting stars will spend most of their time in or near the sand bed. If something changes or the starfish is stressed you may see it move up the aquarium glass as if it is trying to escape. The starfish can be the canary in the coal mine for you signaling to check on parameters before something slips and causes a tank crash.
9. Nassarius Snails for Cleaning Sand
Like the Sand Sifting Starfish, Nassarius snails are effective scavengers and make excellent cleanup crew members. They are peaceful tank mates and are commonly found for sale. They don’t clean the sand per se but like to burrow themselves in the sand at most fish stores. They will burrow themselves in the sand and raise their suction tube just out of the sand to sense food nearby. When they feel or smell food nearby they come out of the sand to feed on it. This constant burrowing and unburrowing help keep the sand aerated and clean. I haven’t had the best luck with these snails when it comes to keeping the sand bed clean, but they do make fun to watch animals in the tank. I think you would need an army of these guys if you intend to keep the sand bed clean with the Nassarius snail.
10. Babylon Snail for Cleaning Sand
Babylon snails are sometimes labeled as the Tiger Nassarius snail. They, however, are not Nassarius snails but perform about the same as the Nassarius snail in the reef tank. They are waste eaters and burrow in the sand bed. These snails are mostly nocturnal and are active at night. These are pretty cool-looking snails with a light cream color and dark spots or stripes. They are nice-looking snails that will cruise around the tank at a quick place. These snails can get much bigger than normal Nassarius snails around the 3” size. Because of their larger size, these snails do a good job of turning over the sand bed and keeping it clean. I’ve also noticed that my Hermit Crabs will use Babylon Snail shells for a pimped-out ride. There are reports out there that these snails may eat other snails and clams so caution should be used if you have these other specimens in your tank.
11. Cerith Snail for Cleaning Sand
Cerith snails are great members of a reef cleanup crew. These snails have a longer spiral-looking shell. Cerith snails are excellent at destroying waste and algae throughout the reef tank. Ceriths are easy to care for and peaceful to all reef tank inhabitants. In terms of keeping the sand clean, these snails do burrow in the sand bed but because of their small size, you would need a bunch of them to keep your sand be clean.
12. Fighting Conch for Cleaning Sand
Like the other snails on the list, the Fighting Conch is another waste eater that burrows itself in the sand to help keep the sand bed aerated and clean. The Fighting Conch gets its name from territorial aggression that males may have with each other as they enter each other’s territory so it is best to house multiple Fighting Conches in a larger aquarium. Fighting Conch males may fight with each other, but are peaceful to other tank mates.
13. Hermit Crabs for Cleaning Sand
Hermit Crabs are a staple in the reef aquarium hobby. There are many varieties and can be found at every fish store. Hermit Crabs are excellent scavengers and will search and destroy waste, algae, and uneaten food in the tank. Most Hermit Crabs don’t burrow in the sand but will drag their shells and pick through the sand for food. This behavior helps keep the sand slightly aerated and the very top level turned over.
14. Sand Sifting Sea Cucumbers
Sea Cucumbers are fascinating creatures and very effective at keeping the tank and sand bed clean. Sea Cucumbers will eat sand and waste then releasing it clean out the other end. Though they can be a fun specimen for the tank and effective at keeping the tank clean they should be kept with caution. Most Cucumbers have toxins that can be released when they are stressed or die. These toxins have the capability of killing your fish and corals. A good protein skimmer, fresh carbon, and water changes can help if your Cucumber releases its toxin. Sea Cucumbers can get large and need a tank capable of accommodating them.
ReefSumper’s Favorite Method for Keeping the Sand Bed Clean
My favorite method hands down is having a sand sifting Diamond Goby in my tank. Diamond Gobies are relentless sand cleaners working throughout the day shoveling a scope of sand at a time keeping my sand pristine white. In addition to their voracious sand sifting, I find Diamond Gobies to be an excellent fish to have in a reef aquarium. Diamond Gobies are very peaceful and generally stick to themselves. Diamond Gobies will often burrow a hole under a rock and can be slightly territorial to other fish that come near their burrow. It is also recommended that Diamond Gobies be kept individually or in a mated pair. Having a refugium supplying the tank with Copepods is very beneficial to the long-term health of keeping a Diamond Goby as they will feast on the pods as they sift through the sand. Diamond Gobies should be kept in tanks 30 gallons or larger and provided with sand to burrow and sift through. I’ve found that most of the Diamond Gobies I’ve had do eat frozen and flake food in addition to the food it gets through sifting.
Diamond Gobies are one of my favorite fish for the reef aquarium, but they do have some cautions to be aware of when adding to your tank. The first caution is to only keep a Diamond Goby in a tank that has a lid or cover over the top. Diamond Gobies are notorious jumpers and when scared will dart to the top of the tank and jump. This is especially an issue when you first introduce your Diamond Goby to the tank. Whenever I’ve added a Diamond Goby to a tank it looks as if they are very disoriented and spend a few hours near the top of the water looking to jump out. You’ll want to add your Diamond Goby to the tank after acclimation, secure your top, and turn off or dim your lights as your new fish gets used to its new surroundings. Usually, the fish will call down, settle to the bottom of the tank, and dig out a burrow for itself. Once the fish has a burrow you may not see it for several weeks. The last Diamond Goby I added to my 210 Gallon Aqueon Big Fish Mixed Reef Tank I thought was gone but suddenly resurfaced three weeks after not seeing it. You’ll find these fish to be shy at first, but once settled in will get bolder and will sift outside of their burrow throughout the day.
As mentioned Diamond Gobies are voracious sand sifters and the amount of sifting they do can have pitfalls. One to be aware of is their creation of burrows underneath the live rock. Diamond Gobies will excavate a lot of sand underneath live rocks to create their home. If you have large unstable live rock, there is a potential for a Diamond Goby to dig out the sand underneath and cause a rock structure to fall which ultimately could break or damage your tank. This is less of an issue if your live rock is sitting on the bottom of the tank glass versus on top of the sand. With a Diamond Goby, it’s best to have sand that is fine enough for them to sift through their mouth. I use a grain that is in the middle of the spectrum for sand substrate fineness. If you use a small grain size Diamond Goby may constantly cloud up your reef aquarium.
Even with the potential drawbacks, I find having a Diamond Goby a good option for keeping my aquarium’s sand clean and being a good fish to have in the tank. My live rock always sits on the bottom of the tank when I set it up so tipping isn’t too big of a concern. I use medium grain sand and it never gets cloudy from the Diamond Goby.