Should You Use An Aquarium Gravel Cleaner

Aquarium maintenance routines with the marine aquarium are essential. A well maintained system where all the various bits and bobs are regularly and properly completed generally gives the reward of health and vitality for the occupants.

One of the eye-catching things with a marine aquarium is the décor. Fish only and reef aquariums have rocks, and these are often displayed against a sand substratum. The sand makes the display look more natural and the colour white shows off really well.

If the sand layer is for decorative purposes only it will usually consist of coarse coral sand about 1″ (circa 2.5cm) to 2″ (circa 5cm) thick. As time goes by the sand traps particles of detritus, which eventually could give it a dirty look. In addition, the dirt within the sand could give cause to the growth of unwanted algae, considerably reducing the attractiveness.

It is easy to deal with this problem and using an aquarium gravel cleaner assists the process considerably. A gravel cleaner usually consists of a bulbous open ended device at one end to go on and into the sand, and a tube to remove seawater. Often there is also a device such as a net to trap particles in case the aquarist wishes to return the seawater straight back to the aquarium. Finally, sometimes there is a device to start a siphon - some cleaners even have a small pump.

It would seem best to use the cleaner when a routine seawater change is in progress. This means that an additional operation for sand cleaning isn’t required and there isn’t any chance of removed detritus getting back into the aquarium. When the siphon has been successfully started, the business end is placed into the sand and carefully moved along with a gentle stirring motion. As the detritus is released it is sucked up and removed, as will be any algae on the surface. It may be difficult to maneuver the cleaner close to rocks - in this case use a thin wooden stick or similar to stir the sand in this area. The amount of dirt that could be released from a sand bed can sometimes be surprising. Care has to be taken that sand is not being sucked up as obviously this should stay in the aquarium. To prevent sand loss the seawater flow could be reduced though this may also reduce the effectiveness of detritus removal. Anyway, if any sand is sucked up it can easily be replaced, but may need a separate wash first if it has been caught in a net with detritus.

The sand cleaning exercise time period is governed by the amount of seawater that needs removing for the seawater change. Perhaps the whole sand bed can be completed, but if not there isn’t any rush as, say, half could be done and the other half next time. It is better to thoroughly clean the sand than aim at completion in one go. It is best to clean the sand bed every few weeks, or at least regularly enough to prevent it becoming very dirty.

If the aquarist employs a DSB (deep sand bed) or plenum (a raised DSB) then a gravel cleaner should not be used. There are two main reasons for this. First, the sand should not be disturbed or the important function could be upset reducing the efficiency of the bed. Second, the sand used for the construction of a DSB is very fine and the cleaner would no doubt remove it rapidly. Unless there is a real problem, when some research should be undertaken, leave a DSB alone. These types of sand beds often look quite scruffy on the surface and this is normal. This scruffiness is also another reason why, in my opinion, a DSB is better off in a sump rather than being placed in a display aquarium.

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Tags: Aquarium Maintenance, aquarium sand, Care, Equipment, home-aquarium, marine-aquarium

A Bare Bottom Aquarium

Fish only aquariums and reef aquariums are able to maintain high quality seawater nowadays, and this is made easier with the range of efficient equipment available. All things being equal the livestock thrive because of it, and, in a reef, also because of the high quality lighting. Marine aquariums can be really beautiful.

This beauty is of course assisted by the aquascaping. Whatever the kind of system, often live rock is used, or some other decorative kind of rock. Showing off this rock and enhancing the overall scene is the decorative sand.

Some aquarists have a deep sand bed (DSB) in the aquarium. Personally, I prefer them to be in a sump for what is in my opinion good reason, but it is a matter of personal choice. Many other aquarists have a decorative bed which, as the name suggests, is for aesthetic purposes only.

It is necessary to have the decorative bed fairly shallow, around 1″. Also, fine sand (as used in a DSB) can cause problems so a coarse sand is normally used. The problem with coarse sand is that debris can lodge between the grains and eventually the sand becomes dirty. That is why the depth of sand is controlled - it makes stirring the sand easier. Stirring the sand brings out detritus and, if it is not caught by any mechanical filter, it will usually lodge somewhere and can then be siphoned out. Some aquarists are adept at stirring and siphoning at one go.

Other aquarists don’t use sand at all, at least not in the display aquarium. This avoids the work of cleaning of course, and any dirt accumulation can easily be siphoned out.

When I designed and set up my reef, I used coarse sand for decorative purposes. My reef is raised on ‘egg crate,’ and I put plastic barriers on the edges in line with the crate to prevent the ingress of sand under the reef. This worked for a while but was a mistake.

In the process of cleaning the sand, it was impossible not to get sand over the barriers. My reef structure is quite steep and comes within 2 or 3″ of the aquarium glass at the bottom, so there isn’t that much room for manoeuvre.

Realising what was happening, I siphoned out the sand, or as much as possible. It was cleaned and put into a bag for storage.

The tank looked a little strange with the glass showing at the bottom. This didn’t last very long though, as various forms of marine growth, including encrusting algae, soon took hold. It must have been about 6 weeks after the sand was removed that the glass bottom disappeared.

I have a blue damsel in the aquarium, and the fish is very helpful. The sand on one side that got past the barrier has been removed, the fish dumped it back on the outside of the barrier, so I could siphon it out. I assume this is some natural instinct to keep its ‘home’ clear of debris? Whatever the reason, it is a most useful trait. All I have to do now is get the fish to remove the bit of sand at the other end!

It cannot be denied that a decorative sand bed is an enhancement to the aquarium. However, if the bed becomes dirty, it doesn’t take long for those good looks to reduce or disappear. Unwanted algae could also appear on the surface of the sand. It is important to keep it clean, and the best way of doing this is to include cleaning as part of routine maintenance.

If the sand bed is going to present any difficulties because of access for any reason, then consideration can be given to running ‘bare bottom.’ Consideration can be given to running bare bottom anyway as once some time has passed, and particularly in a reef system where calcium and alkalinity are monitored, it won’t be long before the ‘bare’ part is gone. The result is very decorative as well.

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Tags: aquarium, aquarium gravel, aquarium sand, aquarium substrate, marine-aquarium, saltwater-aquarium