Water changes and vacuuming... Thoughts?

So ever since I've had fish, I was always told that during water changes you vacuum the sand to remove particulates and such.... With freshwater this was a good idea because the snails never got all of the food stuck in the rocks. But since I've had the SW going (only a couple months) I've noticed that I pull hardly any actual waste from the sand and usually just make a cloudy mess... My array of snails and hermits do a good job I guess...

Question: is vacuuming necessary if the cleanup crew is a powerhouse? I feel like I'm doing more harm than good and just annoying the fish and snails.

Also, I'm thinking of adding a sand sifting star... Worth it?

 

Most people do not vacuum their sand. If you've been doing it since the tank was first established then you can keep doing it without releasing too many nutrients. However, most people just have a CUC to stir up the top layer of sand and help keep it clean.

As for sand sifting stars, I don't have any personal experience with them, but I have read they usually end up starving in our tanks because they run out of food.

 

You will probably hear both sides of this argument - so I might as well throw the first punch . . .

IMHO it will depend on the kind of sand bed you have. If you are running a DSB (3"-5") of sand - then as I understand it - the whole idea is to let nature do it's course. There will be stratifying effects of bacterial hierarchy that establish themselves at different depths. Once these layers are established, they operate successfully on the precept that they will not mix with the other layers. If a system is old enough and you start to stir the sand, you can release toxic hydrogen sulfide which can actually crash a tank faster than you would imagine. Also - if you have a robust cleaning crew, good filtration, good circulation, stable params, and consistent maintenance, it is likely you would never need to vacuum your sand as it will be naturally free of excess detritis/nutrients.

Now on the contrary, if you have a shallow sand bed (<3") it would likely not have the same effects of releasing hydrogen sulfide and you do not have the stratified layers of different types of bacteria - you will only have aerobic bacteria(at least mostly so) in a shallow sand bed in which case you are not creating hydrogen sulfide and there are no layers to mix with other layers that may have competing flora or fauna.

As for the sand sifting star - I have heard that while they do a great job of "sifting" the sand - they have limited effect on cleaning, they often starve to death, and can actually disturb the naturally macrofauna that populate the sand bed.

Again, I am sure others will say something different, that is just my $0.02.

 

Good post.

IMO - I tend to siphon problem areas of the sand but do not go too nuts on it. Lately I have not touched it as my Diamond Goby is handling the bed very well.

I second the 'starving' aspect of the Sand sifting star. They apparently need really big sand beds. It was sad to see one I had disintegrate slowly years back.

 

Never had a system that did not accumulate detritus in the sand bed or rockwork despite the size or makeup of the cuc.

A closed system is not similar to the natural marine environment with it's currents, microbs and plenum effect. Because of this nature in not going to take it's course. The material has to go somewhere it is not going to disappear because of a clean up crew, they poop too.

I always vacume the upper most layer of the sand bed and I get a lot of crap, despite routine water changes, good filtration, good water movement and limited feedings.

In general terms a sand sifting star is not going to do well in a smaller newer system long term ( greater than a year ), there are exceptions, but I see the majority of them starving to death after a couple of months.

JM2C ;D