What is best way to clean sand off my rocks

Ya a turkey baster works. If you have good flow and gravity it should work itself off in a few days.

 

I was thinking the same thing
How did the sand get there ?
was it there from when you set up tank - if so blasting it off is OK
But if its there because its being blown there by water movement, then its a full time job you have there

alternatively if you have a wrasse that like to sleep in the sand bed, that can account for some sand being on the rock work ( well that happens with my radient wrasse when he gets up in the morning)

Steve

 

Sometimes during water changes I will take out some rocks and shake them off in a bucket. This gets a lot of junk off and out for me!

I also use a turkey baster between water changes.

 

I have 2 1200 maxi jets that are blowing straight toward the front and the return is a rotating head that is angle down a little. the sand gets pick up easy. is there to much water movement? I don't know How else would i set up my powerheads there shooting straight out?
I would like to fix it because it not looking that good with sand on the rocks but I haven't tried the turkey baster yet.

 

Did you put sugar sand in the DT?
I did and what a PITA that was. It took me a couple months to get the pumps aimed right but I finally have excellent flow throughout and the sand stays on the bottom. Well all but what the goby packs around while he sifts.
Anyway what I did was point the big pumps up and at a 45* angle to the front glass. The little pumps point directly at the front glass but interrupt the flow from the big ones. This caused swirling turbulence that the corals really seem to enjoy.

 

Dont point the powerheads at the glass, the flow runs down the glass and stirs the sand into the water colum, try aiming them to blow across the rocks towards the other end of the tank length wise.

 

K I will try that

 

The easiest way to clean rocks is the use of bleach.Then after cleaning you must dry them in the Sun.

 

Bacteria living on and just below the rocks surface breaks down the rock and it flakes off the surface. I'd imagine it would take decades, even centuries, to wear away a whole large chunk of LR, but it would eventually happen.

But that's probably not what THIS sand is from. That kind of sand is almost microscopic. Like smaller than sugar sand.

Yes... that is an effective way to nuke rock to the stone age... I think we're discussing rock in an already established aquarium that's building up sand in the crevasses.


OP: Do you have a cucumber in the tank? My tiger tail poops out little pellets of sand all over the place. Usually it just blows off over time and/or snails and hermits dislodge it...

I leave some in place.... looks natural to have "puddles" of sand on the rocks.