How to Clean the Sand in a Saltwater Fish Tank

No matter what the size of your saltwater tank it is important to keep it clean. Cleaning the tank on a regular basis not only makes it look better, it also improves the quality of the water and helps to keep your fish happy and healthy. By performing regular water changes and vacuuming the sand at each water change, you can keep your saltwater tank clean, stable and very attractive.

Things You'll Need

  • Saltwater tank
  • Bucket
  • Siphon hose
  • Gravel washer
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Instructions

    • 1

      Attach the gravel washer to your siphon hose. Make sure the gravel washer fits the hose securely. If the gravel washer is not secure the siphon could leak.

    • 2

      Place a bucket in front of your tank and set the end of the siphon hose in the bucket. Make sure the hose reaches the bottom of the bucket.

    • 3

      Place the siphon in the tank and insert the gravel washer about 2 inches into the sand. Move the gravel washer up and down to start the siphoning action. Make sure that the water is draining into the bucket.

    • 4

      Move the gravel washer around the tank as the water is draining. Be sure to move the gravel washer to all parts of the tank. Concentrate on the areas that appear to be dirtiest.

    • 5

      Wait for the bucket to fill up, then dump the old water. Continue to drain until one third of the water in the tank has been removed. Then mix aquarium salt and water until the salinity level is stable and refill the tank.