# Fine grain sand cleaning.



## spursmb (Feb 5, 2015)

Hi. I have change my substrate to Jbl sansibar white which has the granulation of 0.4 to 0.8mm so it is very fine.
I have a lot of trouble cleaning it though. I use wave maker to direct all dirt towards the filter, but it was sucking up sand as well as the dirt. So I moved the inlet up a little bit and now it doesn't collect dirt. Same goes for vacuuming. I seem to be sucking more sand than dirt. Is there any solution or bit of kit for that or did I just make a big mistake with choosing the wrong sand?


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

For fine grain substrate I just use a pail/bucket and a long enough length of clear vinyl hose and siphon directly into the bucket. Once I'm done siphoning up any debris, I pour off most of the used tank water, refill some clean water in the bucket, drain off, refill, drain off until water runs clear. I then use a small container to scoop the substrate back into the tank.

I have a laundry tub or slop sink in my basement that I use for this procedure as it's big enough to work in with the bucket. Just be careful not to dump too much substrate in any drain as it might plug up the trap and you are just throwing away any substrate.


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## spursmb (Feb 5, 2015)

Thank you. I have removed the vacuum end and just used the hose. It did help a lot. Hard work though catching all the stuff.
I think I will have to get a stronger wave maker so hopefully all dirt will accumulate in one spot.


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