If you have a tank with sand substrate and you want to remove all of the sand, there are multiple ways to do it. You can use some type of scoop, like an ice scoop. You can also use a dust pan, a plastic cup, or just about anything that will scoop sand and hold it as you remove it. Want a better way, especially one that will remove every single grain of sand without having to take the tank outside or into a shower/tub to rinse it?
I have posted many times about my tank vacuum set up. In fact, I did a reminder post about it back in September. One thing I did not mention as a benefit was how thoroughly this method removes sand. The key is the smaller diameter hose for vacuuming and the PEX tubing on the end. See my post about that. The photo at the top shows an 8″ inch piece of blue PEX and a short piece of clear, flexible filter tubing as a visual for what I’m talking about. The clear, flexible tubing in the photo is 3/4″ OD and 1/2″ ID. The blue PEX is 5/8″ OD. If you choose to go with the same sizes of PEX and flexible tubing I use, you may need to heat up the end of the flex tubing (so it will stretch easier) to insert the PEX. You can always use a larger OD flex tubing and clamp it around the PEX with something like a worm-gear hose clamp or even a zip tie. Use any color of PEX and whatever length of flexible tubing that fit your needs.
You don’t have to use my entire set up. In fact, you don’t necessarily need the pump. The value of the pump is being able to use the plastic bin to contain extra water volume. If you’re vacuuming a 20g tank with a one inch sand bed, you’ll remove more than five gallons of water while removing all of the sand with my method. A five gallon bucket only holds, you guessed it, five gallons of water. Sure, you can stop, empty the bucket of water and resume, but why do that when you can use the plastic bin and pump to not have to stop?
For larger tanks with deeper sand beds, my method is really better as a final cleanup after most of the sand has been removed. If you have a smaller tank with a shallow sand bed, my method will probably be easier and quicker. It’s also a lot cleaner because you don’t have to worry about dropping sand as you transfer it out of the tank into a bucket or some other container. Furthermore, using something like a scoop or a dust pan requires some room to maneuver inside the tank. My method requires very little space, so it’s better suited to smaller tanks (~30g or less).