Silica Sand

[Bennlfer]

How often should i churn it to prevent gas bubbles from rising up and killing my fish?

Any freshwater snails that will burrow so i dont have to?

[sailor]

I stir mine up when ever I do a gravel vac approx every 2 wks or every second water change.

[rich311k]

Malaysian trumpet snails will burrow through the soil. they reproduce quick so if you do not like snails do not get them. Once a month or so is fine for stirring it a bit. Live plants will do it for you as well, their roots will prevent most build up.

[domjd05]

I have gone a few months not stirring mine with no ill effects. I would do it once a month though.

[Bennlfer]

Is it recommended to churn every sand? I currently have pool filter sand and i have never churned it...

[domjd05]

I believe it is.

My first tank (55g) was sand blast sand, and I turned it almost every week

My current tank is 46g, and has pool filter sand, which except for putting some new plants in, and moving some driftwood, I have never stirred the sand... with no ill effects (YET)... (its been 6months with the sand in it so far)

I wouldn't worry about it, every couple of weeks go ahead and stir it, and you don't really need to stir every square inch, just do a different area every time if you can't get to all of it at once.

[Mith]

Hmmm....I haven't really stirred my sand recently either....tank SEEMS fine though....

[Garrett]

Well, it depends on the thickness. If your sand is only a inch or so deep, you really can't build up much in the way of gas. You should stir it anyway, but I believe most of the concern kicks in when you've got 2 or more inches.

[Northernguy]

I have about two inches in most tanks.
I do vacuum above the sand but I also suck it up like gravel.I just pinch the hose to stop the flow and it settles back down.I do this in several spots in the tank.It does help to keep the gas down and it it gets more debris removed from the sand.

[thatcichlidguy]

Gas build up isn't really an issue unless the sand is over 2" in depth. If it is then it needs to be stirred often to prevent gas (hydrogen sulfide) from building up. Under 2" it can be stirred on occation to prevent compaction/settling but with that shallow a substrate there wont be many problems.

[Scrup]

If you have any decor with a large footprint (flat rocks, caves,ect) you can get a pretty good gas buildup if you place it on top of the sand, even with 1".