I need ideas on filtering my sand

Tank has been setup for awhile, but I would like to get all the 'pebbles' and larger rock pieces out of the sand. I was thinking of using a fishnet with bigger holes... but cant find any, all mine keep the sand in the net.

Any ideas on what I could make to filter larger debris out of my sand?

 

Slotted spoon?

 

Colander? Be careful not to disturb it too much. I would do a little at a time.

 

Colander would be too big, I have a lot of rockwork in there so I need to get it down to the size of a normal fish net so I can maneuver it around.

 

I believe Vinny was referring to removing sand, sifting it with the colander into a small container, then putting the clean sand back into your tank.

If you're just wanting to remove larger pieces from the top layer, the slotted spoon, as Corailline suggested, should work fine for that.

 

will this work for you?
Livewell Bait Net ARG | eBay

 

Be really, REALLY careful about disturbing your sandbed. I've seen peeps kill off tanks by stirring their substrate.

I'd remove whatever you want to "sift" out, and as mentioned, do it a bit at a time.

 

Disturbing substrate is a delicate task. Disturb as little as possible.

 

kitty litter scooper...

 

I was thinking a childs sand scooper with slits from the dollar store might be able to do it.

Also, my sand is pretty much disturbed already. I have a few tiger sand conchs, a dragon goby, and use beneficial bacteria that helps keep the sand bed clean.

Thanks!