Will removing the sand help keep it clean?

So I've had sand in my tank for about a year, and it's getting hard to clean. I've had planaria in my tank for a while as well, and I can't get rid of them. There is no uneaten food in the tank, my two axies eat the worms whole, and my third I feed in a separate container entirely. My axolotl tank went from being easily cleaned with a turkey baster, to I can't keep up with it.

I had a large chunk of the plant hornwort die and fall apart, and I can't get the pieces up with the turkey baster, and when I stick my vacuum in there, the sand damages the impeller. I have ugly white worms (and dead worms) all over the place that I can't keep up with, and my driftwood turned my water yellow and no matter how many water changes I've done since I removed it, it's still tinted. I went from a gorgeous looking tank to an eye sore.

It's a 40 gallon breeder, with a biowheel for up to 55 gallons, and I have aeration in there as well. I was thinking about removing the sand to help keep it clean and make it easier, but I'm afraid of my cycle crashing. I love my little guys, but I can't seem to keep up with the tank recently. I don't want to rehome them, but I don't want them in so much filth either. Advice is much appreciated.

Perhaps you need to take your axies out and keep them somewhere cool in separate tanks with bare base, hide and Java moss. Change their water every day to keep them ammonia free. Then you can strip down your tank, get rid of the sand and set it up 'bare bottom' (!). If you just give your filter media a rinse in the old tank water, and strip down the filter to clean the sand out, you should be able to set up without your cycle crashing. And you can restrict your planting to those that do not fall apart in the low light levels that they will get in an axie tank. You can leave your axies out for a few days while you monitor the water parameters. (No pressure if you have them set up in small uncycled tanks for a bit). I would have suggested fridging if you don't have small tanks, but I have no experience of this.





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I unfortunately do not have any spare tanks to put my axies in temporarily. :/ Any other ideas?

Weeeell.......
That's why I put in the bit about fridging. But I would like someone with more experience to chip in here.
Anyone?

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Hello

In regards to fridging - you could do it okay. It won't harm them. I personally just got a couple juvies and they had to stay in buckets for four days till I was able to get them home (I had a holiday at my parents house which is where I picked them up) and they were fine. It's not ideal but it's also not harmful when its such a short term option. Make sure you do at least 50% water changes daily when fridging or having them in small containers (small containers such as tupaware bowls but make sure they have a flat bottom). Fridging especially increase the amount they poop requiring more water changes. I was doing 100% water changes in the buckets though.

Hope this helps