Help with nitrates

[Proteus]

I have 1/2 cm sand bed which I clean. I run filter material also. But even though you clean the sand bed you should have cuc to get detritus and uneaten food before it breaks down

[makana]

There are a few sand sifting snails that live in the sand as well as a handfull of hermit crabs and a handfull of turbo snails. I never used to clean the sand bed but recently have been reading that a shallow sand bed should be kept clean so I started cleaning it in hopes it would help.