It can but if your careful it wont. There is a method where you take a stick to stir up the waist on the top of the sand and then come in with the python right behind and suck it our of the water. I dont use that method but i heard it works.
I also use play sand and it is a mess. Every time I turn my filter off then on a nasty white residue comes pouring out.
I want to use some black beauty sand in my next tank but i have no idea where to get it. Any one know here i can find it?
*laughing* I was up at 4am with my son. Stomach virus of some sort I think. I did it in the sink - started around 4:30 and finished up at 8:30ish. Will remember the bucket trick for the next time...
I get the feeling I'm going to regret using play sand. My regular sand doesn't come up when I clean, now I'm worried this might. I hate breaking down tanks to fix issues like this... I might be adding this to Unks thread of biggest screwups... :-( I hope not!