chrisfowler99 Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 My diamond goby used to keep my sand sifted...but annoyed the hell out of me. I picked up a sand sifting starfish that was doing a great job...until something at the legs off of it. I haven't seen it in several week. I'm assuming it's gone. My sand needs sifting. What's recommended and how many for a 75 gallon tank? Currently I have several mexican turbo snails, a few hermit crabs and three emerald crabs as well as two cleaner shrimp, two clowns, a yellow tang, a fairy wrasse and a flame angel. I want to make sure that I pick up stuff that will be compatible with what's in the tank. Nassarius snails, I'm guessing would be good. How many? What else? I liked the sand sifting star, but apparently something didn't like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmanning Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 I'm guessing you're not too fond of sea cucumbers....because they sure love sifting thru the sand...especially the top layer that tends to collect some detritus or a slight nuisance algae/or cyano. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisfowler99 Posted March 25, 2010 Author Share Posted March 25, 2010 they kinda gross me out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zarathustra2 Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 How deep is your sand bed? Are you running a DSB or a decorative sand bed? What kind of substrate and how fine is it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pbnj Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 Get a wrasse. Not sand-sifters, more like sand tossers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaJMasta Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 Nassarius snails, conchs, sand sifting sea stars, sea cucumbers, some gobies - there's a lot more options too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zarathustra2 Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 Watch out for the sand sifting stars and a lot of the snails/conchs sold as sand stirrers. They will actually clear out your microfauna in your sandbed, reducing its effectiveness as a DSB and losing a lot of the opportunity for "free" CUC members. Watch out specifically for queen conchs, "sand sifting" stars and "Olive snails" They will all strip your sandbed of the microfauna in it. That being said, if you are just running a very shallow sandbed than these guys would be just perfect. I personally really like my "black" cucumber. S/he does a great job of keeping my sand nice and clean on the surface. Nassarius Vibex snails are great for turning over the sand and make good detrivores. I usually keep 1 per 2 gallons or so in my tank. You can always add more if you want later. I like the sand sifting gobies as well. They also eat your microfauna but I like them more as a pet so feel i get more benefit. And keeping one in a 90 gallon gives you enough room to keep the sand bed healthy. The best guys I have are the bristleworm, peanut worm, medusa worm and other little guys that inhabit the sand bed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisfowler99 Posted March 25, 2010 Author Share Posted March 25, 2010 The sandbed is pretty shallow, and I need to remove some sand to make it shallower. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polarbear Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 (edited) have you seen the olive snail? They are really nice and do a good job at turning the sand bed. I have one in my 29 gallon biocube and hardly ever see him until i put food in the tank. i like watching him shift through the sand when he come out. here is a picture of what they look like. Olive snails have long, smooth shells that can vary in color from pale tan to darker brown. They usually stay buried in the substrate where they eat leftover food and detritus, helping to keep the substrate clean and stirred. Edited March 25, 2010 by polarbear Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zarathustra2 Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 The sandbed is pretty shallow, and I need to remove some sand to make it shallower. Then all the things I said to avoid... go for it. They will keep your tank extra clean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rjohn Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 +1 on the conchs. The difficulty is finding one that isn't too large. RCA can order some smaller fighting conchs that work very diligently on sand beds. BTW, the fighting conch is just a name, kinda like a school mascot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisfowler99 Posted March 25, 2010 Author Share Posted March 25, 2010 Don't conch's have a tendency to knock stuff over? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+dapettit Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 Don't conch's have a tendency to knock stuff over? My conch's are always buried the only time I see them is after lights out or in the early morning hours. +1 on the cucumbers they really keep top layer of my sand clean! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisfowler99 Posted March 25, 2010 Author Share Posted March 25, 2010 Sounds like I may need to get over my aversion to sea cucumbers. Wonder what all Mama has around...or if I need to look into a Reef Cleaners order. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starsprinkle Rainbowsmile Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 I have some Nassarius snails that work their way through the sand. I don't know if they strip the fauna or eat the detritus or what they do, but they do move the sand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+dapettit Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 Sounds like I may need to get over my aversion to sea cucumbers. Wonder what all Mama has around...or if I need to look into a Reef Cleaners order. My black cuc is for sale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisfowler99 Posted March 25, 2010 Author Share Posted March 25, 2010 Just read your for sale thread. The dumping of sand all over stuff sitting in the sand was one of the reasons I got rid of the diamond goby... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesL Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 My cucumbers (I have 2 in my 75g, one black and one yellow) don't really dump sand on my sand sitting corals. My main problem is they seem to like to curl up around them, which sometimes knows them over (I noticed on of my frogspawn was knocked over this morning, and they love curling around/under them). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisfowler99 Posted March 25, 2010 Author Share Posted March 25, 2010 My cucumbers (I have 2 in my 75g, one black and one yellow) don't really dump sand on my sand sitting corals. My main problem is they seem to like to curl up around them, which sometimes knows them over (I noticed on of my frogspawn was knocked over this morning, and they love curling around/under them). most of my stuff on the sand is low, which would lend itself more to being covered than knocked over. Though "flipped" remains a possibility. Might be worth trying... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesL Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 most of my stuff on the sand is low, which would lend itself more to being covered than knocked over. Though "flipped" remains a possibility. Might be worth trying... The only low item I have in my sandbed is an acan, and they have not covered/flipped it (yet). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+dapettit Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 Just read your for sale thread. The dumping of sand all over stuff sitting in the sand was one of the reasons I got rid of the diamond goby... Yes it does. I think it's because I don't ahve that much space between the stuff on my sandbed and the front panel. . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisfowler99 Posted March 25, 2010 Author Share Posted March 25, 2010 Yes it does. I think it's because I don't ahve that much space between the stuff on my sandbed and the front panel. . . me either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slowdog Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 have you seen the olive snail? They are really nice and do a good job at turning the sand bed. I have one in my 29 gallon biocube and hardly ever see him until i put food in the tank. i like watching him shift through the sand when he come out. here is a picture of what they look like. Olive snails have long, smooth shells that can vary in color from pale tan to darker brown. They usually stay buried in the substrate where they eat leftover food and detritus, helping to keep the substrate clean and stirred. Careful with these guys. I had an Olive snail snap up a rainfordi goby as it was resting on the surface of the sand bed. It was pretty brutal to see and the Olive was already below the sand by the time I could try to do anything about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crab Rangoon Posted March 27, 2010 Share Posted March 27, 2010 My top suggestions will almost always be Conch snails (pick variety based on the size of your tank & what other snails you have) & Dragon Goby. Definitely two things that won't be preyed on by other animals in your tank, won't starve to death due to having a specified/limited diet, never tend to be aggressive (some Conch's attack other snails)and are fairly easy to come across. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisfowler99 Posted March 27, 2010 Author Share Posted March 27, 2010 I've heard that conch snails have a tendancy to bulldoze corals. I had a diamond goby, but he had differing ideas for where the sand shound be. I've heard dragon gobies are similar except they tend to drop the sand from higher and make the water look dirtier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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