best creatures to clean sand
- Thread starter ricker
- Start date
Y
yae4volcom
Guest
I know of a web-site that sells all these worms and pods and macro-algaes and other things as well but I am not sure if I can give it out? Moderators?
nm reef
Active Member
This is a great response:
"What sand creatures should one get? Do not get sand sifters. Sand sifting stars, fish, etc. will only deplete the sand bed of the beneficial creatures it needs. A good start to a sand bed is the appropriate snails. Nassarius and cerith snails are excellent sand burrowing snails. A fighting conch is a great snail to have for a sand bed as it will keep the surface clean of diatoms. Next in line are the worms. Bristle, cirratulid, and terrebellid worms are excellent for keeping the sand bed clean and shifted. (note: not sifted) These worms usually self-sustain their populations. In the beginning, all you need is 2-3 of each of these to get going. Lastly are the pods. Isopods, copepods, and amphipods are all great for your sand bed. (your tank in general for that matter) The crawl around eating waste and algae while shifting the sand around. This little recipe of critters is by no means comprehensive. There are many other creatures (most microscopic) that will keep your sand bed healthy. I recommend a combo of all of the above critters for a healthy sand bed. "
Personally I believe diversity is the key. All the above creatures play a part...and together they can be a vital part of a established/functioning DSB.
Most of the diversity in my sand is from LR and a few sources of established LS& rubble...in time most of the worms and pods will flourish....snails and such I add a few times a year. Bottom line is the more diversity available and the more stable/mature the sand bed is the better it works.:thinking:
"What sand creatures should one get? Do not get sand sifters. Sand sifting stars, fish, etc. will only deplete the sand bed of the beneficial creatures it needs. A good start to a sand bed is the appropriate snails. Nassarius and cerith snails are excellent sand burrowing snails. A fighting conch is a great snail to have for a sand bed as it will keep the surface clean of diatoms. Next in line are the worms. Bristle, cirratulid, and terrebellid worms are excellent for keeping the sand bed clean and shifted. (note: not sifted) These worms usually self-sustain their populations. In the beginning, all you need is 2-3 of each of these to get going. Lastly are the pods. Isopods, copepods, and amphipods are all great for your sand bed. (your tank in general for that matter) The crawl around eating waste and algae while shifting the sand around. This little recipe of critters is by no means comprehensive. There are many other creatures (most microscopic) that will keep your sand bed healthy. I recommend a combo of all of the above critters for a healthy sand bed. "
Personally I believe diversity is the key. All the above creatures play a part...and together they can be a vital part of a established/functioning DSB.
Most of the diversity in my sand is from LR and a few sources of established LS& rubble...in time most of the worms and pods will flourish....snails and such I add a few times a year. Bottom line is the more diversity available and the more stable/mature the sand bed is the better it works.:thinking:
fender
Active Member
Originally posted by Kipass4130
gerald is a great place for such stuff... unfortunately... shipping of these little things from hawaii is kinda high... unless you get a special deal
Hawaii isn't the only source for such items. You can find them inland at an aqautics place in Indiana.
reefsoe
Member
Yea but thepack looks good... I really need to restart my fuge, I had one of those one year crashes back in oct. and I lost almost all my creatures, some supprisingly survived but all my Lps an Sps are gone as well as all my shrimp and a few fish. Amazingly that all happened after a flood damaged my fuge pump and I had to take the fuge down. Needless to say a few water changes later and time has restored balance and now I need to re-populate DSB and reconnect the fuge ( which by the way is pumpless now and run on gravity ) So ... we will see what happends. I added my first fish in a long time which is a tiny baby hippo tang, he was at the local dungeon... well Pet um co... :thinking: But I rescued him for an unbelievable deal which was tricking the Manager.... for 10 bucks and he seems to be doin great.. eatin like a ... Tang!
hirock
Member
Ever try a sea cucumber? Not the most enteraining or attractive unit to look at, but they do a great job cleaning the upper surfaces of the substrate. Warning though, water qualities are of the ut-most importance when introducing any of these specimens into a system. A slow drip acclimation is advised. As with starfish, the specific gravity (salinity) must be adjusted slowly to assure proper acclimation and a successful transplant into your system.
HTH
HTH
