Cleaning sand of detrius.

[thud]

I would like to clean my sand but I want to avoid an ammonia spike.
How can I go about doing this?

 

[larryndana]

just skim the surface. don't go deep into the sand bed. i believe i read no deeper than an inch.

 

[thud]

What are some good sand sifting/turning fish in your opinion?

 

[fishntx]

there are some gobys that sift sand and are good additions to the tank

 

[thud]

Originally Posted by fishntx
there are some gobys that sift sand and are good additions to the tank
Which exactly? I was looking at gobies and wasn't sure which one was the "sand mover"

 

[dragonzim]

Diamond Gobies are great for keeping your sand clean. Just make sure your tank is covered with eggcrate since they are jumpers

 

[larryndana]

most sand sifters will eat benifical organisms in your sand, i wouldn't advice that unless you have a large tank. i wouldn't in any tank, but i'd say at least 100+ and you wouldn't have a problem.
i would suggest nassarius and cerith snails, they will move the sand a bit.

 

[fenrir]

My twinspot keeps my sand really white. As far as I know he just eats the pods out of the sand. I have had him for awhile now and I still have tons of pods in my tank. I also spot feed him mysis everyday though.

 

[thud]

Do any of you know of any tools that I could use to skim the sand besides using tubing? Is there a product I'm not aware of?

 

[gharner]

what if your sandbed is only like 1 1/2 - 2 inches deep? can u still clean the top 1 inch of sand?

 

[earlybird]

Originally Posted by thud
Do any of you know of any tools that I could use to skim the sand besides using tubing? Is there a product I'm not aware of?
The shovel attachment.
http://a1272.g.akamai.net/7/1272/1121/20061029205419/www.**************.com/images/Categoryimages/normal/p_21214_28575P.jpg

 

[weberian]

My blue-leg hermits work the sand a lot. But if the tank wasn't mature, or the water chemistry was out of wack, they certainly wouldn't be able to keep the sand clean.
Gravel vacs are just not for sand; I used mostly tubing - and I used to just pinch clumps together with my fingers and take it out into a container held in the left hand.