Dirty sand problem.

[keebler]

My sand is pretty dirty. I tested me levels and I have no trates or phosphates. It appears to be ditritus buildup of some sort, but it is sort of clumpy. On top of the clumps is a bit of dinoflagellets (sp) I have quite a bit of flow I think. For a 29 gallon tank it has a koralia 2, a return pump from the sump gives a bit of flow over the sand, and I also have 2 160gph powerheads. My cuc consists of a turbo snail and 5 nassarius snails. I plan on getting 3 cerith snails and a porcelain crab (mainly for show). Do you think this will clear up the problem? If not, what else can I do? Oh yeah, it has been setup since april, but big changes were made in july, same sand though about 1.5 inches thick. I am using walmart ro water and I plan on getting an ro/di soon.

 

[sickboy]

Do you blow your sand and rock off with a turkey baster before a water change? I have also used a 'gravel vac' a couple times on my sand.

 

[keebler]

Originally Posted by sickboy
http:///forum/post/2809938
Do you blow your sand and rock off with a turkey baster before a water change? I have also used a 'gravel vac' a couple times on my sand.
Even when I do that, it pops back up before another water change.

 

[brijean]

Sand Sifting Starfish my sand in all three of my tanks was just like yours untill i put a Sand Sifting Starfish they do wonders

 

[keebler]

Originally Posted by brijean
http:///forum/post/2809957
Sand Sifting Starfish my sand in all three of my tanks was just like yours untill i put a Sand Sifting Starfish they do wonders
hmmm, not sure that I can get one because my sand bed is so small. What are some opinions on this? How can I feed it once it runs out of food?

 

[brijean]

Sand Sifting Crab this might work better in a small tank like yours I do not have any but it tell of the same thing as the starfish and what about some small hermit crabs they love to eat the stuff out of the sand also

 

[keebler]

how many sand sifting crabs/blue legs should I get. If I get blue legs, they may eat up my ceriths though.

 

[brijean]

Sand Sifting Crab - Group of 5 for $6.99 on this site . as for hermits i have 6 in a 55 gal

 

[keebler]

Originally Posted by brijean
http:///forum/post/2810055
Sand Sifting Crab - Group of 5 for $6.99 on this site . as for hermits i have 6 in a 55 gal

do the hermits eat your snails?

 

[miss_rosie]

Get 2 diamond gobi's. I've seen one clean a 75 gal tank all by himself andits amazing how white his sand stays.

 

[big]

Keebler, if you get a DBG, beware of their pitfalls..
I think maybe the larger "Clean-UP" crew like mentioned may be the way to go too... One DBG surely would be more than enough for your tank size. The like a lot of room and can be Bullies to other fish with a similar shape. Two would be out of the question......But you will never see pods again after a few weeks. In your tank size he will eat them all in a very short order........ But it will be a spotless substrate!!!