How do you keep it white?

[islandgirl]

I've seen some of your posted pictures and the sand looks so nice and white. How do you guys keep it looking that way since I don't think you vacuum or rake the sand. I have live sand but it looks so dingy in color. Any suggestions?

 

[trebor126]

I keep my clean with a fighting conch snail. These snails do a great job of cleaning the sand. I also have a tiger tail cucumber. You have to be careful with cucs, because they can poison a tank if stress and/or killed.
I would definatley recomend getting a fighting conch snail. Just one in your size tank or they will compete and could starve each other.
Hope this helps

 

[gene52569]

I have 2 horse shoe crabs that are always burrowing in the sand keeping it mixed and clean.
Eugene from Northern, Ga.

 

[jlem]

This is alot of work but a body of mine who would die for his undergravel filter reversed the flow and used fine prefilters over his powerheads and his sand was so white is was amazing. He was gone on a boat for 6 months and his wife never changed any water. She only fed and topped off the tank. His sand was as white the day he got back as the day he left. I just keep good water flow and the critters keep it pretty clean.

 

[fshhub]

crabs, snails and conchs
unless you have a huge tank, stay away from horseshoe crabs, besides you really do not w want things stirring the sand bed
same with the ugf, you want it to not be stirred, but to have areas that remain low in oxygen, or oxygen free. Other wise, you defeat the purpose of haveing a sand be and should use cc with a ugf.

 

[jlem]

You don't want a DSB to be disturbed. A shallow sandbed is more for looks and being disturbed is really not a big deal.

 

[islandgirl]

I checked with my lfs and they don't get a lot of conchs in. I may just order one on a website. fshhub, what kind of crabs? I have some hermits but they don't really keep the sandbed white, just clean of detritus. I have the snails.....they don't do squat lazy buggers!

 

[fshhub]

detritus is the food for algae. May need more hermits, I like blue legs for cleaning
nassarius snails and fighting conchs

 

[ohioballer]

i have a drgon goby he does great keeps the sand pure white

 

[beaslbob]

Originally posted by jlem
This is alot of work but a body of mine who would die for his undergravel filter reversed the flow and used fine prefilters over his powerheads and his sand was so white is was amazing. He was gone on a boat for 6 months and his wife never changed any water. She only fed and topped off the tank. His sand was as white the day he got back as the day he left. I just keep good water flow and the critters keep it pretty clean.

D*** that's the way I set my 55g up--- originally. The crushed corals and rocks did stay clean. Umm could be because all the crud was on the under side LOL. Then I changed to sand and a hang on filter. I had a feeling but that UGF's are so retro LOL.
Island gal: I think the first thing is to start with some sugar white sand. My play sand is still the same color as when I started. The only problem is that it started out grey/ brown or whatever dingy color it was. I also noticed that when I took a picture with my digital flash camera, the sand looked white. So it could be just the way it photographs.

 

[mdvm]

If I could chime in on the subject, I have a anonome and my clown fish loves it but when he goes into it he flutters his tail fin stirring up the sand then it disapates into the ph and they push it all over the tank causing the tank to be cloudy. I tried to move the anonome to a rock but he moves but to the dsb?
any advise?

 

[jlem]

beaslbob, what does D*** stand for? What is secret code to decipher ( I HAD A FEELING BUT THAT UGF'S ARE SO RETRO LOL ). I am just curious. If you had used some fine prefilters then you would not have had gunk build up beneith your UGF. So I assume that the LOL is you laughing at yourself. Nice try once again dude

 

[beaslbob]

Originally posted by jlem
beaslbob, what does D*** stand for? What is secret code to decipher ( I HAD A FEELING BUT THAT UGF'S ARE SO RETRO LOL ). I am just curious. If you had used some fine prefilters then you would not have had gunk build up beneith your UGF. So I assume that the LOL is you laughing at yourself. Nice try once again dude
D*** stands for Darn LOL. just ignore.
The reason I posted was that back in the late 70' and 80's I had a 10g salt with UGF and dolomite gravel. The tank worked fine and when I returned to salt with my current 55g I set up a reverse flow UGF. A month later we (wife and me) changed over to Sand/rock bed with box filter. It was not a case of the UGF not working. We attempted to go too fast to impress the grand kids. Wound up killing a bunch of fish while they were here.
Now I find out the original idea works pretty good. therefore, my fustration.

 

[jlem]

Beaslbob. I opoligize for my response. I took yours as a slam.

 

[beaslbob]

Originally posted by jlem
Beaslbob. I opoligize for my response. I took yours as a slam.
no apology needed.

 

[mvogel2]

would one horseshoe crab be too much in a 125 gallon reef w/ 3 inch sand bed? I think they're cool, but if there going to deplete my sandbed of all the goodies it's not worth it.
thanks
matt

 

[islandgirl]

So adding more inverts won't up my bioload will it? I would really like to get a conch but no lfs around here carries them. Unless I just get an order big enough from saltwaterfish.com and get one there
beaslbob...what is sugar white sand and where would a person get it? Could I add that to my already established dsb?

 

[harley387]

I hava a 90 gallon reef tank, with 3 horshoe crabs (small ones), I also have red and blue leg hermits, turbos, and nassarius snails, and two brittle stars. They keep my tank so clean, I have to feed them algae supplements. Which brings me to my question....anyone reccomend a good algae supplement?

 

[fshhub]

Originally posted by mvogel2
would one horseshoe crab be too much in a 125 gallon reef w/ 3 inch sand bed? I think they're cool, but if there going to deplete my sandbed of all the goodies it's not worth it.
thanks
matt
yes, and they get slightly large too

 

[beaslbob]

Originally posted by islandgirl
So adding more inverts won't up my bioload will it? I would really like to get a conch but no lfs around here carries them. Unless I just get an order big enough from saltwaterfish.com and get one there
beaslbob...what is sugar white sand and where would a person get it? Could I add that to my already established dsb?
Obviously inverts do increase your bioload. In my limited experience, the cleaner crew type inverts add a very small amount of bioload.
I heard the term sugar white sand first here on this board. Then I heard of beaches having sugar white sand on local tv. I think it just means sand that is so white it looks like sugar. I have not idea of where to get it.