Need Help Keeping Sand Clean

briguy350

briguy350

Member
so i'm having a hard time keeping my sand bed clean in my 36g. i have lots of little tube worms and other crap in my sand that my crabs dont eat. i have about a dozen or so crabs. when i do water changes i just cant seem to siphon them up. im running a couple powerheads and an aquac remora skimmer. i have corals, 2 clowns, 6 line wrasse and midas blenny. so im looking for advice on what i can do to keep my sand nice and clean. maybe some kind of sand sifting fish or crab or shrimp. something.
 
1guydude

1guydude

Well-Known Member
+1 on the narris snails... lol ive been +1ing a lot
They are the easiest and cheapest way...a seaserpent or sand sifting star would do it too....but those are a lot more touchy to water chemistry and need to be acclimated over several hrs at least! Snails are touchy too but not as much as the stars and such.
Keep in mind how much of ur floor bed is actually available to the animals and how much is rock...so i usually stock one narris per say 6x6in square of available sand bed! If that makes any sense lol...
They have gobys that sift sand as well but its not coming to me right now LOL....
Maybe look into ur flow as well. Good flow towards the bottom is a good thing to keep the detiuts and such suspended in the water so ur filters can suck it up!
Welcome to the site too
 
briguy350

briguy350

Member
i think ill start with the snails. im also doing some aqua scaping tonight and ill try to get some more flow on the bottom. give it a few weeks and see what happens. i know goby are jumpers and i dont want to cover my tank.
 
S

saxman

Guest
The biggest problem with sand sifting fish is the reason they sift is to eat. Once the sandbed is depleted of microfauna, if the fish isn't eating prepared foods, they'll starve. Additionally, sand sifting fish tend to make a mess in the tank as they usually sift the sand over your coral, clams, etc.
Nassarius sp. do well on uneaten food, carrion, and detritus, but won't prey on worms. If you're main concern is worm predation, a small filefish or wrasse will do much better in that respect.
 
tur4k

tur4k

Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by briguy350 http:///t/388265/need-help-keeping-sand-clean#post_3423143
i think ill start with the snails. im also doing some aqua scaping tonight and ill try to get some more flow on the bottom. give it a few weeks and see what happens. i know goby are jumpers and i dont want to cover my tank.
Midas blenny's are are jumpers too. I've had a few that jumped. It probably just a matter of time before yours goes carpet surfing.
 
briguy350

briguy350

Member
god i hope not i love that midas. what kind of wrasse would i be able to get that would eat those tube worms and get along with my 6 line? i thought the 6 line would take care of those but he just eats stuff off the LR.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top