Question for those with sand?

[thavngr98]

How do you guys keep sand clean? I just bought a new 90gallon tank and went from crused coral to fine white sand.I run my net to shift through it but it doesnt work very well.

 

[reefnjeff]

you shoulden't mess with your sand bed, this contains your nitrifying bacteria and you should leave that job to the experts, the sand sifters!!! you can find many interesing little creatures right on this site that will be more that happy to take care of your sand bed.

 

[galina]

What critters would be best for the job? (sorry, I'm clueless too )
Galina

 

[chadillac]

You can get a lot of things. Sand sifting stars horseshoe crabs, it depends on what you like really

 

[nanci]

I have an emerald crab. WHo is way cool I locve to watch him and just some reg crabs dont know what they are cal kinda like a hermit crab. They keep my sand pretty nice. Have to replace them everyone in awhile (except for my emerald) My wrasse likes to grab one for a fine dinner now and then. <img src="graemlins//urrr.gif" border="0" alt="[urrr]" />

 

[bammbamm74]

Hey, what eats fish waste (poop) from the top of the sand. Now, when I do my water change once a week, I just suck it up with the hose. But I have an algae eater that puts really big ones down there!!!! My diamond gobi doesn't touch it. A cucumber maybe? My sand is currently 1 inch deep, but I will be adding more by this weekend to bring it to 2.5 inches deep.
I have a coral banded shrimp, diamond gobi, mandarin gobi, percula clown, damsel, Sabae Anemone.

 

[fshhub]

bammbamm
snails, like nassarius
bristle worms and pods also eat detritus(do you have them and or live rock)
and cucumbers
and i would forget any sand sifting stars, they eat the pods and stuff in the sand that you want to keep to clean the sand bed
do you have a dsb?? this too breaks downdetritus by itself, if left undisturbed, disturbing a dsb lets oxygen into the sand which is not good for the bacteria that do the work you desire

 

[thavngr98]

what would you use in an aggressive setup? dont want to put anything in and have it killed or do the killing

 

[fshhub]

well, i would say crabs and maybe snails, but that all depends on the aggressive fish you are talking about, triggers willlll eat them all, so what fish are you looking at

 

[bammbamm74]

Yeah, I have live rock. About 25 to 30 pounds. I'm going to make a thicker DSB. But, should I Dump the Diamond Gobi? (sand sifter) I had a hermet crab with blue claws once and he was picking at my anemone, so I got rid of him. So I shouldn't suck out the deteris with a tube? I don't really mess with the sand when I do. Maybe I should just get the snails you said. Are they reef safe and invert safe? Are cucumbers invert safe?

 

[fshhub]

the snails and cucumbers are reef and invert safe, the cucumbers though, if stressed, can and do often release toxins that could be a big problem, so water quality is very important, and no i would not vaccuum the sand, a dsb willl brea k it down, the goby is up to you, they eat pods too, but as far as disturbing the sand goes, they only disturb the very top of it, so if you want the pods to flourish i would not get it
HTH

 

[thavngr98]

fshhub as far as what i have for aggressive fish are: a voliton lion, a niger trigger and i have a snowflake eel. What would you recommend i put in there to clean up?

 

[bammbamm74]

Thanks FSHHUB. I'll get some nassarius snails first.

 

[rmd8110]

i leave my sand alone...i don't touch it. it's live sand and pretty much it taken care of for the most part. i do have to disagree about the horseshoe crabs...don't get them. they will die, guaranteed.

 

[bammbamm74]

What is the common name for the nassarius snails? What about using Turbo Snails? (Mexican?) are those reef and invert safe?

 

[fshhub]

the turbos are reef safe to, but i like the trochus better, less fatalities and do a better job, the nassarius common nam is just that, many stores do not sellll them, but they are detrivores(not algae eaters), so i would reccomne d both of them and maybe some conchs too, the turbos and trochus wil not do much in the sand, and the conchs, i ahve not seeen on my glass(nad i am a night owl)
theavngr98, i am sorry but i cannot help much, IMO, anything you can get would be a minor snack for all 3 fo them, so any you get would be at risk, now, if youare willing to feed your fish well, to maintain your tank, then it should work out fine for you, if not, then i hope someone can halp more
HTH

 

[dirtybilge]

Add another power head it will help, and throw in a sand sifting golby.