Sand Cleaner?

[roadrunner]

I have a DSB and its made up of LS and then bagged sand from the LFS. (no CC) I want to get something that will be a really good cleaner...i would like to keep the sand looking white...and the LFS told me that a fighting conch would get to big for my 26 gal and i've heard before that sand sifting stars aren't good...is this true?
...so what should/can i get?

 

[birdy]

nassasarius snails

 

[fishmamma]

It is hard to keep an established tank looking 'new'. Snails will help but don't get upset by the diatoms, they are beneficial to your system in small amounts acting as food for all filter feeders and your clean-up crew.

 

[snipe]

Snails are good and there is shrimp. Many times I have seen my shrimp picking up pieces of sand and eating the diatoms off of it. My lawnmower blenny eats diatoms. And believe it or not sailfin mollies will suck the sand in and spit it out. Very good sand sifters.

 

[brolik1]

i heard this combo is good
nass snails
cerith snails
margarita snails
turbo snails and some hermit crabs.

 

[hurt]

I agree with Brolik, and sand sifting stars are bad for reef's unless the tank is very large. They eat all the little critters in your sand bed that clean your sand bed. In which case, you will have a another type of dsb, that is a (dead sand bed).

 

[dea bad lt]

I've had a sand sifting star for around a year. It does a great job. I also have a sleeper banded bullet (dragon) goby which sifts the sand also. I have some nessarius snails. but they don't come out until night to clean up any left over debris on top of the sand. I don't believe my sand would look as good without my ss star. Remember guys he said he has a dsb. There's no way that star will eat all the creatures in the sand.

 

[ophiura]

It sure can eat all the creatures in the sand bed, especially in a 26g tank. It is not a sure thing, but I would say that the star is 98% likely to starve to death in a tank that size, and in turn eating the beneficial microfauna that keep a deep sand bed working.
In most but very large tanks, these stars will die. Not always, but usually. Often around the year mark, with no other obvious signs of trouble until they start to disintegrate. I would never recommend them, personally, and I've seen them in several thousand gallon systems (and they died).

 

[loodachris]

So brolik1's suggestion is probably the best way to go? I definately need to step up my cleaning crew. This website has pretty good packages. How would one of those deals work out? Do you guys thing i should get more of one type than another? Like Nass Snails for example?

 

[brolik1]

Originally Posted by Loodachris
So brolik1's suggestion is probably the best way to go? I definately need to step up my cleaning crew. This website has pretty good packages. How would one of those deals work out? Do you guys thing i should get more of one type than another? Like Nass Snails for example?
Yup, get that same combo package I mentioned above but I dont know how many of each you should get. ophiura, and hurt should definitely know.

 

[roadrunner]

Originally Posted by brolik1
i heard this combo is good
nass snails
cerith snails
margarita snails
turbo snails and some hermit crabs.
so i should look at these for a clean up crew...
...i looked at SWF.com reef package for a 20-50 gallon tank and i think that it's to big but here's what i was thinking...
10 blue leg hermits
10 scarlet hermits
10 nass snails
10 Turbo snails
1 Brittle Star
1 Shrimp (cant descide whether to get a cleaner or coral banded shrimp)
...what do you guys think? any suggestions?

 

[zanoshanox]

GODL HEADED SLEEPER GOBY....simply amazing

 

[unleashed]

I use this sand sifting goby not sure what type he is exactly buy he keeps my substrate extra clean.I use cc I can only imagine how clean hed keep sand

 

[roadrunner]

10 blue leg hermits
10 scarlet hermits
10 nass snails
10 Turbo snails
1 Brittle Star
1 Shrimp (cant descide whether to get a cleaner or coral banded shrimp)
...what do you guys think? any suggestions?

 

[snipe]

What kinda turbos? Astrea or mexican? I would go with about 30 nassarius and 2 mexican turbos.

 

[jmick]

I think the best way to keep your sand clean is to increase your water flow over the sand bed. I only have a few hermits and snails in my tank but I have really high flow and my sand is always nice and white and the detritus is suspended in my water column, which allows my skimmer to pull it out.

 

[roadrunner]

i was going to get the astrea turbos...
...im staying away from an emrold crab for 2 reasons...i've heard that they can be destructive to corals and also i want to hold out and possibly get the pink hawiian emrold crab...

 

[uberlink]

Originally Posted by roadrunner
so i should look at these for a clean up crew...
...i looked at SWF.com reef package for a 20-50 gallon tank and i think that it's to big but here's what i was thinking...
10 blue leg hermits
10 scarlet hermits
10 nass snails
10 Turbo snails
1 Brittle Star
1 Shrimp (cant descide whether to get a cleaner or coral banded shrimp)
...what do you guys think? any suggestions?

I have a related question. I agree that the SWF.com package seems a bit big, particularly to add all at once. So my question is this: how slowly should the cleaner crew be added? I understand that with a freshly cycled tank, it's best to add fish pretty slowly (i.e. one every week or two). Same rule for cleanup crew?

 

[brolik1]

From what I know the bio load on inverts arent like the fishes so you can add them all at once. just my opinion.

 

[loodachris]

Yes the cleanup crew does not add to your bio load, brolik1 is correct you can add them all at once. And yes good water flow over the substrate is a great way to reduce stuff getting stuck in/on the sandbed.