Sand is slightly brown! Need help for sand sifters, cleaners!

[buckshott]

My aragonite sand is becoming brown. My crabs and snails prefer hanging out on the live rock. What can I get to clean my sand? Thank you for reading this.:notsure:

 

[adrock16]

Ive heard that a diatom filter works pretty well and super fast. They might be expensive though. Or you could do it the old fashion way and just wait it out.
Just curious what kind of filtration do you have? Any kind of protein skimmer?

 

[buckshott]

I don't have a protein skimmer. It is an over the back two filter system. Any suggestions would help me out. Have a Choc. Chip Star but he hangs out by my overflow ALL the time. I had a sand sifter but my crab killed him!!!
Is there any other invertabrates that I could get. Thanks.

 

[vlondi]

What kind of snails do you have? My mexican turbos like the rocks and glass best but I do see them on the sand occasionally. The bumble bees are mostly on the sand and I rarely even see my nassarius at all, so I don't know what to tell ya with them.
Unless you really hate the look I'd just wait it out. The brown (which I am assuming are diatoms) should go away on their own. Give it two or three weeks. My system has only been set up for a month and there is nothing brown in my tank other than some base rock (and even that is getting color).

 

[bean 1]

nassarius, cerith and conch snails do a real good job for me. I also have bumblebees that live in the LR and keep it clean. Most of the time I never see them but turn out the lights and watch out! If you have predatory fish like I do a couple of tanks, these sand burrowing and LR hiding snails have been a lifesaver. The fish don't even know they are there.
Bean

 

[buckshott]

I have about 14 Turbo's and they've cleaned the heck out of my LR. Man it got dirty but they went to town.