What is a good invert for digging through crushed coral?

wartooth1

wartooth1

Member
Hi all. The bottom of my tank has about 3 inches of crushed coral sand. My hermits and Arrow Crab do a decent job picking at what is growing on the surface but they do not go into the sand much. Can anyone recommend a reef safe invert that is peaceful that also might be able to dig around and move the sand a bit so that things stay fresh?
Thanks :D
 
dethsight

dethsight

Member
sand sifting star? i keep wanting to say a tiger goby, but they have spines....lol.
there are also sand sifting cucumbers. not very appealing to the eye, but i think they are ok.
 
2quills

2quills

Well-Known Member
I've always heard that crushed coral is to harsh for sandsifters. They cut themselves up on sharp pieces of shell and such. Plus sandsifters deplete your sand of beneficial critters that feed on detritus. So unless you have a rather large tank where the critters can multiply faster than they can be eaten then sandsifters may not be a good idea.
 
geoj

geoj

Active Member

Hi all. The bottom of my tank has about 3 inches of crushed coral sand. My hermits and Arrow Crab do a decent job picking at what is growing on the surface but they do not go into the sand much. Can anyone recommend a reef safe invert that is peaceful that also might be able to dig around and move the sand a bit so that things stay fresh?

Thanks :D

Scuds (Gammaridean Amphipods) Will do well at getting down into the CC...
 
a&a2

a&a2

Member

for crushed coral I would have to say Python siphon attachment.
Lol. Yep that will do the job!
 
S

saxman

Guest
Quote:
Originally Posted by reefkprZ http:///forum/thread/386332/what-is-a-good-invert-for-digging-through-crushed-coral#post_3392746
for crushed coral I would have to say Python siphon attachment.
You beat me to it...the best way to clean CC is with a gravel vac. Well...actually, the best way to clean CC is not to use it. All it does it catch cr@p between the grains that sits there and rots and adds to the tank's NO3 concentration. If you like your substrate on the coarser side, you should run #3 grade aragonite instead of CC.
 
wartooth1

wartooth1

Member
Well the CC is out and the live sand is in :)
So now I guess the question has changed to which invert is a great sand sifter? I think my tank is too new for a sand sifting starfish, but I'm in no hurry to move the sand around so if he's the best I can wait until my tank matures more.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wartooth1 http:///forum/thread/386332/what-is-a-good-invert-for-digging-through-crushed-coral#post_3394278
Well the CC is out and the live sand is in :)
So now I guess the question has changed to which invert is a great sand sifter? I think my tank is too new for a sand sifting starfish, but I'm in no hurry to move the sand around so if he's the best I can wait until my tank matures more.
Get snails to clean the sand...sand sifters like the diamond goby or seastars clean all the good stuff out of the sand.
 
wartooth1

wartooth1

Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Flower http:///forum/thread/386332/what-is-a-good-invert-for-digging-through-crushed-coral#post_3394282
Get snails to clean the sand...sand sifters like the diamond goby or seastars clean all the good stuff out of the sand.
Well, I do have 4 big turbos... but they tend to stay on the glass and rocks. I'm not sure of their name, but at one LFS I saw these snails with 1 long tube sticking out of their heads and they seem to like to bury themselves in the sand (you can see them by there tubes sticking out of the sand). Would they be a good sand CuC?
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wartooth1 http:///forum/thread/386332/what-is-a-good-invert-for-digging-through-crushed-coral#post_3394290
Well, I do have 4 big turbos... but they tend to stay on the glass and rocks. I'm not sure of their name, but at one LFS I saw these snails with 1 long tube sticking out of their heads and they seem to like to bury themselves in the sand (you can see them by there tubes sticking out of the sand). Would they be a good sand CuC?
Yes, they are called Nassarius snails
 
1guydude

1guydude

Well-Known Member
yes those r kool get like 3-5 of em. They are carnivore and will come out when u feed ur tanks or at night...
 
1guydude

1guydude

Well-Known Member
Quote:
2 or 3???? I have 20 in my 30g because the seahorses are so messy when they eat...I also put 30 in the 90g along with an equal amount of cerith and nirate snails in each...you need LOTS of snails.
I dont know i guess imo i dont because of my 3 emeralds, banded seaserpent, and my fighting conch! Plus i believe u need sufficent sq. inches of sand per narris snail and my rock is in the middle , so not a lot of room for the creatures. How big r ur narris snails flower? Mine are fairly large
 
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