What's a good reef safe sand cleaner?

[nyyankeees]

I have a 12 gallon nanocube with 20lbs LS, 12lbs LR, 2 false percs., 2 peppermint shrimp, 5 turbo snails, 1 mexican turbo snail, 1 sm green plate, 1 sm colony gsp. Like the heading says, I was wondering what is a good reef safe sand cleaner for this size tank?? The snails I have now do a great job on the rock and glass, but no one is cleaning the sand. I keep turkey basting off diatoms and detrius ( it's minimal) but would rather just add something to clean it.
Also, as a side note....my peppermint shrimp are molting about once a week, is this normal and/or good? :thinking:

 

[reefman22]

im new to reef tanks but im just guessing that a cleaner clam might help.

 

[buzzword]

What you need is some hermits, about 10-20 of em. Or add 1-2 fighting conchs. I have 4 and they do a decent job of cleaning the sand. I think cleaner clams yust help to lower your phosphates, which would be beneficial as well.

 

[f1shman]

some sea cucumbers (non poisinous ones) are great sand cleaners.

 

[slosurfer]

i agree about the cucumbers. i was asking this same question last week at my lfs and the guy recomended a cucumber and the combo of hermits and the cucumber have done a pretty good job of keeping the sand clean

 

[nyyankeees]

a cucumber is ok in a 12 gallon? I don not plan on upgrading to a larger tank either, so I need something that will be ok in there indefinitely.

 

[annanymous]

i got a tiger sea hare and was told he is supposed to be amazing. he is arouns 3" as is currently in my 20g, waiting its future home [90g RR] to be cycled

 

[sammyg]

Nassarius snails are great, and a fighting conch would be a good choice bearing in mind that it will grow to be too large for your tank over time (just sell it back to Lfs, probably for more than you paid for it and get another). Conchs and cool and fun to watch as well.

 

[druluv]

Pods, and micro-serpent stars and I also like zebra hermits and margarita snails

 

[gafish]

Sand sifter Goby does real well

 

[ophiura]

I don not agree on the cucumber in a 12g tank...larger systems (with appropriate substrate they are great). But I think that is a marginal size for many of them...maybe except the smallest but I still would wonder. Might work, might not. I would lean towards the not, personally.

 

[druluv]

Originally Posted by GAfish
Sand sifter Goby does real well
I dont like Sand sifter Goby or gobies that shift sand. They tend to eat the beneficial bacteria and animals out of the sand bed(natural coral food).

 

[fishtanknewbie]

Hey Druluv can you post some more of those wonderful tank pics! :happy:

 

[druluv]

will do later on tonight lol

 

[fishtanknewbie]

Cool! :happy:

 

[beth]

Nassarius snails. Since you have a nano tank, and no ability to adequate feed other types of cleaners. Nass's can be fed fish food, and be very happy with that.

 

[something'sfishy]

Is it safe to add fighting conch when there's a tube anemone on the sand bed?