Keeping sand clean

[zenn]

My Deep Sand Bed doesn't look so clean. I think it's a reflection of not the best water quality. So i'm changing my RO/DI water filters, getting a TDS meter, upgrading skimmer from Remora to ASM G2, enlarging the fuge size/more macro alge and increasing flow. But even with all that, I still want something that does a good job of cleaning the substrate without disturbing the sand bed and damaging it(ie, sand sifting stars). I've heard Fighting conches are awesome at this. Is there any reason getting 2-3 fighing conches for my 75g mixed reef would be a bad idea?

Any other suggestions would be great.

 

[Ashlar]

Hrmm.. they'd probably work short term, but they'd starve pretty quickly. Last I heard, the recommendation was 2' x 2' of open, really really live sand per small conch, to sustain them long term.

I'm fond of my tiger tail sea cucumber (Holothuria thomasi) but I know I'll have to find him a new home once he gets bigger. He eats the top layer of sand and deposits perfectly white sand pellets behind him. Between him and the nassarius snails in my 175g tank, they keep the sand looking good.

 

[zenn]

i've heard if a cucumber dies, it can be quite toxic to the rest of the tank.

Hrmm.. they'd probably work short term, but they'd starve pretty quickly. Last I heard, the recommendation was 2' x 2' of open, really really live sand per small conch, to sustain them long term.

so what if i just got 1? I should have at least 2' x 2' of open sand area.

 

[Ashlar]

True, some of them can.. however, the holothurids (detrivores mostly) like the tiger tail and the donkey dung are safe. There are only a handful of truly toxic ones, and they are the really psychedelic ones. As Bob Fenner said, the uglier it looks, the safer it is.

 

[VHO Guy]

The trick with DSBs is that a good healthy one is a dirty one. Depending on your fish load your tank could easily sustain 2 conches and 2 cucumbers. And I would add a couple of serpent/brittlestars as well. All will do well at eating food missed by the fish as well as wastes.

Although all of the equipment upgrades might benefit you in other areas I severely doubt that you will notice a difference on the top of your sand bed.

 

[Sherman]

Before I even read any replies, I was also going to suggest a tiger tail cucumber. I just added one to my 38g, and he's been an absolute blessing! That guy is one serious sand processing machine, and I'll never be without one again. He's always twisting around the rocks and comes out into the open at night.

I've always had lots of hermits, nassarius vibex and ceriths, but none of them has been anything like the tiger tail cuke. And just for re-assurance, this one isn't toxic. I can't think of a single negative thing to say about it.

 

[morgan]

so lets see the pics of this cuke i have always wanted my sand bed to be clean but it is a hard thing to do any advice on the topic would be very helpfull and ill tag along

 

[aquariumdebacle]

Nothing is going to help but a gradual replacement. The stuff is sitting on the bottom of your tank collecting junk. It is just a matter of time before it can no longer collect junk. You need to keep organisms that live in that type of environment. I am working on a plan to create a reverse flow up through my sand bed on a monthly basis. that should push junk up and out but I am still looking at a seagrass bed as the dominent speciesfor an enviroment. Don't try to adapt the species for the system, adapt the system for the species.

 

[Ashlar]

Here's a shot of my tiger tail hoovering sand,

I think the key to keeping a DSB from crudding up is diversity. I have tons of tiny bristle worms, spaghetti worms, feather dusters, micro brittle stars, peanut worms (including a MASSIVE Sipunculus Nudus). So I have brittle stars, peppermints, the cuke, and hermits to keep stuff from collecting on top, and lots of stuff to eat it if it does make it down in the sand.

 

[zenn]

So i just need to upgrade my cleanup crew basically. I've had a lot of die off/things get killed in the last 1.5 years so it's probably time to replenish.

I want to get rid of my peppermint shrimp becasue i think they're eating all the micro stars, feather dusters and bristtle worms (not sure on the bristle worm part). I use to have a lot but now they're all gone pretty much. Also, my hermit crabs killed off the majority of my nassarius snails. I had 50, and they're all gone pretty much. I've still got lots of turbos, astrea and certith snails though. Most of my hermits are still alive. I have a big bristle star fish too. So maybe i'll get a cuke, a one fighting conch and get rid of the peppermints. I would get more nassarius snails but I fear my hermits would just kill them off again.