I have a sand bed that is only about 2" deep and parts of it are constantly stirred up by an active pistol shrimp and a couple of watchman gobies. My question is should I avoid other things that stir up or oxidenate the sand bed like nassarius snails, horseshoe crabs, or sand sifter stars? What are the benefits of having things stirring up and eating critters out of the sand bed verses leaving it alone? Thanks for the input.
Nassarius Snails and Horseshoe Crabs and Sand Beds
- Thread starter Parafly
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jmaxwell
Well-known member
My sand bed is about an inch deep...from what I have heard a sand bed has to be at least 4 inches deep to achieve the oxigen free environ you are refering to. With two inches your sort of in between. I currently have sand sifting stars and they do a very nice job and have been long lived. I have heard some people complain that they are a little to efficient at eating the fauna in the sand. I had some of the horshoe crabs years ago and they didn't live very long. I think their appetite is a little to voratious and they starve to death. Maybe others have had better luck.
Doug1
Well-known member
True on starving horseshoe crabs. If they do survive they usually become bulldozing menaces 
So what eats fauna?
Given that stirring up the bed is probably beneficial given that I have a shallow bed, but that I would rather not have things like sand sifters stipping out every worm and critter, or horseshoe crabs bulldozing their way from one end of the tank to the other, what WOULD you recommend to keep the sand clean? Just a cucumbers to clean the top, or is having something routing around a good thing?
Given that stirring up the bed is probably beneficial given that I have a shallow bed, but that I would rather not have things like sand sifters stipping out every worm and critter, or horseshoe crabs bulldozing their way from one end of the tank to the other, what WOULD you recommend to keep the sand clean? Just a cucumbers to clean the top, or is having something routing around a good thing?
jmaxwell
Well-known member
The nassarius snails you mentioned earlier do good work.
Jim
Jim
Shop Vac??? sorry just joking. Parafly a DSB is a complex system that relies on a number things to go right. Making sure the bed gets stirred is critical bit so are the bugs. As mentioned above nass snail, but according to the dsb experts you have to lood it up with infuana sucj as worms, pods and so on.
Mike
