shift my sand please

[trillyen]

ok sorry for all the posts

i was wondering what lil critters i could get to sift my sand cause im getting alot of build up of cyano green grass, and just coloring sand

i wanna keep it white

it dosent matter i need reef safe and non reef safe ideas please

thank you

im thinking of conchs, and a blue sand star already!!!!

thanks guys!!!

 

[reefboy23]

you could get some sand sifting stars,sea cucumbers,some blennies will sift ur sand also,oh yeah and some nassarius snails do a decent job also....with these options u just have to make sure u have enough nutrients present in ur sand to feed them.

 

[Sherman]

I'll always swear by the tiger tail cucumber. Ever since I got one, the sand's been pristine. He processes so much sand! He's even split once, so now I have two. Together, they've done such a great job, they've even starved out my nassarius snails.

 

[krisfal]

Trillyen,
Good to "see" you back.

There are a few types of sand sifting gobies, aka sleeper gobies, that do an excellent job of keeping the sand white. The hard part of having one is to get it eating prepared foods. They are known to starve to death after they deplete the sand bed of there natural food. I have a yellow head sleeper goby that eats well and I have kept him for over 1 year. At one point he began to get real thin and I was worried I was going to loose it. I set up an auto feeder to give the tank some formula one pellets in the middle of the day (when I am not home to feed) and he has fattened back up.

Note: the yellow head sleeper tends to carry sand around and make big mounds and they will dump it on top of corals etc. For that reason I would not get that type again. I had a orange spot sleeper that did not have this issue, it sifted the sand without moving it around alot (just little tiny mounds). Unfortunately he went carpet surfing when I moved him and my tangs to a hospital tank to treat for ich. I plan on replacing it in a few weeks when I get back from vacation.

Another thing sometimes recommended is a sand sifting star. I was talked into one by a LFS, but they are even harder to keep alive. The one I had would only sift in the deepest parts of my sand and eventually starved

 

[chadmace]

I have a Mural Sifter Goby in my 125. I got him for the same reason you are looking for one. Very interesting fish. Sometimes he will take a mouth full of sand and sprinkle it around the tank. He doesn't make any piles, just digs out around rocks. He has his den so he really doesn't worry about much other than that. He also eats frozen and flake food.

 

[idgy]

Are sea cucumbers toxic? I thought I read they can release a toxic liquid that could damage the tank. I could be wrong.

 

[Jim Hart]

I use the yellow watchman goby and tiger pistol shrimp, they even clean under the LR.

 

[trillyen]

Trillyen,
Good to "see" you back.

There are a few types of sand sifting gobies, aka sleeper gobies, that do an excellent job of keeping the sand white. The hard part of having one is to get it eating prepared foods. They are known to starve to death after they deplete the sand bed of there natural food. I have a yellow head sleeper goby that eats well and I have kept him for over 1 year. At one point he began to get real thin and I was worried I was going to loose it. I set up an auto feeder to give the tank some formula one pellets in the middle of the day (when I am not home to feed) and he has fattened back up.

Note: the yellow head sleeper tends to carry sand around and make big mounds and they will dump it on top of corals etc. For that reason I would not get that type again. I had a orange spot sleeper that did not have this issue, it sifted the sand without moving it around alot (just little tiny mounds). Unfortunately he went carpet surfing when I moved him and my tangs to a hospital tank to treat for ich. I plan on replacing it in a few weeks when I get back from vacation.

Another thing sometimes recommended is a sand sifting star. I was talked into one by a LFS, but they are even harder to keep alive. The one I had would only sift in the deepest parts of my sand and eventually starved

Hey thanks its good to be back!!!

I think i really like your idea and the cucumber ideas but dont the cucumbers tend to knock over corals and stuff

and i can only have 1 blenny per tank correct

i already have a lawn mower in my reef so i would have to go with maybe a cucumber, and a pistol shrimp or something and some conchs correct????

as far as my fowlr i think i may get the tiger tail cucumber and some nas snails and some conchs, i really dont like the sand sifting stars they look to much like spiders to me ehhh

im arachnaphobic, lol!!!!

i bet they would work though!!!
lol

thanks guys!!!

 

[krisfal]

A goby should not be an issue with the your lawnmower blenny.

I have never been brave enough to get a sea cucumber due to their toxic nature.

 

[trillyen]

ohh toxic huh no thanks

ill go with a goby for sure the cucumbers are cool though!!

thank you still dont know though!!!