Anyone with very fine sand? How do you do your maintenance?

[AquaWave523]

I have really fine sand at the bottom of the tank and it's starting to be covered with debris and dirt that I spray off the live rocks. How do I go about cleaning the sand during my tank maintenance? I don't want to disturb the substrate and i know it'll be a sandstorm if i do. I have about 3-4 inches in a 90 gallon tank. I also have a 40 gallon sump/refugium beneath.

Any suggestions? Do i siphon the sand anyways? If i do, the sand gets sucked into the vacuum since its so fine.

When people do water change, i assume this involves cleaning the bottom of the tank , blowing dirt off the rocks, scrubbing algae off the wall? Not just simply removing 15% of water? Is this assumption correct?

Anyone? Thanks!

 

[epstein]

Say it with me.......Orange spotted goby.........The man is a machine>>>sifts it cleans it ....and is fun to watch.....But ya need a cover ...they can jump.....

Never ever ever siphon or disturb your sand if you can ....It will actually do more harm than good

I usually blow detrius off my rock scaping every other day ....and scrub watever algae issues I may have vigorously 2 days prior to water change.

Brian

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

I have a pretty large mix of tongan nassarius, regular nassarius, and cerith snails, along with a tiger pistol that keeps my sand bed clean.

 

[AquaWave523]

can Orange spotted goby get along with jawfish?

 

[epstein]

in a system that big I dont see why not .....

 

[singold]

+1 Diamond Goby (Orange spotted goby)

 

[sks4613]

+1 Goby... Lots of NAS 2 per gallon at least.. blue legs although you will sacrifice a snail or to... dont syphon the sand bed IMO

 

[philipchan]

I don't clean my sand bed, it create a de-nitrate sand bed itself
the bacteria live in the sand bed can take good care of your tank
Just need a good clean up crew, some hermit crabs/ shrimp to take care of the left over food ^^

 

[jenglish]

I absolutely recommend anyone with sand siphon it regularly. I do all of the surface and try to deep clean a section with every water change. Yes, you disturb the hypoxic zone in that area but it is worth it to remove detritus IME.

If the sand is creating a dust storm, another option is to take a very small bulb eye dropper and disturb just the surface and get the detritus back into the water column. RUn a filter sock or some other mechanical filter while you do this and change it an hour or so afterwards.

 

[Mopar Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15751175#post15751175 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sks4613
+1 Goby... Lots of NAS 2 per gallon at least

+2 on the nassurius snails. More flow will help get the detritus in the water column so it can be filtered.

 

[skibum1681]

Is that correct that you should have 2 nas snails per gallon? So this guy should have 180 nas snails in his 90g tank? I would need 80 in my 40g tank? The whole floor would snails.

I'm not doubting you but that seems like a lot to me, but i am by means an expert.

 

[JCR's Reef]

I had problems with my sandbed when I first got it up and going. I ordered 300 of the Nassarius snails (which the hermit crabs killed most of them), a black cucumber, and stirred up the sandbed once a week. I also added modded maxi-jets for higher flow.
I dont clean or touch my sandbed and haven't had any problems for over a year now.

 

[KillerReef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15751423#post15751423 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Mopar Reefer
+2 on the nassurius snails. More flow will help get the detritus in the water column so it can be filtered.

couldn't have said it better myself, increase your flow and nassarius. I think 2 per gallon is too many, but I have 77 in my 80 gallon and am happy...

 

[KillerReef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15751372#post15751372 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jenglish
I absolutely recommend anyone with sand siphon it regularly. I do all of the surface and try to deep clean a section with every water change. Yes, you disturb the hypoxic zone in that area but it is worth it to remove detritus IME.

If the sand is creating a dust storm, another option is to take a very small bulb eye dropper and disturb just the surface and get the detritus back into the water column. RUn a filter sock or some other mechanical filter while you do this and change it an hour or so afterwards.

if you have a DSB, leave it alone!!! but siphoning a SSB is fine. I have 1-2" in mine and and hold my siphon just above the surface of the water where it will pick up the detritus, but not bother the sand. the nassarius will take care of the rest.

I also second the diamond goby, just make sure of 2 things. First get a tight net lid because the jump, egg crate is too big, needs to be 1/4" tops. Second, don't get it online, buy it from a LFS so you can see it eat. If it doesn't eat don't buy it, you will not fix that at home. Trust me on this one...

 

[KillerReef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15757523#post15757523 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by JCR's Reef
I had problems with my sandbed when I first got it up and going. I ordered 300 of the Nassarius snails (which the hermit crabs killed most of them), a black cucumber, and stirred up the sandbed once a week. I also added modded maxi-jets for higher flow.
I dont clean or touch my sandbed and haven't had any problems for over a year now.

pretty much the same here, but i only mess with a small section at a time and i prefer tiger tails over black ones, but that's just me, they both work fine. And my hermits and snails work together, I only have red legged hermits. they are herbivores, all the others are omnivores and very opportunistic eaters...

 

[PRDubois]

Get this:
100 Nassarius Snails for $7.50
I use 1per gal

http://www.atlanticseafarms.net/ser...s-Snails/Detail


__________________

 

[KillerReef]

or this:
saltwater solutions

I ordered from this guy and couldn't be happier. Everything came alive and is cleaning as we speak. YOu can email him with whatever size order you want.