best cleaner for sand
- Thread starter sltwtrlvr
- Start date
TekCat
New member
Brown stuff? sounds like diatoms. If your tank is new, then don't bother doing anything, it is a phase and it'll pass as long as you keep your water parameters in check. Then you'll have green hair algea followed by cyano. This is normal for new tank.
On the cleanup crew: Trochus snails reported to eat diatoms along with other types of algae including cyano. For healthy sand bed, I'd recommend Nassarius and Cerith snails. They bury themselves in sand which will help maintain adequate oxygen levels in the substrate and eat detrius and uneaten food.
good luck
On the cleanup crew: Trochus snails reported to eat diatoms along with other types of algae including cyano. For healthy sand bed, I'd recommend Nassarius and Cerith snails. They bury themselves in sand which will help maintain adequate oxygen levels in the substrate and eat detrius and uneaten food.
good luck
Amphiprion
Premium Member
I only recommend Nassarius if you are feeding plenty of meaty foods for them to eat--they do not eat detritus. The others would comprise a fine clean up crew.
I'll thow my 2 cents in.. I have a conch ( tiger ) and he eats 10 times his weight in algea off the sandbed. Also keeps it stirred up good. Just be sure you have enough food for him to live on.. I'll second the Cerrith and a couple Nassarius, they are great to watch during feeding time. I target feed my Nassarius 
Amphiprion
Premium Member
Well, a mixture of worms, etc, Cerithids, and a handful of Nassarius (so long as they have plenty of food) will work quite well.
mike89t
Premium Member
nassarius will not eat anything except meaty foods. Adding any more would be a waste if your intention is to get rid of the brown stuff.
Ceriths would be your best bet for a good all around sand bed cleaner. Here is a thread I put together on the different snails I use in my cleaner crew:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=748495
However until you identify what the brown stuff actually is no one here can give you an accurate answer.
My guess is that it is Cyano Bacteria. However without a quality picture I can't identify it. Most likely adding more cleaners will not solve the problem. My guess is that you have too much nutrients in your system which is feeding this brown growth.
mike89t
Premium Member
The brown stuff on the sand is more of like dirty. My clam is doing excellent and happy with water quality however I should note that my nitrate went up to at least 30 ppm. I will have to do the water change soon. Also, it's weird that my phosphate is under .1 but I still have green stuff on the glass that I have to scrub it off with magnet... Hope that gives you an idea of what I have on my sandbed?
Michelle
Michelle
