Best sand sifting fish?

[SolidDetail808]

cateyes- he does look cool.
I'm still searching around I'm going to LA this weekend so I'll check out some LFS there. Any rare or odd looking sand sifters to look for?

 

[Reef n' Madness]

My diamond watchman goby does a great job sifting around in my 55 gallon. The sand bed is between 1 and 4 inches deep. As long as all of the rocks are solid and on the bottom of the tank and you keep any small frags off of the sand bed, it is a great fish. Definitely a very active fish, and voracious. It loves to dig and bury things, but the sand stays pretty clean throughout the tank.

 

[bk_market]

only thing i hate is the diamond goby will create sandstorm inside my tank. i hate it so much.
I prefer large nassarius snails and alot of them

 

[hahnmeister]

A agree, gobies are considered predators of many of the critters that help keep the sandbed healthy... worms, pods, etc. They arent detrivores really. A pack of nassarius snails (super tongans are my favorites) are the better way to go. Most sand-sifter gobies end up slowly starving unless you have a large enough tank.

At that, my favorite are the yellow heads... but they can get big.

Also, engineer 'gobies' are sand sifters as well.

And then there are those 'sand sifting crabs'. They are just cool looking. I hear they do a good job as well...
http://www.saltwaterfish.com/site_1...ategory=4&category_search=63&root_parent_id=4

 

[Roy G. Biv]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10997220#post10997220 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by hahnmeister
Also, engineer 'gobies' are sand sifters as well.

These are cool because they are the only ones that resemble an eel when they are adults. The only problem is that they make elaborate tunnels under the rock. Theres no experience like seeing your liverock tower collapse to one side :eek2:

 

[hahnmeister]

Well, this would be true of all the sand sifting gobies really... you need to make sure your rocks are secure.

 

[DamnPepShrimp]

So then sand sifting gobies are bad for a reef tank? It's better to have nassarius snails? I love sifter gobies, very cool to watch them work, and was planning on getting one for my reef. But I'd rather have function over assumement.

 

[ooja3k]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11000344#post11000344 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DamnPepShrimp
So then sand sifting gobies are bad for a reef tank? It's better to have nassarius snails? I love sifter gobies, very cool to watch them work, and was planning on getting one for my reef. But I'd rather have function over assumement.

x2 on this question...

I am looking for something to help clean my sand bed... My nass snails suck... A sand sifting goby would be really cool i think, but from what I have heard, they are bad??

My tank is a 30 long softie reef...


should i just get a bunch more nass snails?

 

[hahnmeister]

They are sort of like mandarins... they sift the sand, but for pods and yummy worms and things... they arent detrivores. This means that they need a good amount of sand per goby to stay well fed (unless you can get one fed enough with just feedings). But this behavior can deplete a sand bed of the beneficial organisms that help really keep the sand bed clean (pods). So technically, I dont think they are a good thing.

A 30L? Nah... too small even for a crabeye.

 

[mille239]

I love my diamond goby... he's about 4.5" and keeps my sand sparkling. he eats all prepared foods as well if they make it down towards the bottom before the other fish get to them.

he has his little burrow right in the center of the tank under a large rock, he couldn't have picked a better place!

 

[raskal311]

White Goby

 

[TrojanScott]

Diamond gobies are fantastic. Mine keeps the sand clean and eats whatever is thrown in the tank. They do tend to make messes from time to time, but their personality wins out, IMO.

Just make sure your tank is covered, if there's a way out, they'll usually find it. Notorious carpet surfers.

 

[JeffersonReef]

Find a diamond/sand goby that eats prepared food.... problem solved. He will sift your sand, and will also eat whatever foods sink to the bottom. To be safe, you can even offer live brine shrimp... you can get those for CHEAP if they are available in your area... I used to buy like 2 shot-glass worth of them for less than $5.... and that was a CRAPLOAD!

Just be advised that they tend to go carpet-surfing! Invest in some netting or something. HTH

-TJ

 

[ooja3k]

Ya i have an egg crate cover...


Would a two spot goby be a good choice for a 30 long?

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

Not a fish, but I think cucumbers do ao great job on larger tanks (75g+) with established beds.

My Watchman goby does a good job of keeping a 4"x4" patch of sand right outside of his cave clean.

 

[stevedola]

rainfords gobies are really cool looking and do a great job sifting. nicer looking than diamonds.imo

 

[stevedola]

sand gobies are reef safe. never had a problem.

 

[czerbe]

sand

sand

i had a sand sifter one time but gobies don't last to long try a star fish sand sifter

 

[AussieSurfGirl]

I have a couple mural goby. That's my recommendations.

 

[Mavrk]

Cerith snails are another great thing to have. They eat algae and detritus and bury themselves in the sand sometimes. Plus they will not eat your microfauna. A brittle or serpent star would be good too (depending on the size of the tank of course). I avoid sand sifting things.