Dirty Sand

[Modemagic]

I noticed this evening that my sand is starting to get sand, like algae buildup on it. How can I get it cleaned up without causing a mess??? What can i get that will help control it?? More snails?

 

[acidlittle]

nassarious snails, a sandsifting goby of some kind, and possibly a cowry snail, those will keep it mixed up decently

 

[jbrunken]

I'd definitely recommend a Diamond Goby if you have at least 2 inches of sand.

-JB

 

[atram]

Check your water parameters it could be a water quality issue. If it looks red it could be cyano and this usually occurs when the alkalinity is low.

 

[Modemagic]

Maybe its a red... or a brown... hard to tell. Is a goby reef safe? I currently have a yellow tang, couple of clowns, and a cleaner shrimp in there. Plan to add corals and such later though.

 

[acidlittle]

as far as I know almost all gobies are reef safe.

 

[calebjk]

Diamind Goby

Diamind Goby

Hey, i feel your pain. I went to Pets Playhouse here in Cedar Rapids and picked up this Diamond Goby aka Orangespotted Sleeper Goby.

He quickly became one of my favorite fish in the tank because my sand went from almost completely covered with alge to completely mixed up in about 8 hours.
If the lfs you go to has more than one to choose from i would recommend looking at the sand to see which one is the most active, it should be pitted and there should be burrows under most of the rocks.

 

[Modemagic]

Re: Diamind Goby

Re: Diamind Goby

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9645386#post9645386 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by calebjk

He quickly became one of my favorite fish in the tank because my sand went from almost completely covered with alge to completely mixed up in about 8 hours.
If the lfs you go to has more than one to choose from i would recommend looking at the sand to see which one is the most active, it should be pitted and there should be burrows under most of the rocks.

Thats a great idea.... find which one tears up the sand the most and get him! lol

Does anyone have any experience with a flounder? They seem to hang out under the sand quite a bit, just not sure about reef safe, etc.

 

[jbrunken]

The only other thing about Diamond Gobies is that they will undermine the rockwork if it sitting on top of sand so make sure that the foundation is stable.

Mine is one of my favorite fish too. It has a corner of the tank piled up withg about 9" of sand over its burrow.

 

[Modemagic]

Everything I can find tells me that an orange spotted goby and those of the like are carnivores. So they basically just toss the sand around then stirring it up but eat shrimp and such?

 

[calebjk]

yes, they do dig up the sand, that's the whole point. You will not find anything that will eat the alge off the sand and get it totally clean. You need something that will keep the sand mixxed up so the alge doesn't have a chance to seed.
as far as eating shrimp, i mine eats mysis and brine shrimp i add to the tank, he is a very efficent botom feeder, he takes the sand into his mouth and filters it out through his gills. but he has never touched my cleaner shrimp or my fire shrimp.
And my water is clear, he doesn't make my tank cloudy by any meens.
ultimately, it's up to you. i enjoy the personality my goby brings to the tank because he always moves the sand around. if you don't think you'll like that then the goby isn't for you. They are the best thing i've seen to keep your sand clean though.

 

[jbrunken]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9653446#post9653446 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Modemagic
Everything I can find tells me that an orange spotted goby and those of the like are carnivores. So they basically just toss the sand around then stirring it up but eat shrimp and such?

Mine eats flake (Prime Reef), frozen [whatever] and he loves any kind of pellet, plus whatever he find in his endless sand sifting endeavors.

 

[tibbs2]

Sandsifting animals will eat any live fauna in your sand bed such as worms etc.

You could also consider getting a cucumber. They sift the sand and only eat microganisms. I hear a tigertail cucumber are one of the safer ones, though they do grow big.

If you have cyanobacteria then you just need to increase nutrient export or decrease nutrient import.

Chris

 

[acidlittle]

Anybody have luck with nassarious snails other then me? I had 9 nass snails in my 29 gal and the sand was very nice, now with a 75 they do a decent job when coupled with a cowry and a YWG.