Do I need a sand sifter?

luckylittleman

New member
I started a 29 gal about 6 months ago. Alls I have in it is 3 soon to be 2 clowns, some crabs & snails. I have lots of live rock also. Sand is about 4 inches deep.

I am having problem with my sand changing colors. Some of its algee and who know what the other stuff is. From the outside of the tank it goes about an inch down with this coloring.

What kind of sand sifter do I need? Or if any.
 
I just got a Diamond Goby and it is the best fish I have ever purchased for my aquarium. It went to work and has not stopped since.

Sand is perfectly white now, even as constant diatoms grow on it all day. And the goby digs pretty deep as is sifts, it's not just the top layer.

I now would never have a SW with tank without a sand sifting goby. All my snails and hermts do not come close to what he does.
 
I would get some nassarius snails. They will burrow under the sand so you will never see them, but they will move around and stiff the sand from the bottom. Also, you could get a sand sifting goby such as a diamond goby, yellow watchman, or whatever suits your taste. I dont know much about starfish, but I think I remember seeing that some of them sift sand too.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8074714#post8074714 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by onecrzyboi4u
nassaris snails will work,

Nassarius do not help at all. The burrowing action does not do anything to the top layer, and they are not even that active to start with.

Ceriths will eat some algae on the sand, but are slow and far from perfect.

I am now convinced gobies are the key..
 
nassarius wont work...they burrow under the sand, leaving the top layer (and algae) completly untouched. Sure, they mess it up when they come out...but mine come out maybe once a week, and thats only because thats when i feed mysis shrimp and they love it :)

but i second the diamond goby. He might get sand over everything tho...but most people i know dont have a problem with thta.
 
The yellow watchman goby they sift sand? Because I do like that one.
Also i forgot to mention that I have so much LR that it leaves only about 4in in front of the LR for the sand.
Is this going to be a problem for any sand sifter?

I know I don't want a sea star.
 
I am getting a little sand here and there, but as the goby does his thing it is "sorting" itself out and I expect the little bit of sand clouds he makes will go away.

I think lots of live rock would be good for him. That sand will have more to eat. And it will sift any area, there has to be ones you can't see in the rockwork.

I don't know all of the gobies, but there are a few that do the same thing as my diamond. Others could tell you some varieties. I personally think the diamond is a nice contrast to more gaudy fish while still being very pretty.
 
Ya i also like the diamonds. Actually i really didnt like the looks of them at first, but now after seeing my friends tank with one in it i love this fish...i'm just waiting for the money to get one ;)
 
I have a sand sifting gobie as well (the name escapes me at the moment) He does a great job at keeping the sand clean. I have Nassarius snails as well but all they really do is keep the bed stirred up.
 
If you plan on having a reef tank, do not get any sand sifters. The little critters that live in your sand bed are beneficial. A deep sand bed works well. Also, stay away from bumble bee snails. They also eat the critters. Th coloring that you see on the side of your glass that is in the sand bed could be normal.
 
If you plan on having a reef tank, do not get any sand sifters

many many people have sand sifters in reef tanks. I see no problem with them. If you're worried about sand sifters eating all the pods and stuff out of your sand...well...theres many other fish that do the same and no one ever says antying about that. You dont wanna have 2 different sand sifters in the same tank tho...they'd eat all the pods and not have enough for both.

And what are the pods for then, if they're not for the animals to eat??? yes, they do clean a very little bit, but what else?
 
^^^^

Agreed, I think he is mixing up beneficial and essential. They can be benificial, but are in no way essential to the tank.

Yes beneficial creatures are in the sand bed, but the beneficial part is exactly what the goby is doing, which is cleaning. But the goby just does it better and quicker.

The other benificial part is they are fish food. So either way you are accomplishing the task, keeping your sand whiter than any other way I have used, and have a really cool fish to boot.
 
Back
Top