Sand Sifting???

[DavidG1966]

What is the best way to keep a sand bed sifted? Sand Sifting Gobies? Sand Sifting Star? Horseshoe Crab? Other????

 

[KooDeep]

I just added a Goby less than a week ago and he has done wonders on the sand in my 55 already.

 

[ped the great]

i added a gobie a week ago and my sand bed is spotless now it had a lot of algea but as he searches for food in the sand he churns it over and cleans the tank.

 

[Nabob89]

do you neec a DSB to keep one of those gobies?.....mine is 1-2" deep in most places....

 

[Amy83820]

What kind of gobies do you have? I know some are sand sifters and some are sand sitters

 

[bertoni]

If you don't want a live sandbed, a number of the goby fishes seem to do a reasonable job. My Yellow Watchman pair did.

 

[iamjoefox]

i put a diamond goby in my 60 hex, he made my sand look like i had just put it in there after 3 days of working hard.

sadly tho he commited suicide a week later, i just had the rock sitting on top of the sand and he dug out of underneath one rock so much that it crushed him.

 

[SpaceAce]

Nassarius snails and sand dollars - born to sift, baby!!!

 

[WaterKeeper]

Hang in here for a second gang. There is somewhat of a line between sand shifting and sand sifting organisms in a tank. The sand sifters are not all that great as they tend to eat the organisms that populate the bed. On the other hand, things like worms, mini-stars, mini-cukes, pods and snails stir the bed but do not eat their roommates. It is the later that you desire to keep a healthy bed. For such fish as gobies, they love to eat pods or worms. When you have these sand dwelling fish a refugium is almost a must.

Sorry about you accident Joe. With diggers it is best to support the rock on eggcrate of pieces of PVC pipe. And

[welcome]

 

[Waxxiemann]

What about a conch?

 

[Amy83820]

Not to hijack the thread....but what is best to help control algae on the sand (brown diatom)? Sand sifting fish or snails? My snails have no interest in the sand.

 

[graveyardworm]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7473611#post7473611 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Amy83820
Not to hijack the thread....but what is best to help control algae on the sand (brown diatom)? Sand sifting fish or snails? My snails have no interest in the sand.

In most cases the brown diatoms on the sand bed will go away on its own with good nutrient management, but I have found conch's to be the best sand bed algae eaters.

 

[WaterKeeper]

Most snails will eat diatoms but as, David points out, the diatoms tend to give way to green algae as it is a better compititor. Limiting nutrients is superior to any biological solution.

 

[pnosko]

I'm ready to see a new term for a DSB to distinguish one serving as a functioning biofilter from one serving purely aesthetic purposes or beds for engineers.

 

[bertoni]

I've been trying to say "live DSB"...

 

[WaterKeeper]

I know I would not spend the $$$ on a DSB if it was clearly to make an aesthetic impression.