Cleaning sand bed

rkpetersen

walked the sand with the crustaceans
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+1 for nassarius snails. They're basically detrivores, and very active.
Nassarius vibex are pretty small. Another species called Tonga Nassarius are much larger and will really churn your sand.
 

Jesterrace

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Conch snails beat nassarius easily. Diamond Watchman Goby is arguably the best in terms of moving sand but they also create a terrible mess in the tank in doing so and can bury lower placed corals. Conch snails will keep your sandbeds white without creating a sandstorm or burying anything. Here are mine in action:

 

Brian G.

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At the recommendation from an LFS I recently purchased a sifting starfish and a sleeper banded goby. He insists I shouldn't listen to everything I read online, but ultimately I think I will re-home the starfish based on what I have read. The sleeper banded goby though has been great. I was getting algae on my sand bed and vacuuming it made it much worse. My theory is I buried it, it died and it just became fuel for more GHA. It has been eating it off the sand bed, sifting areas with out it and also grazing on the rock. Eats prepared foods as well so I am vary happy with him so far. I plan on keeping coral on the sand bed so didn't want anything that will move tons of it. So far he just seems to sift it and drop it close to where he picked it up. Hasn't created a mound at all.

The name I am using is from Live Aquaria. The LFS called it something different and I think they were wrong. Think my trust in them as "experts" is fading :)
 

Rock solid aquascape: Does the weight of the rocks in your aquascape matter?

  • The weight of the rocks is a key factor.

    Votes: 10 8.6%
  • The weight of the rocks is one of many factors.

    Votes: 42 36.2%
  • The weight of the rocks is a minor factor.

    Votes: 35 30.2%
  • The weight of the rocks is not a factor.

    Votes: 28 24.1%
  • Other.

    Votes: 1 0.9%
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