Keeping a sand bed clean question.

[Paul_N]

i don't want to irritate anyone, as it can be a touchy subject in itself, but regarding the sand-sifting gobies... i'd recommend against them, as they almost always end up starving to death as captive sandbeds can very rarely support their nutrition needs. they are one of those fish that i wish importers would stop collecting. they are popular, no doubt, and sell, which is why they keep coming to us...but even in a huge (1200g) display tank with a dsb, i've witnessed an orange diamond goby whither and die over the course of about a year. :(

all you need are the nassarius imho.

Even beyond that, if you plan on keeping any coral on the sand forget it. They will cover them. I had a barred dragon goby for 2 years before I sold it and it was like a machine. It went back and forth over my 75 daily but would float at least half way up in the tank when it sifted it through its gills and just covered coral,clams and the base rock. I sold it when I got tired of blowing everything off two or three times a day. That thing would eat hair algae also by the mouth full. I will always have a dsb though, just love the look. Whenever I would feed the tank or the fish poop hit the sand, it never sat for more than 30 sec before the spaghetti worms pulled it under.

 

[m and m]

WOw tjos tjread blew up over night. I dont want a small fine sand due to my flow if i do, do it it will be the crushed coral. So this seems to be a 50/50, When you clean your sand bed how long does it take? Also how big is the area IE mine would be a 30x30

 

[Viva'sReef]

After a couple weeks the fine sand will clump up and not blow around as much. Especially if your dosing MB7 and stuff like that. Or maybe dose some MB7 in the beginning to make your sand bed clump on purpose. Once the bacteria colonizes it should be fine

 

[benny z]

man, everyone is all worried about flow with fine sand.

i say let the flow do to the sand what the flow is going to do. don't try to keep "fixing" it, or it will just be a never-ending battle.

in my big tank my vortechs created huge mounds and valleys with the sand, but to me it is appealing, as it creates a natural look.

*shrug*

i would advise heavily against the larger particle sand. you are better off bare bottom at that point.

 

[m and m]

Im running zeo and it advices i should run a sand bed, I just cant bring my self to want to do it and be happy about it. I think this is one of the things i would look back and be happy about but i think the extra cleaning, and the build up is going to creat a big issue like a NO3/PO4 factory.

 

[frickenfragger]

conch and nasarius snails, I stir the sand bed when doing a water change and that gets a lot of stuff out.

 

[m and m]

man, everyone is all worried about flow with fine sand.

i say let the flow do to the sand what the flow is going to do. don't try to keep "fixing" it, or it will just be a never-ending battle.

in my big tank my vortechs created huge mounds and valleys with the sand, but to me it is appealing, as it creates a natural look.

Why
*shrug*

i would advise heavily against the larger particle sand. you are better off bare bottom at that point.

Why soli because the critters cant clean it properly, i did fine sand and 1/3 my tank was bare bottom.

 

[m and m]

Also see if some one can answer this it's a little off topic but it will save me making a new thread how benifishiol is sand to a wrass?

 

[benny z]

fine sand = don't touch it. put it in and let it do its thing. it will start to denitrify and be beneficial. sandbeds becoming no3/po4 factories only happens w/ larger sand, or fine sand that isn't deep enough. put a solid 3" in of fine sand and it will only help reduce nitrates if you don't touch it.

 

[m and m]

I hate the look when the said gets all up on plugs and not though. Also any take on my post right above?

 

[Paul_N]

Im running zeo and it advices i should run a sand bed, I just cant bring my self to want to do it and be happy about it. I think this is one of the things i would look back and be happy about but i think the extra cleaning, and the build up is going to creat a big issue like a NO3/PO4 factory.

I can tell you from experience with vodka and mb7 dosing for over 2 1/2 that all you need is the critters to clean it for you. You will not have a NO3/PO4 factory. They only way that will happen is if you leave it untouched with no cleanup crew. You could get a cucumber also to clean the sand on top of the snails and conch.

 

[benny z]

you are probably a better candidate for staying w/ bare bottom if it is working for you. it sounds like you just don't want to deal with sand. :)

depends on the wrasse. some sleep in the sand... others (fairies) sleep in the rocks in a mucus cocoon.

 

[Paul_N]

Also see if some one can answer this it's a little off topic but it will save me making a new thread how benifishiol is sand to a wrass?

a must because they sleep "in it" at night or when they feel threatened.

 

[Paul_N]

You could always put a container with sand in the tank and then put rocks around it if you choose to have a wrasse that needs it. That's what I did in my temp setup.

 

[m and m]

I can tell you from experience with vodka and mb7 dosing for over 2 1/2 that all you need is the critters to clean it for you. You will not have a NO3/PO4 factory. They only way that will happen is if you leave it untouched with no cleanup crew. You could get a cucumber also to clean the sand on top of the snails and conch.

A cucumber is a no those things skeeve me out so much cant look at them, i dont even know that it is.

you are probably a better candidate for staying w/ bare bottom if it is working for you. it sounds like you just don't want to deal with sand. :)

depends on the wrasse. some sleep in the sand... others (fairies) sleep in the rocks in a mucus cocoon.

Does a fairly not like having sand?

 

[benny z]

You could always put a container with sand in the tank and then put rocks around it if you choose to have a wrasse that needs it. That's what I did in my temp setup.

yes, but it depends on the wrasse. being that he has a smaller tank, i'm betting he's asking about fairy wrasses. they do not need the sand...

 

[Raggamuffin]

I can't abide digging fish myself, they are way more trouble than they are worth from all I have witnessed.

 

[benny z]

Does a fairly not like having sand?

no...sand doesn't bother them. they just don't "need" it to sleep in.

 

[Paul_N]

yes, but it depends on the wrasse. being that he has a smaller tank, i'm betting he's asking about fairy wrasses. they do not need the sand...

Ya I shouldn't have made a general statement like all need it. I have a yellow coris in mine.

 

[Troylee]

i don't have time right now to read the whole thread but i can tell you this much..... i have never cleaned my sand bed between my diamond goby, 3 sand sifting stars and 100 or so nassirus snails it stays pretty dang clean!!!!! lol i have never siphoned it but occasionally might give it a stir.... my sandbed is only 1" deep....;)

I just and tired of chalice after chalice on the bottom i think the sand will be nice, but moving them all then siphoning then moving them back just seems like a 30 minute WC turns into a hour. What would be the fight for not cleaning the SB i would think you would need todue to everything that would build up.