Stirring up sand

[zslaugh]

Hey guys. So I just got a sand sifting goby. I quickly found out that the sand, fine Fuji pink, is constantly being stirred up from him sifting which makes the tank kinda cloudy. Will he eventually sift all the dust out of the sand or will he always make it cloudy.

 

[evan-beachouse-45]

Will the fine particles go down the overflow? If so the fine particles will get caught by filter socks and won't return to the display.

 

[zslaugh]

Will the fine particles go down the overflow? If so the fine particles will get caught by filter socks and won't return to the display.

I just have a hob. But eventually it will go away just from filtering out?

 

[nwayne567]

I've had a goby and a pistol shrimp combo for a while, the cloudiness will settle down overtime just as you were thinking, but there will still be the occasional sand grains floating around, but not the fine grain particle.. it will be more manageable but it will take a while

 

[brandon429]

I know it's likely too late but our big sand rinse thread shows you can make any tank immune to this condition by simply rinsing all that out before you set up the tank. If this is a nano, you can still do that

People don't pre rinse because they fear harming the bacteria in the sandbed but it's not the case for two reasons: 1. Surgeons and microbiologists only wish that rinsing in water was an antibiotic move, it's not and 2. We don't need the bac there anyway...which is how bare bottom tanks survive using what bacteria the rocks house.

If the tank is large-ish you can still prep it the right way by draining the clean water into a Rubbermaid or brute trash can, taking out rocks and animals into a holding container, then fully removing the sandbed-rinse, and reinstall it all using skip cycle techniques

It's true in time that biofilm will coat the surfaces and lessen it all but the ideal sand prep makes it a non issue permanently

 

[sneub]

I agree, I rinsed my dry sand really well and my efforts paid off. I also have a sand sifting goby and he is always working the sand bed and extremely little dust is kicked up. He does like to process his load of sand onto my corals and rocks, but not that often. He is one of my favorite fish.

 

[zslaugh]

Will the dust harm my corals? They keep sliming when it's cloudy and are constant and open a lot

 

[brandon429]

No they can handle silt removal via natural mechanisms but it's just easier to forego it all with a zero silt sandbed

How hard would it be to fix your bed? Nanos are easy, hundred gallons a little harder how big is your tank?

 

[zslaugh]

It's a 10g. I have to break it down to move so I'll rinse the sand then. RODI water or saltwater?

 

[brandon429]

It won't matter, myself and many use straight tap owing to same reasons. We just do final rinse with saltwater so that when it's set back up no tap is mixed in the grains

 

[zslaugh]

What is the best way to rinse it?

 

[brandon429]

Just any way that allows you to make it silt free check these options out in our big thread

http://reef2reef.com/threads/the-of...ead-aka-one-against-many.230281/#post-2681445
I usually put my new wet pack caribsea live sand in a bucket and hose rinse it over and over until it cannot cloud whatsoever by any form of disturbance

 

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

I know it's likely too late but our big sand rinse thread shows you can make any tank immune to this condition by simply rinsing all that out before you set up the tank. If this is a nano, you can still do that

People don't pre rinse because they fear harming the bacteria in the sandbed but it's not the case for two reasons: 1. Surgeons and microbiologists only wish that rinsing in water was an antibiotic move, it's not and 2. We don't need the bac there anyway...which is how bare bottom tanks survive using what bacteria the rocks house.

If the tank is large-ish you can still prep it the right way by draining the clean water into a Rubbermaid or brute trash can, taking out rocks and animals into a holding container, then fully removing the sandbed-rinse, and reinstall it all using skip cycle techniques

It's true in time that biofilm will coat the surfaces and lessen it all but the ideal sand prep makes it a non issue permanently

Great post here!