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01-10-2007, 02:07 PM
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#1 (permalink)
| | Sea Dragon
Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: miami Age: 23
Posts: 514
Karma: 74
 |  sand sifting ideas...
i would like to find out what options i have for sifting the sand. i think i am getting nitrate problems because of the deep sand bed i have now, and would like to get an animal that will take care of this without wiping out what is living in the sand bed already... i thought i had a sand sifter (bad idea) but i havent seen him in about 3 months.
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15 gallon aga
20 pounds lr
35 pounds ls
Current Power quad 96 watt retrofit
ZooMed Powersweep 214
Aquaclear 70 moded into refugium
two trumpet corals (1 light blue, 1 lime green)
star pollyps (pink base with yellow tips, and regular green)
various mushrooms (over 5 types)
metalic green frogspawn
sea mat (aka button polyps)
2 false percs
1 cherub angel (2 1/2 years old)
2 blue legged hermits
2 turbos
2 margarita snails
2 Astrea snails
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01-10-2007, 02:11 PM
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#2 (permalink)
| | Sea Dragon
Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Kalispell, MT
Posts: 533
Karma: 47
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I have a horseshoe crab that sifts at least the first inch or two veryy well. _________ Senior Noob Setting my 75 back up soon Main SW Tank:
55gal, 70LBS of Tonga/LFSDIY, 50lbs LS, 1x250watt MH(20k), AquaC Remora Skimmer Live stock: Velvet Damsel, (12)Blue legged crab, lawnmower blenny, (1)cleaner shrimp, Yellow Tang, Featherduster CoralsRandom Zoo's(like 10), more zoo's,red mushrooms and hairy mushrooms, Sinularia | |
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01-10-2007, 02:13 PM
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#3 (permalink)
| | Sea Dragon
Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: miami Age: 23
Posts: 514
Karma: 74
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its a 15 gallon... those get rather large for my tastes... thank you though! | |
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01-10-2007, 02:25 PM
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#4 (permalink)
| | Ritteri Anemone
Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Naperville IL Age: 29
Posts: 619
 
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For a 15gal I have no ideas.
Maybe just poke at different areas of the tank each week to stir it up.
That way our only upsetting a few inches at a time.
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180 Gal Reef, AquaC EV-400, 3 MH Aquamedic Oceanlight HQI's 250w 20k. Neptune AquaController III, AquaLogic Trimline Cyclone 1/3hp skimmer, 2 x hydor #4's, 2 x mj1200's modded, 40 gal fuge. | |
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01-10-2007, 02:29 PM
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#5 (permalink)
| | Flamingo Tongue
Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: San Francisco, CA
Posts: 109
Karma: 3
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I too use to have a sand sifter.... my Diamond Goby. He use to sift through the sand quite well, but was a headache when he would move a third of the sand to one side of the aquarium and I had to go in there to fix it... only to find the next day that he did it again, I ended up just giving up... anyway... he sifted through the sand pretty well, but then started to get a little lazy, and then one day he just disappeared. I moved all my rocks trying to find him, hoping that he was in one of his "homes" underneath the rocks. But, no luck.. I looked around the floor in case he decided to just start flying, but couldn't find him anywhere. I have no other pets and so.. I concluded that the hermits and snails probably disposed of him COMPLETELY. Soooo... long story short.. I TOO am looking for something to sift through the sand. Anything that would do as good of a job as my diamond goby? or should I just pick up another one like him and just deal with the "mess" that they make?
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Started 03/2006
46 Gallon, Aqua C Remora w/ Maxi-Jet 1200, 2 Hydor Koralia #1, Penguin Bio-Wheel 200 Filter (w/ no Bio-Wheel), 65 lbs live rock, 60 lbs live sand, Coralife 36" Lunar Aqualight 2x96w with LEDs.
LIVESTOCK
Fish: 2 false perculas, 1 Coral Beauty, 1 diamond goby
Inverts: 10 hermit crabs, 2 nassarius snails, 7 turbo snails, 1 electric blue crab, 1 skunk cleaner shrimp.
Corals: Colt Coral
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01-10-2007, 02:37 PM
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#6 (permalink)
| | Fire Worm
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 168
Karma: 98
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Nasarius snails are my favorite for small tanks. Cheap, effective and fun to watch when you stir up the sand.
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46 Gal bowfront - 350W MH - 65W PC Actinic -CS90 Skimmer - SQWD with locline outputs - 18G refugium RDP- 1/4 HP chiller - 2x96W PCs on sump a fuge for coral frags and macro.
It's an overcrowded home with a little of everything and 5 fish. Thank good the fuge and sump were built for something bigger. | |
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01-10-2007, 03:34 PM
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#7 (permalink)
| | Sea Dragon
Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: miami Age: 23
Posts: 514
Karma: 74
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i have 2 and they stopped sifting a week after i got them... now they like the glass and rock... poo. | |
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01-10-2007, 04:34 PM
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#8 (permalink)
| | Giant Squid
Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Los Angeles, California Age: 20
Posts: 3,450
 
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Hmmm...are you sure that the snails are nassarius snails? From what I have seen from them, they stay in the sand untill they smell food then come out and eat. But im not sure. Most of the time i see mine coming out of the sand at night. But i agree with Dyngoe, nassarius snails are good for sand sifting. _________ Tank Specs:
55 Gallon Mixed Reef
48" Tek Light: 4-54W T5 HO Fluorescents
Bulbs:
1 x 54w Fiji Purple T5 HO Fluorescent
1 x 54w Super Actinic Blue T5 HO Flourescent
1 x 54w 14000K AquaBlue 75/25 T5 HO Fluorescent
1 x 54w 10000k AquaSun T5 HO Fluorescent
Hard Stuff:
100+ lb. Fiji Live Rock
65+ lb. Live sand
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01-10-2007, 04:52 PM
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#9 (permalink)
| | Gigas Clam
Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: New Mexico Age: 23
Posts: 895
Karma: 150
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a fighting conch would be an idea for now, but they get large sooner or later. I have also found like Dyngoe, and Bruce that nassarius snails are good sand shifters if you get the right ones. Um... I would say a star, but they have been known to eat small fish, like clowns. I like the Diamond Goby, but it would die in your tank. Im gonna get one for the 100 and deal with the mess. I think it is cool, when the sand changes, lol. Good luck, let us know if you find anything,
Michael _________ 15 Gallon Nano, Current USA 80 watt PC Light, Pengiun HOB Refug, Pair of clowns one ocellaris and one purcula!
100 Gallon Tek T-5 Fixture 6 Bulb, Algea Forest!!!  | |
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01-10-2007, 04:53 PM
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#10 (permalink)
| | Astrea Snail
Join Date: Mar 2006
Posts: 59
Karma: 21
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I have nassarius snails that bury themselves everynight and a lazy
brittle sea star that just hides in the rocks.
Have you considered a sand sifting sea star ?
If you go on dr fosters and smiths live aquaria website have picture and
info.
Are you vacuuming the sand about once a month?Can wash sand in salt water and reuse.
Good luck,
Morejongg | |
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