Sand Sifting: Species Profiles & Cost v. Benefit

***Does Anyone have pictures of their livestock that we can use in this thread?***


I've read through 5 whole pages of threads about sand sifting and have not been able to come to a conclusive decision about whether sand sifting is worth it or not.

For sand sifting, most people recommend that one purchases an engineer goby, diamond goby, sand-sifting star, or any variety of snails or other livestock. To which another usually responds that all of these sifters eat the good near-micro organisms in the sand. But do these dietary costs out-weigh the aesthetic and practical benefits of a sand bottom?

First, these are brief profiles on some of the more popular sifters:

Example of an adult engineer provided by 3reefer cuttingras.


The juvenile's coloration provided by 3reefer VegasFish.

Engineer Goby/ Convict Blenny

Scientific name: Pholidichthys leucotaenia
Size: up to 18" in some cases
Temperament: Very Peaceful
Diet: Will eat anything
Price: ~$15
Notes: Although it is neither a goby nor a blenny this is a hardy disease-resistant fish that enjoys burrowing. The burrows these fish make are likely to shift rock-work if it is not assembled properly. Plan ahead when constructing your tank; place your rock on the bottom of the tank rather than on top of the substrate. This fish does a great job turning your sandy bottoms. Many people on this site alone report being happy with the job that a single engineer goby does on many different sized tanks. Incidentally, don't expect to see this fish often due to its burrowing habit.
Captive spawning is possible. The female is generally larger than the male in this species.



An example of a diamond goby provided by 3reefer Vegasfish.

Diamond Goby

Scientific name: Valenciennea puellaris
Size: up to 6"
Temperament: Very Peaceful
Diet: Provide a mature sand bed and some supplemental feeding of meaty foods.
Price: ~$25
Notes: Again, a hardy, burrowing goby. Take care to make sure rock work is secure. This particular specimen has a large appetite and will most likely require additional feeding to prevent starvation. Most sources indicate one should be fed meaty foods like mysis shrimp, brine, pods (you get the point) at least once daily. Many articles suggest burying chunks near their burrows to initially entice them to eat thawed, prepared foods.
This guy will likely be seen around the tank more often than an engineer.
Also, this species has been observed to form a symbiotic bond with a pistol shrimp, so maybe you can buy him a little friend...

**Be warned, the Diamond Goby is a known jumper; put a top on your aquarium to keep him in (and alive)!**


A Gold Head Sleeper goby doing it's job wonderfully, provided by PackLeader.

Gold Headed Sleeper Goby

Scientific name: Valenciennea strigata
Size: up to 6" (but I've also read up to 12". K+ for anyone that can verify)
Temperament: Mostly Peaceful
Diet: Primarily dines on small invertebrates in the sand. Accepts prepared foods.
Price: $20-30 (depends on region of origin)
Notes: This sleeper goby can be aggressive towards other sleeper gobies (I.E. the Diamond Goby above). However, they are happy in a mated pair. They will share the same den, and some speculate they are even capable of communicating with each other via mouth movements. A tank size of at least 50 gallons with substrate is advised due to feeding habits and size at maturity. They are a hard fish to breed, so most are wild caught.

**Be warned, the Gold Head Sleeper Goby is a known jumper; put a top on your aquarium to keep him in (and alive)!**


Four legged sand sifting star provided by 3reefer mannyhernz

Sand Sifting Star

Scientific name: Astropecten polyacanthus
Size: up to 4"
Temperament: Very Peaceful
Diet: Provide a mature sand bed
Price: ~$20
Notes: These stars are reef safe. They are very effective predators. In fact, it is not generally advised to have more than one in a tank because the others will invariably starve. Astropecten polyacanthus moves a large volume of sand in search for its prey. They don't show much discrimination in what they are willing to eat, almost anything is game, from detritus to tiny bugs/pods in the sand. It's a small side effect of being born without a brain.
Care should be exercised not to expose starfish to air, they are very sensitive to environmental changes.


Tiger Striped Sea Star photo provided by VegasFish

Tiger Striped Sea Star

Scientific Name: Ophiolepis superba
Size: can grow over 1' fully stretched
Temperament: Very Peaceful
Diet: Dead stuff and little critters
Price: ~$25
Notes: The tiger banded star will stay hidden most of the day and emerge at night to scavenge for food, turning sand over in the process. As is the case with any brittle star, the arms are susceptible to breaking off but will regenerate with time. Much like other stars, it has no brain and will eat a "variety" of foods. Supplemental feeding may be advised, just drop some meaty treats into the sand bed before lights out or place food near an exposed arm. They are a hardy species, but be sure to acclimate them slowly to their new home.

SNAILS:

There are a number of snails that are recommended for sand bed maintenance. We will cover them briefly as general care is essentially the same across the board.


Cerith snail w/additional growth provided by 3reefer Surf Rider

Ceriths:

Size: 1.5"
Diet: Don't worry about it, you'll never have to feed them
Price: ~$2/snail
Notes: Ceriths burrow into the sand and eat anything they come across from detritus to algae. Will eat the algae that occurs under the sand bed and on the glass of aquariums. Small snails, but active eaters.

http://www.pirx.com/gallery/albums/mollusks/strombus_alatus_03.jpg
The Florida Fighting Conch

http://www.n-the-florida-keys.com/images/fighting-conch-florida-keys.jpg.JPG
A shell of a fighting conch

Fighting Conch:

Scientific Name: Strombus alatus
Size: up to 4"
Diet: Herbivore
Price: ~$15/snail
Notes: The fighting conch doesn't actually fight all the time. They were given their name because the males fight each other for mates. These snails burrow and eat both live and decaying matter at depths shallow enough not to disturb the anaerobic layer of bacteria within the sand bed. Mostly active at night.


An example of a Nassarius Snail provided by 3reefer ThatGuy

Nassarius Snails:

Scientific Name: Nassaurius vibex
Size: up to 1.5"
Diet: Herbivore
Price: ~$1/snail
Notes: An adequate number of these should keep the surface of a DSB nicely stirred. Again, these snails eat all sorts of plant matter alive or dead.



Now, my question:
To maintain an attractive live sand bed, should we go forth and invest in any of these sifters? Is unattractive, cyano-spotted sand something that we will have to deal with forever more? Will these sifters transform our live sand into dead sand, negating any positives that a sand bottom brings to a tank?


P.S. I can add more species profiles, or anything else I forgot. Just send suggestions my way. My brain is tired, I've been putting this together for a while today.


***Does Anyone have pictures of their livestock that we can use in this thread?***

 

this should be sticky...

 

Great looking list!! I have been trying to figure out what would work best for my sand sifting needs. I'm thinking about adding 20 nassarius snails and either a sand sifting star, or a diamond goby for the 125. My main concern is for my mandarin not getting enough pods if I introduce something else that likes to munch on them.

~Will.

 

glad i read this thread... just found my dragon goby dead... but he did a wounderful job sifting my sand and eating all the nasty stuff out off it.... sorry i dont have any old pics of him in action but ill post a few pics on here once i get my new 1

 

Thank you to everyone that is helping contribute to the thread!

Just got back from the LFS and I was not able to get any pictures of conchs. We are still accepting user submitted pictures.

 

Here is a picture you can add of a Serpent Sea Star, Fancy Tiger-striped (Ophiolepsis superba) Here is a link to the info about it for you to add to the thread Saltwater Aquarium Invertebrates for Marine Reef Aquariums: Serpent Sea Star, Fancy Tiger-striped

I don't see this guy in my tank to much they really only come out at night.

 

oh wow, i didnt know engineer gobies looked like that when they got bigger lol, learn something new everyday. i love diamond gobies they do a great job. if i can get a really good picture of ours i will post it here for ya!

 

Thanks again to VegasFish!
And TigerLilly, I will be patiently awaiting anything you can get to me.

Everyone else, feel free to submit, discuss, answer questions, and be generally helpful. Remember, not only do we want to identify fantastic sand sifters, but we also want input on their effects on a functioning sand bed.

 

Alternatively, if your goal is to cut down on algae on the surface of the sand, could you opt for a more attractive option?
Something like a tang. One from the bristle toothed Ctenochaetus genus. They have great appetites, offer additional movement, and fair well in established tanks. On the downside, they do require a length of space for swimming, are prone to ich and marine velvet, and can be quite stressed by the time you purchase them.