what to buy for sifting sand?

Discussion in 'Sand' started by definitivekoi, Jan 17, 2009.

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  1. definitivekoi

    definitivekoi Plankton

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    have 28gal. nano jbj 2 maroon clowns 1 hawkfish and 1 lawnmower blenny. Need help in what to buy to sift the sand and not be picked on. Sand bed is 3ich thick.
     
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  3. baugherb

    baugherb Giant Squid

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    Nassarius snails??
     
  4. PharmrJohn

    PharmrJohn The Dude

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    Well.....I was going to suggest a goby, but you are going to be waaaaay overstocked. So I will concentrated on that as a general warning. Sometime in the future, when your fish grow up to full size, you will have about 25 inches of fish in that tank of yours. Maroon clowns can get to 7 inches. So you may want to trade your maroon clown pair for something smalller.
     
  5. james37128

    james37128 Coral Banded Shrimp

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    I suggest snails also, a goby would do the job but may get a little hungry in the tank, only so much sand to sift. With that said, I have a diamond watchman goby in a 12 gallon nano. I really hope to upgrade that tank soon, he could use more room. I would put him in my 120, but he would kill all my corals that are on the sand...
     
  6. coral reefer

    coral reefer Giant Squid

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  7. sostoudt

    sostoudt Giant Squid

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    snails or conch, a goby would add unneccessary bioload and try to jump out continously in such a small tank.
     
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  9. GuitarMan89

    GuitarMan89 Giant Squid

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    I like the combination of nassarius snails and a conch such as a fighting conch or burrowing conch. Both are great.
     
  10. bmshehan

    bmshehan Fu Manchu Lion Fish

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    Agreed. Get about 50 nassarius snails and a conch and go from there. Nass. are some of my favorite things to watch in my tank, fast movers and fun to watch during feeding time. They keep the sandbed nice and mixed up.
     
  11. infamous

    infamous Corkscrew Tentacle Anemone

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    Nassarius snails don't do much they sleep most of the time. I don't know why people keep recommending those. You can get a few but they're not an important part of the cleanup crew. Don't get a goby either, it will eat all the little amphipods and copepods that live on the sand + it makes a big mess.

    You want a true sand sifter and cleaner get Cerith snails and Dwarf Planaxis . Get a variety of cerith like Florida cerith, Fly Speckled Cerith and Caribbean Dwarf Cerith.

    These actually get all the algae off the sand. Most snails are not as active as these are on sand. The ceriths constantly go in and out of the sand and are very active at night. Im speaking from experience, i've spent a lot of time and money last year trying to get the right sifters.
     
    Last edited: Jan 17, 2009
  12. m_hsiao

    m_hsiao Purple Spiny Lobster

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    +1 in infamous, nassarius snails aren't even that active, when you do see them though they are interesting to watch, but most of the time they are just in the sandbed with their nose sticking out