sand sifter

philo betto · 02-20-2004, 06:12 PM

hello all,
i am new here and i have a question about sand sifters.
what critter do you recommend that i use to keep the top layer of my sand bed free of algae? thank you

reefsus · 02-20-2004, 07:05 PM

queen couch
sand sifting star
some certain goby species like sleepers
jawfish lol if you dont mind all the holes in your tank

philo betto · 02-20-2004, 07:17 PM

what about cerith snails?

reefsus · 02-20-2004, 07:22 PM

a lot of different snails do sift sand, but not that much really unless you have a lot, what size tank do you have?

philo betto · 02-20-2004, 07:35 PM

i have a 45 gallon reef. i have about 20bumblebee snails, 25 margarita snails, 3 nassarius snails and about 15 astrea snails. oh yeah, i have about 10 red legged hermits. my sand bed is about 1.5-2.0 inches deep. thanks

reefsus · 02-20-2004, 08:40 PM

probably a queen couch would be a good idea, but the downfall if they get too big they start eating snails otherwise they are ok. If you want to avoid that then you couldtry and goby. Im pretty sure its the sleepers. That will grab mouthfuls and sand and spit them out looking for food. But if your having a problem with brown algae, it usually goes away by itself after a couple of months.

**Poseidon** · 02-20-2004, 10:16 PM

Stay away from the Sand Sifting stars, they will eat alot of fauna. Get Nassarious Snails, Cerith Snails are great.

Tattooedlife · 02-20-2004, 11:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reefsus

queen couch
sand sifting star
some certain goby species like sleepers
jawfish lol if you dont mind all the holes in your tank

I have a Maroon Clown, that must have been a Jawfish in his previous life.

He has about 3 inches of sand in some spots and part of the back side of my tank is bare glass. He's like a one fish wrecking crew. If you spend too much time around the tank he'll get a mouth full of sand and spit it at front glass. Boy' he's mean. But he's my little sand sifter.

**Ninong** · 02-21-2004, 02:05 AM

I use Nassarius vibex snails, Cerith snails, a fighting conch (Strombus alatus), a small Holothuria sp. sand cucumber, extremely tiny mini-stars and one 7" banded serpent star. All of those guys stir up the sand.

I didn't get a queen conch (Strombus gigas) because my tank is only 120-gallons and they grow too big, too fast. And I didn't get a sand-sifting goby or a sand shifting seastar because they are sifting/shifting the sand looking for stuff to eat, stuff that I would rather they left alone.

philo betto · 02-23-2004, 11:48 AM

thanks for the help all

02-20-2004, 06:12 PM	#1
philo betto Just Moved In Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: so cal Posts: 7	sand sifter hello all, i am new here and i have a question about sand sifters. what critter do you recommend that i use to keep the top layer of my sand bed free of algae? thank you

02-20-2004, 10:16 PM	#7
Poseidon Moderator Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Swartz Creek, MI Posts: 6,539	Stay away from the Sand Sifting stars, they will eat alot of fauna. Get Nassarious Snails, Cerith Snails are great. __________________ Need a Photographer? Just say NO to CRABS Mike

02-21-2004, 02:05 AM	#9
Ninong Moderator Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Louisiana Posts: 20,691	I use Nassarius vibex snails, Cerith snails, a fighting conch (Strombus alatus), a small Holothuria sp. sand cucumber, extremely tiny mini-stars and one 7" banded serpent star. All of those guys stir up the sand. I didn't get a queen conch (Strombus gigas) because my tank is only 120-gallons and they grow too big, too fast. And I didn't get a sand-sifting goby or a sand shifting seastar because they are sifting/shifting the sand looking for stuff to eat, stuff that I would rather they left alone. __________________ Ninong

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02-20-2004, 07:05 PM	#2
reefsus Just Moved In Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: michigan Posts: 35	queen couch sand sifting star some certain goby species like sleepers jawfish lol if you dont mind all the holes in your tank

02-20-2004, 07:17 PM	#3
philo betto Just Moved In Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: so cal Posts: 7	what about cerith snails?

02-20-2004, 07:22 PM	#4
reefsus Just Moved In Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: michigan Posts: 35	a lot of different snails do sift sand, but not that much really unless you have a lot, what size tank do you have?

02-20-2004, 07:35 PM	#5
philo betto Just Moved In Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: so cal Posts: 7	i have a 45 gallon reef. i have about 20bumblebee snails, 25 margarita snails, 3 nassarius snails and about 15 astrea snails. oh yeah, i have about 10 red legged hermits. my sand bed is about 1.5-2.0 inches deep. thanks

02-20-2004, 08:40 PM	#6
reefsus Just Moved In Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: michigan Posts: 35	probably a queen couch would be a good idea, but the downfall if they get too big they start eating snails otherwise they are ok. If you want to avoid that then you couldtry and goby. Im pretty sure its the sleepers. That will grab mouthfuls and sand and spit them out looking for food. But if your having a problem with brown algae, it usually goes away by itself after a couple of months.

02-23-2004, 11:48 AM	#10
philo betto Just Moved In Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: so cal Posts: 7	thanks for the help all

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