clean sand

[flowerkid]

I have been looking around and i havent found any way to keep the top layer clean and fresh looking. Any words of wisdom?

[flowerkid]

is someone going to help me or am i just going to get dirtier?

[am3gross]

i would help but i dont know the answer. get a good cleanup crew, water movement, there is even a thread on here about shutting your lights off for 3 days and that will get rid of it also. do you check water param. what are your phosphates?

[tcollins]

I battle the same problem with a 75 gal, not drilled, DSB, 20X flow. Fish, snails, cucumer, goby, brittle stars. I feed sparingly and use only RO water, which I've tested and has no Phos or nitrite/nitrate. I keep getting thick mats on my sand, which I try to remove but can never get it all. My water parameters are and have been great, thought it was my test kits but have had it tested at two LFS with same great results. I skim like crazy and am just hoping to wait it out, but when I see the pictures of the DSB's that are pure white, I just scratch my head. Anyone else?

[Waxxiemann]

for me, tons of flow was the cure to crappy sand. My sand is as white as white can be now.

[tcollins]

When you say tons of flow, how much vs size of tank, and how do you have it directed?

[Waxxiemann]

I think the key if a broad and gentle type of flow pattern. I'm running a Tunze 6100 (soon to be 2) and a seio 820 as well as a maxi 1200. The seio and maxi will come out when I get the second tunze.

If you're doing a 29, I'd add one (or 2) of the smaller Maxi mods.

HTH,
Waxx

[Waxxiemann]

I try and have the flow deflected off of the rocks and glass to break it up as much as possible.

[Waxxiemann]

Oh, I got it, get a couple of the new Tunze nano streams, that would be perfect.

[tcollins]

I've been reading the Eco Vortec vs Tunze threads and have pretty much made my mind up to do your route. Get the 6100 with the multi controller and upgrade to a second 6100 after the wallet recovers.

[tcollins]

Do you run the 6100 constant or do you have it set up in a wave or tide mode?

[Waxxiemann]

I'm picking up the 7095 controller next week, until then I run it at 50%.

I actually was running a Vortech for about 4 months and it was awesome but it didn't fit into my long term plan. I want to go to a much larger reef tank and I want to use 6100's for it.

[tcollins]

I have two Seio 820's and a hob filter running carbon at 300 gph, but the low must be to narrow.

[foxesreef]

There is a post under reef fishes that you might enjoy reading. I loved my diamond goby. I went through the same thing you did. Nothing wrong, just not beautiful white sand like everyone else posts pictures of. Everyone told me flow also, but I have four maxi jets running plus my sump return and still it looked dirty. He cleaned everything up in a matter of a day. You have to watch because they can move your rocks and they are jumpers. (Mine jumped). Also, check to see if there are smaller ones. Mine was about 4 inches long, maybe longer.

Also, good luck..........over time, I now have beautiful sand with ??? nothing different than before other than time.

[navipro1]

I have the same problem too, lots of flow helps, especially when the currents hitting the sand, get more cleanup crew, less feeding, shorten the time on your intense light until it gets better.

[Aztlan_LA]

I like Dragon (Bullet) Goby and the Sleeper Gold Head Goby.
They pick at the sand all day. Only problem is they leave little mounds and like to dig under your live rock. But the is okay.

Keep a lid on you tank, Lost a Gold Head, he jumped into my skimmer box, found him in my sump RIP


They will keep your sand very clean.

[moo0o]

not having my lights on for 3 days worked for me =) although my fish were in super shock when the lights were at its orignal brightness, it scared the crap out of me.

[jski711]

my sand sifting star does a great job at keeping the top layer of sand nice and white.

[Lpabsolute]

Good Clean Up Crew, Water Movement, Frequent Water Changes, Good Quality Water......

[cabowabo]

I am going to spell this wrong but Nassarius snails are by far my new favorite "cleaner crew" species. They are great scavangers and turnover the top layer of sand.They burry under the top layer when not on the go. I have only 2 in a 45 gal and my sand is clean.

[navipro1]

I don't like those Nassarius snails, I bought 10 of them 1" size hoping they would clean my arag sand bed and help stur up the sand a little but instead they are rogues---killers. When I feed my corals on the sand bed with food like mussles and scallop, they would steal from them rather than eating stuff around them like waste, seaweed, fish flakes and pellets (seem like they have an appetite for meat only), people said they eat waste but I've never see them do that at all, not even at night when they come out. I finally threw them all in the sump when they ate my healthy rare coral banded shrimp right after it molted, I saw them attacking it not too long after it just changed its shell. By the time I tried to save the shrimp, was too late, some parts were missing. Prior to eating my special shrimp, those BAD Nassarius snails ate my 3-4" Crocea clam 1 week after introducing the snails to my tank. I know you're probably thinking the clam was dieing was the reason for them to eat it but it was 100% healthy, had it for 4 months at the middle of the tank then I decided to put it down on the sand bed where most people have them, the next day, BAMMMM !!!, to my anger, I saw nothing but a shell and bunch of Nassarius snails finishing whats still left over of it, nothing in my tank would eat clams until now---Nassarius snails, if there were something that ate them, would have been gone long ago. I know they killed it because all 10 of them was by it and 7 of them were resting after an expensive meal... Cry =(.... !!!
I HATE Nassarius snail, was thinking of cooking me some escargo delicasey.

[johnd4g]

My sand sifting goby does a great job of keeping my sand clean. He's always busy and is fun to watch. Once a week though, I have to smooth out all of his piles of sand. Make sure your rocks are firmly seated on the tank bottom, not the sand, because they love to dig beneath them.