Pistol shrimp/goby or snails for sandbed cleaning

[Mr.Tan]

Alright, so i have been reading a good amount on how pistol shrimp and gobies are a good combo to have in order to keep a clean sand bed because they are always moving the sand around, however I currently have a decently sized coral banded and I don't know if she will bother the pistol shrimp or vice versa... I don't want to lose the CB because she has been with me for awhile, or I don't want to spend the $$ on a pistol shrimp and have her kill it... My other question is though would a nassarius (sp) snails or conch be a better solution to keep the sand bed clean? I have no qualms about either and don't know if one is better then the other (ps/goby or snails) so I am looking to any experst for help and info on it.


i didn't know where to put this so i figured i'd try it in here since it has the most movement on the forum.

[Toddrtrex]

One issue with a goby/shrimp pair is that they will tend to stay (( at least mine does )) in one general area. Mine live under a fairly large rock and stay on that side of the tank.

I don't keep nass snails -- keeping sand dwelling S. haddoni anemones prevents that -- so can't comment on that.

For my sandbeds (( shallow )) I just "gravel vac" with each water change.

[izzy123]

I have four snails ( can't remember what kind, but it are the burrowing kind ) and they've been in there for about 5 months and to be honest, they don't do much for keeping the sand clean, at least not the top layer......

But I recentley got a Valenciennea puellaris ( I think you call it a diamond head goby) and boy, I'm soooo pleased with him....

The sand looks great, the only downside is that he rearranged the sand to his liking, and I mean the whole tank.

I kinda like it, but if you like flat sand beds, don't put him in there.
But if you don't mind a more natural look, I would say go for it!

BTW my kids call him "Bob the builder" and they suggested I put an " UNDER CONSTRUCTION" sign on my tank

Ivan

[aleonn]

I'd get nassarius snails to clean the sand bed and eat up leftover food. Plus they're very cool, and rise like zombies when they smell food . Also, if your sand bed is large and established enough, fighting conchs are great at cleaning the sand. I believe the general rule of thumb is 1 per 50 gallons.

[xCry0x]

Originally Posted by aleonn

I'd get nassarius snails to clean the sand bed and eat up leftover food. Plus they're very cool, and rise like zombies when they smell food . Also, if your sand bed is large and established enough, fighting conchs are great at cleaning the sand. I believe the general rule of thumb is 1 per 50 gallons.

+1

Also look into cerith snails. The dwarf ceriths stay small and are sand sifters. I think a lot of people short change the amount of CUC the sand needs to stay oxygenated and thoroughly sifted.

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/p...59&pcatid=1159

[aleonn]

Originally Posted by xCry0x

+1

Also look into cerith snails. The dwarf ceriths stay small and are sand sifters. I think a lot of people short change the amount of CUC the sand needs to stay oxygenated and thoroughly sifted.

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/p...59&pcatid=1159

Ah, true. Love my dwarf Cerith snails too. Got mine from our sponsor, reefcleaners.org. They're quite small (so make sure you don't have predators like certain wrasses) but are always on my sand/glass interface cleaning out those hard-to-reach areas.

[Rabidgoose]

For the sand I have a mix of nassarius and cerith snails. I also recommend fighting conchs but don't overcrowd them as they need room to forage.

[PCFisher66]

My dwarf ceriths make a nightly move up the glass, sometimes they pile on each other in the corner. Strangest snail habit I've seen. Also from reefcleaners.

[xCry0x]

Originally Posted by PCFisher66

My dwarf ceriths make a nightly move up the glass, sometimes they pile on each other in the corner. Strangest snail habit I've seen. Also from reefcleaners.

Have heard they will migrate to a light source in the dark like moths do a lamp.

[Ron Reefman]

I have a Banded Coral Shrimp and I have added 3 Peppermint shrimp (lasted 2 days) and lots of Pistot and Grass Shrimp (I can catch them locally) and the Banded Coral Shrimp has them for a meal anywhere between when they hit the sand to sometime over the next few days. I had one pistol shrimp last about a month, but he found a well protected hiding place. But eventually the Banded Coral Shrimp got it too. Now I add them just as food!

[lordofthereef]

Most of the shrimp gobies don't go out and sift the sand. If you want one that does that I would get a bulespot, tiger wardi, etc. They don't pair with shrimp, but they are constantl sifting through your sand.

If you go with snails, nassarius are your best friend. Inexpensive, and have a ravenous appetite. It's fun to watch them all pop out from beneath the sand at the first scent of meat. If any are on the glass they will also dive bomb down to the sandbed in order to get there faster.

[Mr.Tan]

Originally Posted by Ron Reefman

I have a Banded Coral Shrimp and I have added 3 Peppermint shrimp (lasted 2 days) and lots of Pistot and Grass Shrimp (I can catch them locally) and the Banded Coral Shrimp has them for a meal anywhere between when they hit the sand to sometime over the next few days. I had one pistol shrimp last about a month, but he found a well protected hiding place. But eventually the Banded Coral Shrimp got it too. Now I add them just as food!

ha this pretty much summed up my main question about compatability of the CB shrimp and others.. Thanks for the input on that! I would have been pretty irritated if I bought a pistol shrimp and found it dead, even though I couldn't be mad at my CB, its like my baby .



To everyone else: I will try both cerith and nassarius snails, hopefully the LFS has some in stock, all they ever have is margaritas (which i have and they don't do much except on the rock) and BIG turbo snails.. I raelly would like a fighting conch, I might look in to one of those since I see them every now and then. Is there a specific kind that is better then another? I think I will leave the goby out of the picture for the time being, I don't know if my blenny will be aggressive towards it (?) and the more i think about it I don't want to add to my bioload of the 5 fish I already have...maybe when I get a bigger tank


thanks so far for all the help!

[pentrix2]

my experience is a little different from others.

in my 57g tank i have the following shrimps:

fire shrimp
cleaner shrimp
coral banded shrimp
pistol shrimp
about 3 nassarius snails

and of course a goby.

in my case everybody gets along. i think it's because i make sure everyone has a lot of food. others may have different results than me though.

Pen

[Dazmguk]

My fire shrimp stays in its little cave and I almost never comes out, but my Golden headed Goby makes up for it and tends to wander all over my 72 gallon tank.