Best sand-cleaning fish for a 20 gallon tank

Leath · 06/17/2013, 07:49 AM

So I just recently finished a 4 week cycle of my Kent Marine Bio Reef LED Aquarium and I'm looking to add a sand cleaning/sifting fish. My sand bed is about 1 and half inches deep, its small stone like sand and it started to get a bit dirty at the bottom. I was thinking about getting a Diamond Gobie, are they a good buy? I'm looking for something that is for beginners(Reef Safe), something that doesn't require high maintenance.

I had a look at Sand sifting stars, but I know very little about them and I think my tank maybe a tad bit too small for one. Any suggestions. I will be adding 2 clowns to my tank soon so something that might not get aggressive or territorial.

raybyrne67 · 06/17/2013, 07:58 AM

Check out the Diamond Gobie.http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/p...220&pcatid=220

epsaxon · 06/17/2013, 09:18 AM

For a 20g I think you might want to consider a smaller sifter. Diamonds require a alot of area to sift as they get larger or they could starve. Checkout signal/twin spot gobies, Hector's gobies or rainford/court jester gobies. They stay less than 4", stay close to the sand when sifting and in my experience tend to be less 'jumpy'.

Leath · 06/17/2013, 09:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by epsaxon

For a 20g I think you might want to consider a smaller sifter. Diamonds require a alot of area to sift as they get larger or they could starve. Checkout signal/twin spot gobies, Hector's gobies or rainford/court jester gobies. They stay less than 4", stay close to the sand when sifting and in my experience tend to be less 'jumpy'.

Wow the Twin Spot Goby looks awesome! I might get one, are they ok with LPS corals?? I bring up corals because I have Euphyllia right in the middle of the sand bed.
I shouldn't worry about jumpers, I have a closed lid tank.

Quote:

Originally Posted by raybyrne67

Check out the Diamond Gobie.http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/p...220&pcatid=220

Book marked that website thanks! Such a shame that my tank is too small for that fellah

I've been reading up on fighting conch snails, are they good for my size tank, my sand bed is about 25 x 60cm, is that an ideal size?

Nina51 · 06/17/2013, 09:45 AM

i have a fighting conch in my 29g cube. he's a very interesting little critter but he's like a freakin' bulldozer! i had to put my clam on a pretty hefty piece of live rock (which thankfully, he attached himself to) because the conch was constantly knocking him on his side. if you get a conch, i'd get a really small one. you can always trade him when he gets big. mine is about 2" long which doesn't seem like much but in my small tank, it's pretty crowded. i keep thinking i need to take him to the lfs and find him a new place to bulldoze.

msnwld · 06/17/2013, 09:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leath

Wow the Twin Spot Goby looks awesome! I might get one, are they ok with LPS corals?? I bring up corals because I have Euphyllia right in the middle of the sand bed.
I shouldn't worry about jumpers, I have a closed lid tank.

Book marked that website thanks! Such a shame that my tank is too small for that fellah

I've been reading up on fighting conch snails, are they good for my size tank, my sand bed is about 25 x 60cm, is that an ideal size?

i had a fightin conch in my 55G for quite quite some time and my bed was only about 1-1/2" to2"

leveldrummer · 06/17/2013, 09:50 AM

the twinspot and rainsford goby would be my choices. although the rainsford i had in the past had a habit of swimming over corals and sifting sand all over them, but i think thats part of the issue with many of the sifters.

cloak · 06/17/2013, 10:10 AM

I think your best bet is to just stir the sand bed up with your finger or a small powerhead right before you do a water change. Siphon that muck out.
It amazes me sometimes on how many people want to bypass the manual labor part of keeping an aquarium, and just rely on something that needs to be fed and poops to keep their sand bed clean.

epsaxon · 06/17/2013, 11:07 AM

Nothing wrong with someone wanting a sand sifter. They are interesting fish to watch and does not imply they will not do proper maintenance. Same goes for members of the CUC grouping.

However I just reread the OP and noticed the substrate may be too course for the sifters. Especially the smaller ones which really need finer sand. If you don't have enough fine sand the gobie may starve so please consider this before adding one.

Leath · 06/17/2013, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by epsaxon

Nothing wrong with someone wanting a sand sifter. They are interesting fish to watch and does not imply they will not do proper maintenance. Same goes for members of the CUC grouping.

However I just reread the OP and noticed the substrate may be too course for the sifters. Especially the smaller ones which really need finer sand. If you don't have enough fine sand the gobie may starve so please consider this before adding one.

I should of been a bit more precise about what type of sand I have, it's silica sand, it's a fine grain type of sand.

cloak · 06/17/2013, 11:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by epsaxon

Nothing wrong with someone wanting a sand sifter. They are interesting fish to watch and does not imply they will not do proper maintenance. Same goes for members of the CUC grouping.

There's nothing wrong with it, just as long as you do realize that YOU can be much more efficient at keeping a substrate clean than any fish or invertebrate can. My money will always be on manual labor, especially if you want long term results.

Sk8r · 06/17/2013, 11:47 AM

a large nassarius snail.

06/17/2013, 07:49 AM	#1
Leath Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 20	Best sand-cleaning fish for a 20 gallon tank So I just recently finished a 4 week cycle of my Kent Marine Bio Reef LED Aquarium and I'm looking to add a sand cleaning/sifting fish. My sand bed is about 1 and half inches deep, its small stone like sand and it started to get a bit dirty at the bottom. I was thinking about getting a Diamond Gobie, are they a good buy? I'm looking for something that is for beginners(Reef Safe), something that doesn't require high maintenance. I had a look at Sand sifting stars, but I know very little about them and I think my tank maybe a tad bit too small for one. Any suggestions. I will be adding 2 clowns to my tank soon so something that might not get aggressive or territorial.

06/17/2013, 07:58 AM	#2
raybyrne67 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Albuquerque Posts: 353	Check out the Diamond Gobie.http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/p...220&pcatid=220 __________________ Ray, Current Tank Info: 75G, Salinity 1.025, Temp 80.5, Ca 430, Alk 9, Mg 1260, mixed reef, Radion XR30w Gen 2 x2, MP10w ES x2,Vertex 130, Eheim 1260 return, Apex, Tunze ATO

06/17/2013, 09:45 AM	#5
Nina51 biggliest cofveve champ Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: 5th floor, Illinois, gewgaw expert Posts: 3,506	i have a fighting conch in my 29g cube. he's a very interesting little critter but he's like a freakin' bulldozer! i had to put my clam on a pretty hefty piece of live rock (which thankfully, he attached himself to) because the conch was constantly knocking him on his side. if you get a conch, i'd get a really small one. you can always trade him when he gets big. mine is about 2" long which doesn't seem like much but in my small tank, it's pretty crowded. i keep thinking i need to take him to the lfs and find him a new place to bulldoze. __________________ of all the things i've lost, i miss my gary the most. Never hold your farts in. They travel up your spine into your brain, and that is where crappy ideas come from. Current Tank Info: i gave my reef away and i feel like a bird out of a cage!!

06/17/2013, 11:47 AM	#12
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	a large nassarius snail. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

06/17/2013, 09:18 AM	#3
epsaxon Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Lithia, Florida Posts: 61	For a 20g I think you might want to consider a smaller sifter. Diamonds require a alot of area to sift as they get larger or they could starve. Checkout signal/twin spot gobies, Hector's gobies or rainford/court jester gobies. They stay less than 4", stay close to the sand when sifting and in my experience tend to be less 'jumpy'.

06/17/2013, 09:50 AM	#7
leveldrummer Reefer Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Atlanta Posts: 1,831	the twinspot and rainsford goby would be my choices. although the rainsford i had in the past had a habit of swimming over corals and sifting sand all over them, but i think thats part of the issue with many of the sifters.

06/17/2013, 10:10 AM	#8
cloak Moved On Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Stockton, CA Posts: 14,854	I think your best bet is to just stir the sand bed up with your finger or a small powerhead right before you do a water change. Siphon that muck out. It amazes me sometimes on how many people want to bypass the manual labor part of keeping an aquarium, and just rely on something that needs to be fed and poops to keep their sand bed clean.

06/17/2013, 11:07 AM	#9
epsaxon Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Lithia, Florida Posts: 61	Nothing wrong with someone wanting a sand sifter. They are interesting fish to watch and does not imply they will not do proper maintenance. Same goes for members of the CUC grouping. However I just reread the OP and noticed the substrate may be too course for the sifters. Especially the smaller ones which really need finer sand. If you don't have enough fine sand the gobie may starve so please consider this before adding one.