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10/24/2013, 02:16 PM
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#1 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 569
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sand sifting
Is there a good creature to get in order to do sand sifting?
Ideally I don't want a fish since I want this tank to be fish free. The main reason for that is I don't want to have to feed the fish. Thanks, |
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10/24/2013, 02:19 PM
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#2 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: NJ
Posts: 63
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Sand sifting sea star. I had one and it did a great job of cleaning the sand bed...until my pistol shrimp murdered him for invading his burrow one to many times.
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10/24/2013, 02:21 PM
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#3 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 569
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Do sand sifting sea stars live for awhile? I thought I read that they will slowly starve to death because there is not enough food in the tank for them
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10/24/2013, 02:30 PM
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#4 |
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Premium Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Overland Park, KS
Posts: 1,030
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Another route would be to develop the sand ecosystem with a variety of organisms other than the larger carnivorous stars. Inland Aquatics and Indo Pacific Sea Farms provide such creatures.
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"...for it is not necessary that these hypotheses should be true, or even probably; but it is enough if they provide a calculus which fits the observations..."--Introduction (attributed to Andrew Osiander) to On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Sphere by Nicolaus Copernicus. Current Tank Info: 600g DT, 140g sump, 200g Cryptic, 90g Refugium, 3-400w MH, 2 Reeflo Barracudas, and 3 MP60s |
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10/25/2013, 06:34 AM
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#5 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Orlando, FL
Posts: 752
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Most likely if you need a sand sifter then its going to be something that needs to be fed. I use a diamond goby and he does wonders on my sand bed.
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Red Sea 170- Acro dominant Current Tank Info: Red Sea 170 |
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10/25/2013, 07:53 AM
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#6 |
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Registered Member
 Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Garden Grove, Ca
Posts: 17,023
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I would avoid the sand shifting starfish unless you have a huge tank. They will decimate all life in your sandbed, then starve. Nassarius snails would be my first choice.
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10/25/2013, 11:11 AM
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#7 | |
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Moved On
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Stockton, CA
Posts: 14,854
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Quote:
How deep is your sand bed btw? |
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10/28/2013, 04:08 AM
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#8 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 569
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what about a Brittle Starfish ?
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10/28/2013, 04:10 AM
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#9 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 569
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@thegrun = I already have Nassarius snails in my other tank and they like food.
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10/28/2013, 07:07 AM
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#10 |
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My Clown Attacks Me
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Akron, OH
Posts: 2,105
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Brittle starfish don't sift sand. If your tank is big enough and has been setup for a while, go with a sand sifting starfish. Your only options really are nassarius snails or a SSS if you are going the non-fish route.
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100 Gallon Long with 20L sump 10 Gallon Office Tank Current Tank Info: 2 False Percula Clowns, One Spot Foxface, Diamond Watchman Goby, Yellow Tail Damsel, Engineer Goby |
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10/28/2013, 08:38 AM
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#11 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 410
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Or you could get a Fighting Conch. I got one for my tank and it keeps the sand and about 2 inches and down of all the live rock clean. I tie a seaweed clipping to a small rock and put it on the bottom for it to feed randomly as well. Not really much work for it.
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10/28/2013, 10:19 AM
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#12 | |
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Grizzled & Cynical
 Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Stamford, CT
Posts: 17,319
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Quote:
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10/28/2013, 12:24 PM
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#13 |
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Moved On
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Watervliet, NY
Posts: 111
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Diamond goby but make sure your tank has a top they like to jump...
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10/29/2013, 02:38 AM
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#14 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: RSM
Posts: 456
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Cerrith snails.
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10/29/2013, 04:38 AM
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#15 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: cocoa, florida
Posts: 1,278
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i have a handful of nassarius snails in my tank. they do a great job of sifting through the sand.
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jonathan -- always curious, trying to learn, and try to pass along what others have shared with me -- Current Tank Info: 220g mixed reef & a red sea reefer bad fish tank :0) |
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10/29/2013, 08:59 AM
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#16 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Knoxville TN
Posts: 117
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Diamond goby will make your sand bed white as snow, but +1 on the jumping... I lost one a few weeks ago to carpet surfing. You do have to feed the tank something or it will get nutrient deprived, the ecosystem depends on it. So a goby would clean the sand and produce detrius to keep the biological filtration going.
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10/29/2013, 06:16 PM
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#17 | |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Blackfalds, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 139
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Quote:
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"In one drop of water are found all the secrets of the oceans." Planning Stage ~~ 105+ Gallon (72"L); Bean Overflow; Looking to keep Softies, LPS, possibly Clams & Less Aggressive Specimens |
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10/29/2013, 09:02 PM
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#18 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Charlotte, NC
Posts: 291
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There's also a pistol shrimp to consider. If you are wanting to keep corals on your sand I would stay away from one of those and the gobies they are referring to. They will make a mess of a sand bed. You could also look into sea cucumbers. They will do a great job of keeping your sand bed clean.
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60" 100 gallon Mixed Reef Currently under reconstruction. Current Tank Info: 100G Reef |
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