suggestions for sand sifter

[MsBeanCtr]

I have a full tank but would like to add some type of sand sifter. I just need something to stir up the sand.....

Suggestions??

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

Fighting conch and big nassarius snails. I've had my fighting conch about 3 weeks now, and might get another one.

 

[Ziggy953]

I totally agree with the nassarius snails. They do a great job of sifting the sand. I don't know a lot about the conch so I can't say anything there.

 

[usmcmarc]

I love my nassarius snails. You dont see hide nor hair of them until you drop some food in the tank, then BOOM..they just appear out of the sand.

 

[roka64]

I agree with the rest, my pistol shrimp really likes to move the sand too. Mike swears by his bullet goby. Looking at your stocking list, you may be able to fit one in, since they tend to be bottom dwellers and shouldn't get harrassed by your other fish. I would also say, get the super tongan nassi snails, as they tend to get a little bigger than the others.

 

[MsBeanCtr]

Fighting conch and big nassarius snails. I've had my fighting conch about 3 weeks now, and might get another one.

I went looking this afternoon and couldn't find ANY! Nuts! I just have a couple of small "dead" areas that I want the sand sifted up a bit.

Might have to travel around this weekend to look for one.

 

[Devilishturtles]

I had found a bullet goby at my LFS and wow, that thing was one heck of a sand sifter! I know why Mike likes them so much now! Unfortanetly, I lost him to the protein skimmer, but he sifted almost my entire sandbed in just a few days.

Nassarius snails are a great sandsifter as well.

 

[melosu58]

Back by popular demand. The ultimate sand sifter

http://www.fantasyreef.com/database/index.php?p=getitem&db_id=7&item_id=168

 

[cmor1701d]

Get about 100 Nassarius snails and two fighting (NOT queen) conch. Saltwaterfish.com has them at 10 for 9.99 and the fighting conch at 9.99 each with free shipping on orders over $79.00

This is not a recommendation or endorsement but I have purchased from them in the past and been satisfied. You might do better on eBay, but you need to be careful of what you order and from whom you order.

 

[Erok7620]

I was told at my LFS that blue legged hermits would kill nassarius snails. T/F?

 

[MsBeanCtr]

I was told at my LFS that blue legged hermits would kill nassarius snails. T/F?

Yikes! good point--I've got one and I don't want to supply him with dinner. Maybe someone can confirm (or not)??

 

[roka64]

Hermits will kill snails for their shells or if they can't find food. I saw my hermit go after my queen conch, but she just "jumped" away. To be honest, I rarely see my hermits on the substrate, much less stirring up the sand. I mostly see them on the rocks and sometimes at the top of the tank, where they climbed up the silicone!

 

[Lance M.]

I have several blue-leg and scarlet hermits w/ nassarius snails. The scarlet hermits are usually on the rocks all the time and the blue legs will sometimes be on the sand but I've never seen a hermit attack nassarius snail. My pistol shrimp attacks them though. If they come too close to his area he'll come out and either snap at them or pick them up and pull them in, but they'll come out, he doesn't kill/injure them.

Just keep the hermits fed and leave shells around the tank so they don't attack the snails.

 

[cmor1701d]

I got tired of watching both blue leg adn red leg hermits attacking snails. I no lnoger have any in my tank. I do have several varieties of snails though; nassarius, nerite, cerith and a couple of fighting consh.

 

[roka64]

I agree with Cmor, I have only 3 hermits in my 55 and don't plan on any in my 125.

 

[flanque]

This might sound stupid, but with these sand sifters, can they cause your live rock display to fall over if they're so actively moving sand around?

I'd love to have a bullet goby because my sand rarely moves unless I do it, at least to the visible eye - it probably moves around grain by grain.

 

[roka64]

I make sure my bottom layer of LR is firmly on the glass bottom.

 

[flanque]

I'm guessing that's a yes? Could they really cause it? Being paranoid like me can be different to reality.

Hmm, bugger. I just put my rock on the sand.

 

[Lance M.]

Yes they could cause a collapse but if you had placed the base rock in first on the glass and then the sand, it wouldn't be a problem. Sometimes I look up through the stand and I can see the pistol moving around since it's moved all the sand out from under the rocks in some places.

 

[roka64]

I agree with Lance, the pistols will burrow under EVERY rock, but the rest of the sifters really only sift the top layer, at least the ones I have.