Keeping live sand clean

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Daylilly

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Jan 6, 2011
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Which type of fish are good for keeping the live sand bed nice and white clean. I often see brown string like things on the side of the sand bed from the glass. Randal goby? Diamond goby???

Thanks
 
i can only think of a sand sifting star however i have a fish in my tank its a kind of draggonet i think cant remember at the moment but he goes around picking up the sand and eating bits of it then spitting the sand back out again. for the brown string like things i have no idea maby take a pic that might help othere people identify it for u.
 
I have been told the bullet goby is a very hard worker.
 
nothing is going to clean the sand at the glass. those brown lines will be there forever, and it's a sign that life is in the bed.
like this pic-
DSB%20fauna%201.jpg


btw, do NOT buy a sand sifting star. you will kill it. you don't have food for it in your tank and it will starve to death.
 
I don't really know I have a little bit of purple algae growing on top of my sand and I like it.
 

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Micro organisms in the sandbed - if you introduce one, you won't have live sand for long.

Need some more info about your tank to answer the original question. What size is your tank? What is the depth of your sandbed?

I personally like both the Diamond Watchman goby and the Yellow Shrimp goby, but depends on the size of your system.
 
I have a 76 gallon
Sand bed must be already 2 inches deep
 
In a 75, I would stick with just one Yellow shrimp goby, but even that may be too much with shallow sandbed. He should be alright with supplimental feeding however.
 
I got a sand sifting star and so far no problems. And sand looks nice :)
 
I got a sand sifting star and so far no problems. And sand looks nice :)

Sand-sifting stars consume microorganisms out of the sandbed. Introducing one into a 75gal or smaller tank is asking for a dead sandbed and a starving seastar in short order.
 
Oh my! Should I get rid of my sand sifting starfish? Yikes! I want my sandbed to be alive.
What can I add to keep the sand bed clean and turned over
Is a diamond goby good?
 
Oh my! Should I get rid of my sand sifting starfish? Yikes! I want my sandbed to be alive.
What can I add to keep the sand bed clean and turned over
Is a diamond goby good?

+1 on getting rid of the star. I have 1 diamond goby in my 120 and he keeps the entire sand bed clean. He also eats Rod's Food and pellets. Just make sure you have some kind of top that he cannot fit through. It is not a maybe, he will jump out of the tank if you don't have some kind of screen top.
 
i have a scooter blenny he goes around moveing my sand around lot the only thing on my sand is a bit of rubble nown n then
 
after the initial ugly tank period everyone goes through when they start a tank, the sand bed should stay clean on it's own. as long as you have adequate flow, the sand bed should stay white.
i wouldn't buy something i didn't absolutely love.
 
Wy Renegade said:
Sand-sifting stars consume microorganisms out of the sandbed. Introducing one into a 75gal or smaller tank is asking for a dead sandbed and a starving seastar in short order.


I got mine for a few moths now and so far all seams fine. Oh course it's hard to tell if he is happy or not, but he is normal in behavior, alive, and Sand looks good too. ("good" as in alive and happy as a starfish ;) )

And no, I would not get rid of him for anything LOL love my little Scooter ;)

Is there supplemental food for a sand shifting starfish? That way nobody would have to get rid of theirs if they decided so
 
no. there is no store bought food for sand sifting stars. these are just something that should not be taken from the ocean. the idea is, if everyone researches what they buy, before they buy it, and walk past the sand sifter starfish tank at the lfs instead of buying one, they won't sell any and hence, won't order more.


and before you think it, yes, i've killed a pair of sand sifting stars years ago too.
 
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