I've seen a lot great looking tanks in the tank threads here that have clean, pristine sand. How do you do it? Some of my sand had gotten discolored by brown algae and it seems stained, so even though my outbreak is diminishing, the sand still looks somewhat dirty. I'm convinced you guys are using some type of miracle product to keep your sand and glass clean :splitspin!! Please, share the secrets. Thanks.
Desperate for clean sand substrate
- Thread starter NL146
- Start date
I had a diamond goby that jumped. It was keeping the sand clean, but the drawback was that it dug under every rock in my tank which unfortunately were not resting on the glass bottom so the rocks started to shift. I haven't re-scaped yet so I'm not sure the goby would be my best option right now.
- Location
- Staten Island
There is no miracle product that will help you, lol. There are some critters that will though. Your best bet is to get your hands wet. Manually stirring the top layer of your sand once a week, and scraping the alge off your glass as often as you can stand to do it will keep your tank looking pristine.
The grass is greener on the other side.
But if you really have a problem it will take time to resolve. How old is the tank. If you control nutrients you will control a lot of unwanted stuff from growing on the glass and the sand. It takes time to put it in balance.
If it is detritus then that is a different issue and you can get animals to help clean it up. Sometimes not enough water movement causes that problem or you just have very messy fish.
But if you really have a problem it will take time to resolve. How old is the tank. If you control nutrients you will control a lot of unwanted stuff from growing on the glass and the sand. It takes time to put it in balance.
If it is detritus then that is a different issue and you can get animals to help clean it up. Sometimes not enough water movement causes that problem or you just have very messy fish.
- Location
- Pennsylvania
i have a theory now that, u should get a sand sifting cucumber
The tank is now 4mths old, phosphates/nitrates free (according to API). Thanks for the suggestions. In a 46g tank (upgrade to 75/90 in the next 3 months) would it make sense to get more than one of the suggested (sand sifting cucumber and star, diamond goby, yellow-head sleeper)? I would guess that eventually - hopefully quickly - any excess algae would be gone and then I would have to supplement their food supply.
+1...those buggers work!
- Location
- Staten Island
I would not suggest a sand sifting star for your 46 gallon or even 90 gallon since they will decimate the animals that live in your sand bed. Once those animals are gone the starfish will need to be target fed to keep it from starving to death.
- Location
- long island
dimond goby HUGEEEE HELP
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