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my sandbed has a bunch of waste from my fish. i have a 25 gallon tank and only one small crab and one medium sized snail. should i get a shrimp, or more crabs, or what? I know that I just need to put the right species in there and it will be cleaned up right away. Just not sure what is best for the sandbed. i stir it up about once a day maybe more, but it doesn't seem to be sufficient.
 
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also richie, from the last time we spoke and i had a piece of aiptasia in my tank. i did scrub it with the toothbrush and it has come back twice. i figured that was a strong possibility. would you suggest aiptasia x or something of that sort?
 
D

DA fisherman

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If you're already stirring, might as well just siphon. But pinch the hose so that the current is slow. But nassarius snails should def do the trick.
+1
What I did in my 55g was get one sand shifting starfish , 5 blue leg hermit crabs, and 20 Nassarius snails and they do a pretty good job.
 

KathyC

Moderator
Location
Barnum Island
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A sand sifting star for your size tank would be a poor idea :(

Unless you are over-feeding the living snot out of that tank on a daily basis, it will not find enough to eat in there and WILL resort to eating any pods and whatever else is living in your sand bed.

It will NOT clean up the 'brown dust' that you raise when you and stirring your sand - that is not detitus, it is just pure crud (assuming you get 'brown dust' when you stir the sand bed.)

Stick with the snails as they are far more suitable for your tank :)
The :starfish: will thank you :)
 
Location
Brooklyn, NY
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A sand sifting star for your size tank would be a poor idea :(

Unless you are over-feeding the living snot out of that tank on a daily basis, it will not find enough to eat in there and WILL resort to eating any pods and whatever else is living in your sand bed.

It will NOT clean up the 'brown dust' that you raise when you and stirring your sand - that is not detitus, it is just pure crud (assuming you get 'brown dust' when you stir the sand bed.)

Stick with the snails as they are far more suitable for your tank :)
The :starfish: will thank you :)

+1 a few nassarius snails would be cool and some hermit crabs.
 
Location
Brooklyn
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snails and hermit crabs it is. i like the idea of a small sand sifting star, but from what i've read and been told they are generally too large for a tank my size. i will also cut back on food a bit. that's gotta be part if not completely the reason it is there.
 

Imbarrie

PADI Dive Inst
Location
New York
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Gobies keep my sand pretty clear. I have a yellow watchman goby and he is always on the prowl. Algae blennies also do their part.

They have a history of jumping though so you would want to think about a covering.

I also have a large number of nassarius snails. I think they are the most effective at reducing uneaten matter in the substrate.

Anything that eats detritus in the substrate can also eat beneficial organisms also. I have heard sand sifting stars can consume everything from a sand bed which I would not prefer.
 
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basiab

Advanced Reefer
Location
secret
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How many fish do you have and what are they. What is your substrate.

I have a 24 gallon with 6 fish and I never have to clean the bottom. I am sure there is stuff there since I have crushed coral but why would you want to stir it up. I only have snails and they are algae eaters and asterina stars which are also algae eaters. I have some threadlike worms and amphipods and once in a while I see a small bristle worm so maybe they take care of the detritus.
Just give your tank a chance to mature and it will work out.
 
Location
Brooklyn
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Just talked to Jim from Saltwater Critters. If he gets any small sand sifting stars he's going to get back to me, but for the time being I will get a few crabs and snails. In the past I have had no luck with shrimp. Can anyone give me a few suggestions?
 
Location
Brooklyn
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I have 2 fish, one black ocellarris and one orange ocellarris. The black is slightly larger than the orange one, and acts accordingly. it bullys the orange one a little bit, but they have been in there for several months with no other problems. They each eat plenty and are 100% healthy. Looking back, I think that this whole issue stemmed from over-feeding. I have always understood that this is a major problem with tanks, however, I never thought that I was doing it!
 

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