The best sand sifters?

[CodyRVA]

Need input on the "best" sand sifters out there. Was looking at a cucumber for a while, but am fearful of toxins and fish loss, although they seem very efficient. Thoughts?

I've had nassarius snails in the past, but looking for an alternative.

I've also debated gobies, I have a 4 foot tank and about a 1.5 inch sand bed, not sure if I would need 1 or 2 of these guys, I'm open to buying a pair, but what type? The only other goby I have is a clown goby who hangs out in my SPS colonies; just trying to avoid aggression.

 

[bw777]

one diamond goby

 

[CodyRVA]

one diamond goby

Do they stick to one part of the tank? I want something that will cruise around the entire tank turning the sandbed.

 

[cloak]

Couldn't you just get yourself a stick and do this yourself? For those hard to reach places a small power head will do just fine.

 

[CodyRVA]

Couldn't you just get yourself a stick and do this yourself? For those hard to reach places a small power head will do just fine.

I do so weekly with a turkey baster, along with all my rock work, but I have most of my flow at the top of my tank and the sand bed requires stirring quite frequently, thus I would prefer to get a critter to do the job.

 

[cloak]

You do realize that those critters are actually pooping in that very same substrate you wish to keep clean don't you? Almost canceling themselves out IMO. Those Gobies aren't sifting through that sand for fun either. They're stripping the substrate of all the micro fauna in the process. To each their own though. GL.

 

[wes_slavens]

Be careful with a diamond goby or engineer goby as they might eat your clown goby and any shrimp you might have

 

[CodyRVA]

Be careful with a diamond goby or engineer goby as they might eat your clown goby and any shrimp you might have

Yea I've never had one before, had a yellow watchman, but didn't really move much sand.

 

[wes_slavens]

Yea I've never had one before, had a yellow watchman, but didn't really move much sand.

I've had both my diamond goby is the one that ate some smaller fish and currently I have an engineer goby that has eaten 4 peppermint shrimp so far

 

[CodyRVA]

I've had both my diamond goby is the one that ate some smaller fish and currently I have an engineer goby that has eaten 4 peppermint shrimp so far

Dang! I have a coral banded, which has eaten fish itself so that would be an interesting pair... would a sifting star be a better option?

 

[eatbreakfast]

A diamond goby won't eat clown gobies. Clown gobies produce a fairly noxious slime coat.

Diamond gobies are one of the better sand sifters. Another good sifter is the bullet goby.

 

[wes_slavens]

Dang! I have a coral banded, which has eaten fish itself so that would be an interesting pair... would a sifting star be a better option?

Yea I think your coral banded would be fine! I have one that killer a copper banded butterfly lol. Idk for sure but I was told if you didn't have a DSB you were basically slowly starving the starfish. I made a thread on here a while back because I don't want gobies and I was told strawberry lipped conches

 

[jeflen651]

A couple of tiger conchs will graze your tank

 

[CodyRVA]

I had a fighting conch, but was a pain, constantly bull dozing frags over, are the lipped/tiger conchs smaller? My fighting conch was at least 5 inch

 

[wes_slavens]

I had a fighting conch, but was a pain, constantly bull dozing frags over, are the lipped/tiger conchs smaller? My fighting conch was at least 5 inch

I think lipped, but don't quote me are around an inch

 

[Roboson]

Tiger conch is a good sand sifter. Sand sifting star, but it requires a large aged sandbed of at least 2 inches deep. Sand sifting gobies sift the top layer looking for food.

 

[erinmegan85]

If you go the goby route be prepared for a mess. Mine puts sand all over the place. Doesn't matter if there's coral there or not, and from what I understand it's a pretty common thing. If I had to do it all over again I wouldn't have put it in the tank, but now that it's there I would feel bad giving it back to the LFS or to someone.

 

[CodyRVA]

If you go the goby route be prepared for a mess. Mine puts sand all over the place. Doesn't matter if there's coral there or not, and from what I understand it's a pretty common thing. If I had to do it all over again I wouldn't have put it in the tank, but now that it's there I would feel bad giving it back to the LFS or to someone.

Does he hang out in one place, or cruise all over the tank?

 

[erinmegan85]

Does he hang out in one place, or cruise all over the tank?

He moves about the bottom of the tank a decent amount. Sometimes he heads up in the water column, but not usually. He guards his hole from my starry blenny (not that he's interested in it in the least) and spits sand out all over the place. He's just about irritated my poor open brain to death. No matter where I put it on the sand that fool seems to find it and dump sand all over it.

 

[Daniel@R2R]

I second the diamond goby suggestion. I have one, and I love to watch him go around sifting for food.