Sand question...

[ReeferChick85]

Does anyone gravel vac their sand bed during water changes? The reason why I ask is because I want to know if it's a good idea to do so or should I just continue to rake my sand with my little "rake" I made every wc? I do have sand sifters but they aren't doing much help.

 

[james-lee]

Get some nassarius snails. They are great at stirring up the sand bed continuosly. I got 50 of them off ebay for like $12 with free priority shipping.

 

[iReefer]

Why do u wana "" rake"" yr sand??
You can always get the sand goby to do the job but it can b pita if you have corals scatter all over your sand bed

 

[happaman]

I don't with my dsb. Shallow one I do but dsb I don't disturb. I follow Ron Shimek's advice and it's worked for me over the years.

 

[higgy2010]

Get some nassarius snails. They are great at stirring up the sand bed continuosly. I got 50 of them off ebay for like $12 with free priority shipping.

This is a great deal. How big are the snails? I might have to look it up.

 

[james-lee]

This is a great deal. How big are the snails? I might have to look it up.

You have PM.

 

[Reefer08]

For shallow sand beds (Below 3 inches):

Yes!! Gravel vac it or else it will become a nitrate sink. You will be surprised by all the brown water that gets pulled out from doing this!! You can either gravel vac or remove parts the sand and rinse it with saltwater water then place back into the tank.

For deep sand beds: NO! Don't disturb it. You've got gases that build up in the sand bed that if they are released can potentially crash the tank.

 

[JOSE CASAS]

Bingo ditto^^^^^^^^^^

 

[DEC6]

Get some nassarius snails. They are great at stirring up the sand bed continuosly. I got 50 of them off ebay for like $12 with free priority shipping.

Do red legged hermit crabs or coral banded shrimp eat nassarius snails? I put some in my tank and they all just seemed to disappear, can't even see their shells anywhere.

 

[james-lee]

They could if they are pretty big. These snails so burrow under the sand bed and move about that way. They only come up when they sense food such as at feeding time.

 

[Reefer08]

I forgot to mention it but you shouldn't gravel vac every water change. You wont be pulling out much if you do it frequently.I like to do or every 6 months. It's a pita so doing it every few months is best. Raking the sand is good only if your running a filter sock to absorb what's being released, otherwise it will just settle somewhere else. Also only rake a little at a time because what's being released will stress out the livestock. With a gravel vac nothing gets stressed out because the dirty junk is going straight into the siphon Hose and thrown away vs being releases into the tank.

 

[ReeferChick85]

Get some nassarius snails. They are great at stirring up the sand bed continuosly. I got 50 of them off ebay for like $12 with free priority shipping.

I'll look into those guys! Thanks for the reply!

Why do u wana "" rake"" yr sand??
You can always get the sand goby to do the job but it can b pita if you have corals scatter all over your sand bed

Hi Kimmy! I definitely don't want a goby lol!. I've seen the mess those guys can do,although they are very good sand cleaners but they sure make a big mess lol.

I "rake" my sand bed every so often just to keep it sifted and not let too much detritus build up on the sand since I feed a lot lol. I don't have a deep sand bed so I figured it was ok to do :biggrin1:

For shallow sand beds (Below 3 inches):

Yes!! Gravel vac it or else it will become a nitrate sink. You will be surprised by all the brown water that gets pulled out from doing this!! You can either gravel vac or remove parts the sand and rinse it with saltwater water then place back into the tank.

For deep sand beds: NO! Don't disturb it. You've got gases that build up in the sand bed that if they are released can potentially crash the tank.

Thanks Ramzy for the reply! Good info to know!

 

[ReeferChick85]

I forgot to mention it but you shouldn't gravel vac every water change. You wont be pulling out much if you do it frequently.I like to do or every 6 months. It's a pita so doing it every few months is best. Raking the sand is good only if your running a filter sock to absorb what's being released, otherwise it will just settle somewhere else. Also only rake a little at a time because what's being released will stress out the livestock. With a gravel vac nothing gets stressed out because the dirty junk is going straight into the siphon Hose and thrown away vs being releases into the tank.

Sounds good!! Next WC for me, you can do it hehehehe :wub: :wub:

 

[halvc909]

my hermit crabs ate all my turbo snails

Do red legged hermit crabs or coral banded shrimp eat nassarius snails? I put some in my tank and they all just seemed to disappear, can't even see their shells anywhere.

 

[ReeferChick85]

my hermit crabs ate all my turbo snails

Dang how big are your hermits? LOL! Turbo snails are pretty big...well the ones I have are and my hermits are definitely no match against the snails.

 

[MikeGilliland]

Get a sand sifting star. They keep my sand nice and white.

 

[ReeferChick85]

Get a sand sifting star. They keep my sand nice and white.

I actually have 2 fairly large ones and they seem to do some sifting it seems to me that they only like cruising near the front of the tank.

 

[mudnut]

Nassarius snails are great. I have tonga ones in my tank, they are larger. I also have a tigertail cucumber to stir the sand bed. I use red legged and scarlet reef hermits for the top layer of the sand bed since I find that most snails don't like to crawl on the surface of sand.

 

[ReeferChick85]

Nassarius snails are great. I have tonga ones in my tank, they are larger. I also have a tigertail cucumber to stir the sand bed. I use red legged and scarlet reef hermits for the top layer of the sand bed since I find that most snails don't like to crawl on the surface of sand.

I was thinking of getting a tiger cucumber...know where I can get one around Diamond Bar or Corona/Eastvale area? I haven't seen the tonga nassarius snails but I would love some! I'll try looking for those too! I already have a bunch of hermits but they like kicking it on the rocks more lol

 

[Solus]

Same here my hermits tend to stay on the rock, I have about 5 nassarous snails and 10 or so turbos......I'm looking to get a couple sand sifting stars if I can get them for cheap but I heard they are great cleaners for sand