Need a sand sifter

Dave1NC · 07-08-2008, 10:36 PM

I want to buy a sand sifter for my 120 gallon aggressive tank but most of the gobies I've seen are all small (around 1-2 inches). Does anyone know of a large sand sifter that would be okay, meaning would not become lunch? The largest gobies I’ve seen are the dragon gobies, but I'm not they would even be big enough. The average size of the fish in the tank is 6-10 inches.

Here is a list of fish and their approx size in the tank:
V-Tail Grouper - 8"
Desjardini Tang - 9"
Magnificent Fox Face - 8"
Huge Damsel - 6"
Mandarin Goby - 2" (no one messes with him
Marine Betta - 7"
Clownfish – 6”

The other option would be to add 20-30 some nassarius snails…

92gallonreefer · 07-08-2008, 11:08 PM

you could get 1 or a pair of engineer gobies. i have 2 and they both are 10-11" and no one messes with them

Dave1NC · 07-09-2008, 08:56 AM

I didn't know they got that big. Did you buy them that large, or did they grow up to be that size?

92gallonreefer · 07-09-2008, 09:28 AM

well i bought them small because i like to watch everything grow up( 2" at the time) its more fun and rewarding to watch things grow up under your care. At the time the LFS had large ones (6-8") but did not want to get them. The grow amazingly fast and mine got to this size in about 2-3 months

Dave1NC · 07-09-2008, 11:11 PM

I did some more research and I've narrowed it down to a tiger sea cucumber and/or a sand sifting star. Both would be good at controlling detritus alage and star would be good overall janitor for the tank.

Saltwater Aquarium Inverts for Marine Reef Aquariums: Sea Cucumber, Tiger Tail

I also found out that not all sea cucumbers will omitt toxins when die. I guess mostly the filter feeder types do this. Can anyone confirm or deny this?

Saltwater Aquarium Starfish for Marine Reef Aquariums: Sand Sifting Sea Star

The engineer gobies do not eat detritus alage and nassarius snails do more scavanging that sand sifting.

**Amphibious** · 07-10-2008, 09:49 AM

Some thoughts...

The reason for having sand sifters is to keep the top 1" or 2" of sand free of caking detritus and to keep it oxygenated. That being said...

Most sand sifting Gobies eat the things in DSBs that we are fostering to grow. That's why they are "sifting" the sand. Also, sand sifting starfish do the same thing. They bury themselves over a spot, invert their stomach, dissolve the edibles and move on to the next spot to repeat the action. Cool critters but not desirable in a reef system, in my humble opinion. I've had them, never again.

The burrowing sea cucumber is more desirable as a sand bed cleaner being a true detritus eater. However, as cool as the Tiger is to look at, don't expect to see them very often. They mostly remain buried in the sand.

I have a bunch of Jumbo Cerith Snails in my 135 and highly recommend them. Here is a picture...

from - Reef Scavengers. They are a Florida based supplier I've bought from and trust. They have a wide variety of sand scavengers. Mention my name in your e-mail purchase. It won't get you a discount

but, it let's Dylan, the owner, know I'm recommending him.

Dick

Dave1NC · 07-10-2008, 10:03 AM

Hi Dick, How many jumbo Cerith snails would you recommend for a 120G w/a 4" sand bed?

**Amphibious** · 07-10-2008, 10:17 AM

That depends on the mix of scavengers you already have or are planning to have. I would say a minimum of 12 if you have a lot of other scavengers, up to 24 if you have few others. They spend a lot of their time under the sand. You'll see the sand humped up where they are. I think they are one of the best scavengers for the DSB. I've lost a few to Hermit crabs killing them for the shell. When I find a hermit in the process of nabbing one, I remove him and send him to the sump for life.

Dick

Dave1NC · 07-10-2008, 09:52 PM

I checked my LFS but no one seemed to have them. One place said they may have some tomorrow, but weren't sure. Did you order a batch from Dr. Foster and Smith or did you buy them locally?

Dave1NC · 07-10-2008, 09:57 PM

Most of the time my hermits go after my Astrea snails that fall off the rocks. Some of the bigger ones try to nab the larger snails just to have some escargo. I never really thought of punishing them, but maybe I should start doing that

.

**Amphibious** · 07-10-2008, 10:28 PM

Did you check with Reef Scavengers at the above link? I got some locally and some from DRS F&S.

**CarmieJo** · 07-13-2008, 06:40 PM

Davi, I have been thinking of ordering some critters from ReefScavengers.Com | Saltwater Aquarium Supply | Cleaner Packages, Saltwater Fish, Corals & More!!. Let me know if you are ordering from them and we could split shipping.