Whats the best Goby for sifting sand? I had a dragon goby, but he moved the sand all over my tank? Ive tried a sand sifting starfish and he spent most of his time on the glass. I currently have a small starry blenny and two clown fish. But my sand needs cleaning.
Best Goby for sifting?
- Thread starter kabaliwi
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Gobies have personalty to spare.
But...I've got a watchman. He does a little sifting but just whenever he feels like it.
On the other hand, if you are looking for something that will root around, sift the sub-strait, stay off the rocks and glass, look into a Fighting Conch.
They are not really "Fighting" conchs. They get the name based upon the appearance of the shell.
We got one for my son's BioCube 29. His sub-strait was in direr need something to clean it up.
In less than 48 hours, his sub-strait look almost new.
We swiped him from the BioCube and dropped him into our 66 gallon tank. We ended up having to buy him another one.
They do a fantastic job and ours have never disrupted, buried or moved anything.
Just clean, clean, clean. And he's sort of fun to watch when he's really on the move.
But...I've got a watchman. He does a little sifting but just whenever he feels like it.
On the other hand, if you are looking for something that will root around, sift the sub-strait, stay off the rocks and glass, look into a Fighting Conch.
They are not really "Fighting" conchs. They get the name based upon the appearance of the shell.
We got one for my son's BioCube 29. His sub-strait was in direr need something to clean it up.
In less than 48 hours, his sub-strait look almost new.
We swiped him from the BioCube and dropped him into our 66 gallon tank. We ended up having to buy him another one.
They do a fantastic job and ours have never disrupted, buried or moved anything.
Just clean, clean, clean. And he's sort of fun to watch when he's really on the move.
+1 on the diamond goby, mine sifts all day and is perfect for my 90 gallon. Also have a sand sifting starfish which seems to help.
I have a diamond goby, and he loves to shovel sand around (including on top of corals). He's not a picky eater, either.
How big is your tank? They can get big (6" according to liveaquaria), so make sure you have room.
How big is your tank? They can get big (6" according to liveaquaria), so make sure you have room.
Thank you everyone for the information. I am going to try the "fighting conch". I just haven't had the best luck with my dragon goby and twin spot goby. And I do have coral on my sand bed. So hopefully the conch cleans the sand bed without disturbing anything else.
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Sleeper gobies (Diamondback, Goldenhead, Dragon, Tiger Sleeper etc.,) are hit and miss - some sift close to the bottom, others like to bury stuff or bring the sand up into the water column and "snow" it down on everything, such as what you're experiencing.
Conchs are good, as mentioned - they exhibit odd behavior in that they'll move around for several days, then they will rest for several days, so it's not unusual for them to be still for days at a time, making one wonder if they've perished.
Another good choice for keeping the sand turned, are Nassarius snails. I personally prefer the ones from Tonga - they're a bit bigger than the Caribbean ones. They're omnivores - they'll eat meaty food/waste as well as algae or whatnot. When you introduce prepared foods into the tank, they will come up out of the sand like submarines with their periscopes up (they have a long, soft proboscis).
How deep is your substrate? If it's shallow (2" or less), it should be vacuumed regularly when doing water changes, in addition to having creatures that help keep the sand turned.
Jenn
Conchs are good, as mentioned - they exhibit odd behavior in that they'll move around for several days, then they will rest for several days, so it's not unusual for them to be still for days at a time, making one wonder if they've perished.
Another good choice for keeping the sand turned, are Nassarius snails. I personally prefer the ones from Tonga - they're a bit bigger than the Caribbean ones. They're omnivores - they'll eat meaty food/waste as well as algae or whatnot. When you introduce prepared foods into the tank, they will come up out of the sand like submarines with their periscopes up (they have a long, soft proboscis).
How deep is your substrate? If it's shallow (2" or less), it should be vacuumed regularly when doing water changes, in addition to having creatures that help keep the sand turned.
Jenn
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+ 1 on the super Tongan nassarius, only problem is that I want to feed the tank more often to see them rise from the gravel ( it always reminds me of a small army of zombies rising from the grave).
I picked some up Jenn that were pretty cool, they were about inch and a half to two inches and have a cool pattern on the shell... haven't seen them advertised anywhere else, would love to learn what name to search under.
I picked some up Jenn that were pretty cool, they were about inch and a half to two inches and have a cool pattern on the shell... haven't seen them advertised anywhere else, would love to learn what name to search under.
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Don't the conchs harm some inverts or corals? Can't remember which
Jenn,
Thank you! I will most likely add another goby as my tank matures and I already have a few of Caribbean Nassarius snails, I am assuming those are the common type you buy at the fish stores. Most stay on the live rock. I also do vacuum out my substrate weekly during my water change.
My conch is doing a good job right now. I understand what you mean by wondering if they are still alive or not when they bury themselves in the sand.
Edit:
I haven't had an issue with him yet. Just cleans the algae off everything with their elephant trunk looking mouth. I did have an issue with him at first getting on top of everything, but he hasn't after the first day.
Cleans well, only issue is when they bury themselves, you wonder if they are alive or not.
Edit:
Where can I get them from?
I think I mentioned that to you already.
Your bed is deep enough to hide him.
He'll drop down, move about (eating the whole time) and pop back up somewhere else.
Sometimes he'll just drop and stop for a day or more then he'll be back on the move again.
Sort of like a school janitor.
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Y-Not;911141 wrote: I think I mentioned that to you already.
Your bed is deep enough to hide him.
He'll drop down, move about (eating the whole time) and pop back up somewhere else.
Sometimes he'll just drop and stop for a day or more then he'll be back on the move again.
Sort of like a school janitor.
We're you the guy at Rit's that told me that story and I ended up buying one? If so, thanks... we love him and he's exactly as you describe in the above post! They're pretty cool!
That depends.
Were you the guy at Rit's that I was talking to about them? :tongue:
If so, you are most welcome. They are down right cool members of a CUC.
I love that he stays on the sand bed and not climbing all over the rocks, bull dozing over frags and such like my Turbo does.
Had my son's sand bed not been such a mess when we introduced him to the tank, I might not have been so impressed. :shades:
Glad you like him.
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