Sparkling white sand

[chauwall]

How do you keep your sand so spanking sparkly white? Do you siphon? Add new sand? Have zero nitrates? What's the secret?

 

[ace1204]

I know the best sand ive ever seen in a tank was stirred around every other day or so. I personally run a bare bottom lol

 

[hellfire]

^^ Yep. I had two goby's in my 75G, and my sand was always nice and white. But also, they tend to get sand EVERYWHERE, on your rocks, and you have to clean it off periodically, so its a give and take.

Tyler

 

[thanhreef]

I have a diamond goby in 70g, and my sand is always clean & stirred up

 

[chauwall]

I've tried a yellow headed sleeper goby before and he just made my tank into a permanent sand blizzard blanketing my coral and rocks. The rocks came crashing down too with his burrowing.

I've also tried stirring up the sand, but it still looks speckled.

Any other suggestions?

 

[theplatypus]

Assuming that it's not a DSB you could siphon it during water changes.

 

[lady sartain]

The combo of our golden headed sleeper goby and sand burrowing nassarius snails keeps our sand fresh looking. The goby does seem to make a mess with all the sand. We have to use a PH to blow it off the rocks and corals every so often. The snails are cool @ feeding time. The sand looks like it is boiling as the snails start bubbling up out of the sand.

 

[blind1993]

i have a question, can yellow wachman gobies sift large crush coral?

 

[thanhreef]

dawgdude;267051 wrote: IMO sleeper gobies need to have a tank planned for them as with any other burrowing goby. Diamonds CAN make a burrow but typically mine just cruises around sifting and not so much burrowing. Also sleepers tend to pick up sand, swim upward and then rain it down. USUALLY diamonds take a mouthful, sit there and sift it, then move forward an inch and repeat. I am not saying all diamonds will act like this but this it the usually behavior I have seen and love these little guys.

I agree with dawgdude. My Diamond Goby does the same.
I had a Bullet Goby before. It drove me crazy. It picked up sand, swam upward and then rained it down like snow.

 

[stacy22]

I love my nassarius too. They are my favorite snails.

 

[schwaggs]

A sand sifting starfish and some sea cucumbers do the trick here.

 

[chauwall]

Barbara;267073 wrote: Yep, I'm givin' the nassarius some love too. That, and these little teeny-tiny snails that Jin gave me a year ago that stay in the sand keep my sandbed pretty stirred up all by themselves. And I love it when the nassarius smell food in the water. They pop up like little submarines.

How many Nassarius would I need for my 120?

 

[michael ruppert]

I had a two spot that did a great job.

 

[FutureInterest]

Truly sparkling white sand cannot be maintained in a reef aquarium. It's just not possible even with diligent stirring and constant agitation. Things just naturally grow on it regardless of your and reef habitants best efforts. The same goes for pure black sand too. It's impossible to maintain that perfect jet black look. The only thing you can do is to replace your sand bed regularly...

 

[drnecropolis]

Holy Hell!!!! That was the most amazing tank I have ever seen!

 

[chauwall]

I was over at Cameron's house and saw how beautiful his sand looked. He also had a pair of yellowheaded sleeper gobies sifting away. How long have you kept the diamond gobies? I read that most sand sifters waste away in aquariums which is what happened to mine even though he ate alot.

What about the cucumber? How do those work? Don't they eat a gobful of sand and poop out white sand?

 

[FutureInterest]

Yah that's my dream tank. I'm not very materialistic but I covet that tank like a mofo.

 

[blind1993]

Chau if im not mistaken cameron had a pair of yellow watchman gobies, he's the one who made me want one.

 

[FutureInterest]

No he did have sleepers as well although I don't care for any sand sifting goby as they tend to get that junk everywhere.

 

[ericmcj31]

wow! I remember seeing that tank now--but had forgotten about it--wow, wow wow!! That dude must have some serious $$$ to drop on a setup like that-!