substrate stirrers that don't get gravel everywhere?

[acroholic]

I have replaced my substrate and am looking for suggestions for stirrers that don't send gravel flying everywhere, like gobies, etc. My tangs are bad enough. I don't want to have to dig my corals out every day. Any ideas? I was thinking of a sand sifting star.

 

[jhutto]

A tiger cucumber is what I am getting. That is what George recommended.

 

[gmpolan]

dave, Id recommend the sand sifting starfish myself but i thoroughly enjoy watching my horseshoe crab as well and isnt to bad either

 

[reeferj]

http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTlTlQ_kUjbixj3T7QsNWv3DSTemqmwJ1VsI0oBZ9dQO3Z0lcushw" alt="" />
Cerith Snails

 

[falos]

sand sifting stars are not that good the ones i had stayed near the rocks now i have 2 fighting concs they do a good job and clean lower parts of my glass nothing beats a gobi though

 

[Jaycen B.]

I am with jhutto, if it is fine sand. I have 2 tiger tail cucumbers, I only bought one they can split like a nem. All they do is eat dirty sand and poop clean sand, got to be the best sand cleaner I have ever had.

 

[crew]

Nassarius snails don't eat algae but do a good job of stirring it up. My sand siftin star does a decent job, but he isnt the fastest

Edit: I've heard the tigertail is a ticking time bomb, just like a sea apple, with it's toxins

 

[rbredding]

Acroholic;678179 wrote: I have replaced my substrate and am looking for suggestions for stirrers that don't send gravel flying everywhere, like gobies, etc. My tangs are bad enough. I don't want to have to dig my corals out every day. Any ideas? I was thinking of a sand sifting star.

Golden head sleeper goby...








YEAH RIGHT!?!?
mine carried my sand so high that I've got some in my overflows..

 

[KrisDeitz]

Jaycen B.;678214 wrote: I am with jhutto, if it is fine sand. I have 2 tiger tail cucumbers, I only bought one they can split like a nem. All they do is eat dirty sand and poop clean sand, got to be the best sand cleaner I have ever had.

I think i may have to get one

 

[tchristman]

Nassarius snails are a great option as well as a Rainford Goby. Not sure what your other fish are but they stay small and constantly work the substrate without making a huge mess. Cool little fish.

 

[jhutto]

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2003/1/inverts">http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2003/1/inverts</a>

Cucumber article.

 

[smallblock]

Dave my yellow watchems really didn't stir anything up, once they found a spot they liked they just went around and would "bite" the sand. All the sand would just come out of their gills. They didn't go around stirring things up. I have a fighting conch too. I love him. His eyes are like submarine periscopes. Another advantage of him is he burrows deep. Sometimes all I can see is the tips of his eyes sticking out.

 

[ralph atl]

I reccomend Tongan Nassarius snails, and regular Nassarious snails as well as an Aurora Gobi with a large pistol (not those tiny red & white ones).

every month or two, I take out some sand with a net, and replace it with fresh sand..a wrasse that sleeps in sugar fine sand is a bonus.....

I'm afraid of Conchs (might eat wrasses), sand sifting stars (might starv), cucs (might crash your tank).....albeit if it were large enough area, I would go with the star.....

 

[stacy22]

Dave, for my 300g I am planning to put a few tiger-tail cucumbers and some fighting conchs on sand duty. I am afraid of the sand-sifting stars eventually starving as they eat microfauna. The cucumbers, however, are more detritivores and would have and endless supply of food considering my habit of overfeeding.

The fighting conchs are fun to watch the way they can pivot and throw themeslves around.

 

[jmaneyapanda]

I vote either conchs or the cucs. The conch are tank raised nowadays, so theyre "green", and the cucs are very non disturbing. The only bad thing about cucs is they leave "loaves" of processed sand, which can be a bit visually unappealing.

 

[snowmansnow]

a long stick

 

[mcphock]

Sand shifting stars will eat all your fauna out of the sand bed then starve to death. My conchs do a really good job of moving the sand around. They get my vote.

 

[jmaneyapanda]

McPhock;678359 wrote: Sand shifting stars will eat all your fauna out of the sand bed then starve to death. My conchs do a really good job of moving the sand around. They get my vote.

agreed. For all but the largest systems with heavy sand bed life, these stars are unsuitable.

 

[acroholic]

My substrate is about an inch in depth. Would the cucumbers and conchs be OK in this? Substrate is Caribsea Fine Reef Sand.

 

[acroholic]

Thanks to everyone for their help. I picked up two cucumbers today. Hope they do a good job. I'll try some fighting conchs if I can find some.