View Full Version : Need soemthing to stir up the sand?
tsdpurdue
04-25-2009, 10:06 PM
Im looking for something that will stir up my sand. i have a sand sifting star right now that does an ok job but need something else. I was thinking maybe a cucmber. What do you all think???? I have a 55 gallon aquarium if that matters
Amphiprion
04-25-2009, 11:15 PM
Cucumbers will very lightly mop the absolute uppermost layer. They will not go beyond that. I recommend ceriths for detritus and algae control. They do a good job at burying and sand movement. A few nassarius to scavenge leftover food would likely be ok. Just make sure you aren't getting Ilyanassa obsoleta snails, which are commonly sold as nassarius. Other random hitchhikers which do a good job include bristleworms, amphipods, rissoid snails, among others.
Octavarium
04-26-2009, 7:36 PM
Has anyone ever tried those sand sifting crabs? They look very cool, but I was curious as to how much sand they actually moved?
Almondsaz
05-11-2009, 6:52 AM
I am getting some this week and will let you know. The first shipment didn't make it from FLA.
GregAW
05-11-2009, 9:25 AM
What do they look like?
Amphiprion
05-11-2009, 12:14 PM
What do they look like?
http://images.whatsthatbug.com/images/sand_crab.jpg
Keep in mind that they aren't true crabs, though. Edit: I should also add that they are likely difficult to care for in the long run, since they are mostly filter feeders and may starve. I'm not sure if they accept other types of food or eat sand infauna, either.
GregAW
05-11-2009, 12:21 PM
Thanks Amph, let me know how they work out.
nancyhoa409
05-14-2009, 11:07 AM
What do you guys mean by moving sand??
Almondsaz
05-19-2009, 8:12 AM
I can't add the experience because the shipper I was getting the crabs from didn't have them in and I would have to wait a few more days. I haven't seen them locally either.
Nancy: by moving sand it means that the animal physically moves the sand. The nassarius snails moves the sand bed around while sifting for detritus. It actually burys itself - have to be careful when gravel/sand vaccing because they are in the sand bed. Hope that helps.
Blown 346
05-19-2009, 7:29 PM
Cucumbers will very lightly mop the absolute uppermost layer. They will not go beyond that. I recommend ceriths for detritus and algae control. They do a good job at burying and sand movement. A few nassarius to scavenge leftover food would likely be ok. Just make sure you aren't getting Ilyanassa obsoleta snails, which are commonly sold as nassarius. Other random hitchhikers which do a good job include bristleworms, amphipods, rissoid snails, among others.
I agree, plus cucumbers can get very large.
Blown 346
05-19-2009, 7:31 PM
What do you guys mean by moving sand??
You want to have your sandbed turned over by snaiuls etc like Almondsaz has stated. this will keep the sand from hardening and it it beneficial to the tank. Cerith snails, Nassarious snails do a great job.
Dont go and buy a sand sifting star unless you have the right environment for one.
Almondsaz
05-20-2009, 7:43 AM
There are a lot of inverts that are better left to their natural environment because they will not survive in the captive environment - our reef tanks. Sand sifting stars, sand dollars are among those. Sea Hares are also a bit tricky...you need to have a good source of hair algae or they will starve.
Just food for thought. Snails appear to be the most effective and invert friendly choice.
amp, recall my post about the monster in my mushroom rock? That little bugger up there is what was in my rock. The give away is the sweeper extensions. So I accidentally had a good thing in my rock? Darn it.
mohawk1069
08-12-2009, 7:31 PM
http://images.whatsthatbug.com/images/sand_crab.jpg
Keep in mind that they aren't true crabs, though. Edit: I should also add that they are likely difficult to care for in the long run, since they are mostly filter feeders and may starve. I'm not sure if they accept other types of food or eat sand infauna, either.
We called these "Sand Crabs" when I was a kid.,., You can find them en masse all over southern California beaches.,., just walk along the water break when a wave goes back out there will be little holes in the sand with bubbles coming out of them.,., If you dig your hands into the sand about 4-5 inches or so deep,.,., you can pull out sometimes 6-7 at a time.,., all ranging from about barely visible to about and inch and a half across.,., when I was a kid living at the beach we used to collect hundreds of them.,., the right time of year (mid to late summer) you can finds thousands of them.,.,., I would expect that they probably live on organisms filtered out of the sand as they spend a good amount of time just buried in the damp sand not really submerged.,.,., I always figured they likely needed access to air to survive,.,, but my only experiance with them is playin with em when I was a kid.,.,., never really thought about putting them in a tank.,., but now that you bring it up itd probably be pretty cool.,., although you're likely to never actually see them.,.,