sand bed ????s

[azriel]

i was wondering about deep sand beds. i read a short article about them that said so not use burrowing sea stars or gobies. does this rule out having a mandarin goby in a tank that is usign a deep sand bed??? i am aware that most people adn books say that mandarin gobies have small to nonexistant chances of surviving in tanks but my limited experience has shown that this is not always true. i know seven people who have gotten mandarins from the same vendor at different times over the past three years and they are all still doing GREAT. however thats not a lot of people compared to everyone who has tried to keep mandarins... so its risky...i know. back to the question... can i keep one in my tank with a deep sand bed (once i got it set up that is... heehee) or will it make the deep snad bed not function properly??? thanx for any input.

[VoodooChild]

I don't know why you wouldn't want stars or gobies in a sand bed. They'll just stir it up and decrease the chances of dead spots. I don't think that you'd have a problem with a mandarin, which really is a dragonet, so it doesn't really behave like your standard goby.

[Satchmo]

The reason you don't want burrowing stars is because they tend to eat many of the critters that keep a DSB healthy. Hadn't heard of excluding gobies, but I would imagine this would just apply to species who tend to be diggers. I have a watchman in a tank with a DSB and he doesn't bother it.

As for the mandarins, they are easy fish to keep once you meet their dietary needs. Therein lies the problem for most unsuccessful attempts. They're grazing carnivores, and need a well-established tank with lots of liverock and a healthy and stable pod population.

OR, you may be lucky enough to find a specimen that will accept brine/mysis. If your system doesn't meet the above requirements, I would go for this latter option. Ask to see the fish eat introduced food before you take him home, and be ready for the added work that comes with culturing live foods.

[Saltyone]

See now i have a 4" SB and I was told to have Sand sifting stars to mix up the sand or else the sand will start getting funky. Build up gasses and crap underneath it

[VoodooChild]

There's a million other things you can put in there besides stars if you like. Tiger conchs (queens if your tank is huge), hermit crabs, some species of snails, bristleworms, etc. All of these will kick things up, keep the sand bed rolling.

[Satchmo]

Yeah, you really don't want the sifting stars. The idea is to get as much diversity in the sandbed as possible, but to stick with species that don't tend to eat eachother.

For keeping the top layer turned (and therefore nice and white), I've found nothing better than Nassarius snails. They only burrow in the top 1/2", so they won't disturb the denitrifying function of the DSB (plus they're a kick to watch).

Then you'll want some deeper diggers to keep the lower reaches of the bed from becoming completely anoxic, which can be a major problem. In the finer grade sand, worms seem to be the best option. There are various sandbed infauna kits sold that would seed your sand with a good cross-section of critters.

[Saltyone]

ok so what shouldi put in I only have 2 Sands sifting stars that seem to only go down the top layer only till body is covered. Where to i get worms and what kind of worms do i want. I aldo do have 20 hermits (red and blue legged) So for all your opinion what should i have in there 55 gallon tank 4" bed fish only few LR maybe eventually a piece or to of soft coral

[Saltyone]

How will Sand sifting stars hurt??

[glc]

The reason behind keeping most DSB's are to create the denitrifying bacteria that exsist in the oxygen "depleted" areas of the lower levels of the sand bed. If you have critters digging to the bottom of the sand bed and oxygenating it you would loose the denitrifying effect.

G.L.C

[Saltyone]

But if you have nothing moving the sand it will creat harmmfull crap

[glc]

The harmful crap you are reffering to is the denitrifying bateria. :) If you are concerned with this keep a shallow sand bed. The only real reason to keep a DSB is for this denitrifying bacteria. It has been my experience that you wont have a problem with this unless you have a very large release. If that is a concern you may place a screen in your sand about half way through your sand bed. (plastic screen not metal)

G.L.C

[BrianH]

Denitrifying bacteria live in a low oxygen environment. A DSB will create this low oxygen environment for this bacteria. DSB critters will stir the sand enough to let small amounts of oxygen into the sand while also releasing small amounts of harmful gasses in the bed before they grow to dangerous levels.

Brian

[Saltyone]

ok Still dont answer what i should do What should i put in there for the sand for a 55 gallon tank with 4 " bed?? I have no Idea. SOmeone else told me Sand sifting stars before thats y i got them. Actually they havent gone in the sand for 2 weeks now either one just sits ontop of the other real strange i must say to

[BrianH]

You need to straighten out your water problems before adding any inverts.

Brian

[Saltyone]

they have beem in there 2 weeks and they are ok